200 profitable agribusiness ideas 1

One of the most important questions that often comes to farmers‘ minds is, ―what seeds should I plant?‖ Now, before rushing to the nearest agrovet or seed stockist, arm yourself with this guide that will enable you select the best seeds that fit the location of your farm.

The altitude Ask yourself if the crop you are planting suits the altitude of your region. For example for maize, the 6-series which include H614D, H627, H6213, H626, H6210, H629, H6401, H628 and H6212, all from Kenya Seed, are for the high altitude areas (1,800-2,200m above sea level).

While the varieties such as H623, H632, H624 and H622 are suitable for the intermediate altitude (1,500-2,000m above sea level). Similarly, 5-series such as H513, H515 and H516 are more-suited in the medium altitude (1,200-1,800m above sea level).

For the areas receiving rainfall 500-800mm per year with altitude of 900-1,400m above sea level and are classified as dry, the most suitable varieties would be Katumani composite (DH04, DH02 and DH09) and for the coastal strip, Coast composite, PH4 and PH1 are more suited.

Rainfall Some crops require more rainfall than others. For instance sorghum, millet, chickpea and pigeon pea, normally referred to as dry land crops, can tolerate low rainfall and high temperatures.

While the horticultural crops such as vegetables require relatively high rainfall and cooler temperatures.

However, some varieties are specifically bred for drought-tolerance, and they include Korongo for wheat and Katumani composites for maize.

The question, however remains, if I am not sure on how much rain our area will receive for this season, what should I plant? Experts from the Meteorological Department normally advise by looking at the historical data of a particular area and determine how the rainfall will be.

However, with the changing climate, it would be better to do timely or early planting.

The magic of hybrids 285