Crop varieties suited for the Coast

Coast Development Authority managing director, Dr Mohammed Hassan and other officials take at our of a demonstration farm in which sorghum is grown, at the Mombasa ASK show. PHOTO | BRIAN WACHIRA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mango, melon, cassava, cashew nut, coconut and citrus do well in the region.
  • The rains at the Coast are unpredictable, thus, there is need for farmers to embrace maize varieties that are suited for the region for them to achieve higher yields.
  • To plant the cassava, have cuttings of between three and six inches. Weeding is done thrice and the cassava matures from six to eight months.
  • Watermelons were another produce on display, which do well at the Coast. At the East African Seed demonstration farm, farmers were advised to go for the Sukari F1 and Kazuri F1.

Some came walking, others drove while the dignitaries arrived in copters at the Mombasa agricultural show which closed its doors last week.

But despite arriving in different styles, the show-goers had one mission, which was to pick as many lessons as possible from the agricultural event.

Seeds of Gold was at the show for the entire five days, starting from August 5 and one of the things that stood out was the various crop varieties on display to be grown specifically at the Coast.

At the Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organisation (Kalro) demonstration farm, the lush green maize crops of the WE1101 variety were an attraction.

Developed by Kalro researchers, under the aegis of Water Efficient Maize for Africa project (WEMA) project, the maize named Drought Tego is drought-resistant thus highly suited for the Coast region, which has a warm weather.

The variety takes four to five months to mature unlike others which take six months.

Kalro researcher Finyange Pole said Drought Tego could be a solution to food insecurity at the Coast if farmers adopt it.

“The rains at the Coast are unpredictable, thus, there is need for farmers to embrace maize varieties that are suited for the region for them to achieve higher yields,” said Pole at the Mkomani grounds show, adding the variety yields an average of 32 bags per acre. It is ideal for Kilifi and Kwale counties.

Apart from Drought Tego, another maize variety at the demonstration farm suitable for the region was the CKH08069 (Shukran-16), which is also drought-tolerant.

The variety can produce up to 30 bags per acre and is also ideal for regions like Kilifi and Kwale.

Also on display were Tosheka (MH401) from East African Seed Co. which yields up to 55 bags per hectare.

MATURES IN EIGHT MONTHS

When planting the maize seeds, farmers are advised to use phosphate fertiliser. And when the plants reach knee-high, they should top dress with CAN fertiliser and Buldock for getting rid of pests, which destroy the maize plant stalks.

The maize plants must be weeded at least twice.

Away from maize, farmers at the Coast can also grow the cassava variety known as Tajirika, which matures in eight months and can yield up to 24 tonnes per acre.

To plant the cassava, have cuttings of between three and six inches. Weeding is done thrice and the cassava matures from six to eight months.

Tajirika is also good for value addition, making cakes, crisps, chips, ugali and chapati.

New varieties of mangoes, cashew nuts and citrus, crops that do well at the Coast, were also on display.

Farmers can grow four varieties of grafted cashewnuts namely A100, A81, A82 and A8.

A grafted cashew nut tree takes one-and-a-half years to produce compared to five the local varieties being grown at the Coast currently take.

Grafted mango varieties, on the other hand, take two-and-a-half years to produce unlike five to six years when planted from a seed.

Ngoe and apple varieties are highly recommended for the region as well as the local variety known as kitovu, which, however, is low-yielding.

Through grafting, an orange tree produces at two-and-a-half years compared to five to six years when planted from a seed.

Washington and Valencia varieties are ideal for the Coast. The above crops do well in all the six coastal counties.

For coconut farmers, one can choose between the Improved dwarf and East Africa tall varieties.

FREE FROM PESTS AND DISEASES

The dwarf coconut variety produces from three years with a tree yielding up to 200 nuts per year while the East African tall coconut produces 160 nuts from five years.

In Mombasa County, the coconuts do well in Utange, Mishomoroni, Kisauni, Shanzu, Mwakirunge and Likoni.

For passion fruits growers, the variety KPF4 takes between six and eight months to produce and is ideal for the region.
The variety produces bigger fruits which are good for making juice.

The fruit offers between 25 and 30 tonnes of passion fruits per acre, which is three times more of what the local variety offers at eight and 15 tonnes.

Pole, the Kalro researcher, said for tissue culture bananas, farmers should go for the Grand Nain variety that produces from eight and nine months.

Developed by Kalro through tissue culture technology, the variety has bigger bunches compared to the local ones.

From a sucker, one gets up to 1,000 banana seedlings. Seeds from this banana variety are free of pests and diseases.

At the Kenya Seed Company farm, tomato varieties such as Fortune Maker, Prostar F1, Kemtom F1, Libra F1, Riogrande, Cal J VF, M82 and Joy F1, which do well at the Coast were on display.

The Fortune Maker F1 variety takes 80 days to produce its first fruits. The tomato variety is excellent for making stews and kachumbari.

OVAL SHAPED FRUITS

Fortune Maker grows well both in greenhouses and outdoor and has a lengthy harvesting period.

The variety is tolerant to leaf curl virus and bacterial wilt.

At Sygenta Kenya farm, the Kilele F1 and Tylka F1 varieties, both which mature in 75 days, were good picks for farmers.

Tylka produces an average of between 70 and 80 tonnes per acre and has a harvesting period of four to six months.

Watermelons were another produce on display, which do well at the Coast. At the East African Seed demonstration farm, farmers were advised to go for the Sukari F1 and Kazuri F1.

Kazuri matures between 65 and 70 days and yields an average of 35 tonnes per acre with the oval shaped fruits weighing about 3kg.

The Sukari variety yields between 20 and 25 tonnes of melon per acre with its fruits weighing up to 12kg each.

Capsicum is another crop that does well at the Coast and the Paprika– relampago F1 variety was at display at the Simlaw Seeds farm. The variety produce 75 tonnes of sweet pepper per acre.

Among vegetables to grow at the Coast are mchicha (Amaranth), cabbages, sukuma wiki (collard green), onions and potatoes.

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Region with great farming potential

Kilifi is among counties at the Coast with huge agricultural potential.

The area is now littered with various irrigation projects, some which are supported by the county and donors like Japan International Corporation Agency (Jica).

Five irrigation schemes have been established in Kaloleni, Magharini and Ganze sub-counties, areas that were once a hot-bed of famine.

Besides maize, cassava production has also been intensified in the region.