Page 29 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

the ecological components, they are able to modify some soil factors with respect to
management of fertility by using organic or inorganic fertilisers. Horticultural crops
require intensive care in carrying out agronomic operations including planting,
manipulation of growth, harvesting and proper post-harvest operations such as
processing, packaging, marketing and storage.

Unlike other crops, many horticultural crops can be planted in varied settings and
growing media including screenhouse (refer to Figure 1.74 (a) and (b)) or normal
seedbeds (refer to Figure 1.75). In urban or peri-urban areas where land is a
constraint, horticultural crops can be grown in improvised seedbeds. Improvised
seedbeds involve the use of locally available materials in raising crops, for example,
used containers, tyres, sacks and polythene bags packed with soil or other required
growing media (refer to Figure 1.76 (a) to (d)). In addition, ready-made grow bags
and pots can be used in raising horticultural crops and some other crops such as
potatoes (refer to Figures 1.76 (e) and (f)). However, the use of ready-made grow
bags and pots is relatively expensive compared to the use of locally available
materials. Vertical or multi-storey gardening can also be used in areas with shortage
of land (refer to Figure 1.77 and 1.78 (a) and (b)).

Figure 1.74 (a): Horticultural farming in screenhouse using hydroponics

Student’s Book Form Three
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AGRICULTURE FORM 3 9.11.2022.indd 18 10/01/2025 12:31