Opportunities and constraints for improved vegetable production technology in tropical Asia

A description of the characteristics of vegetable production in tropical Asia is presented. The description is followed by a discussion of the opportunities and constraints of improved non-seed vegetable production technologies. Sowing of seeds and seedling emergence, transplant production, irrigation, mulching, fertiliser use, crop protection and weed control methods, protected cultivation and harvest date planning are discussed in relation to their use and impact. Conditions for successful introduction of new technologies and the role of outside actors are discussed. It is argued that in order to increase the success of adoption of improved technologies, farmers and public and private institutions should work together. With increasing prosperity, the demand for vegetables, especially in the expanding urban areas, will increase, leading to the intensification of production and higher profitability. With better profitability, the application of mulch, drip irrigation, fertigation and protected cultivation will become more common. With increasing production, harvest date planning as related to year-round city market demand, will become essential to improve profitability. It is recommended that, next to the development and introduction of improved production technologies, research and extension on vegetables in tropical Asia, should also focus on methods to improve harvest date planning and year-round suppl

Regional year-round sypply of vegetables in North Vietnam

A discussion is presented about the patterns in the present year-round supply of vegetables to large cities in the Red River Delta in North Vietnam. Especially during the hot summer season, vegetables are supplied from Dalat in South Vietnam or from Kunming Province in China. Generally speaking, importing vegetables from far away areas or foreign countries adds considerable cost to the product, while extensive transportation decreases product quality or limits the number of products that can be supplied. Aiming for more attractive consumer pricing, an increase in product quality and year-round product availability, options are explored for the regional year-round supply of vegetables from North Vietnam itself. The discussion is based on the agro-ecology of vegetable crops, on market opportunities during the year and on environmental considerations. It is argued that most of the vegetables presently available in the Red River Delta can be supplied from areas in North Vietnam itself. Special attention is given to environmental considerations to ensure sustainable productio

Meerjarige tuinbouwsamenwerking met Indonesië beëindigd: HORTIN, terugblik op een succesvolle samenwerking

Eind november 2010 werd in Jakarta de tweede fase van het programma Horticultural Research co-operation between Indonesia and The Netherlands (HORTIN) afgesloten. De eerste fase liep van 2003 tot en met 2006. De samenwerking in de eerste fase concentreerde zich op onderzoek. Tijdens de tweede fase (2007-2010) lag de nadruk op co-innovatie en ontwikkeling in de hele keten, van productie tot afzet van tuinbouwproducten, in nauwe samenwerking met bedrijven uit het mkb

The effect of nitrogen and the method of application on yield and quality of broccoli

The effects of the rate and the method of N application on yield and quality of broccoli cv. Emperor were studied during 3 seasons at Andijk and Lelystad, Netherlands. Different amounts of N fertilizer were applied broadcast or band placed at planting. Band placement of fertilizer increased the yield in 5 out of 8 experiments. Application of N resulted in larger heads. No relationship was found between soil mineral N at planting and optimum N application because of the narrow range of soil mineral N at planting. Split application had no or a negative effect on yield and therefore is not recommended. For optimum yields a rate of 270 kg N/ha is recommended, minus the mineral N in the 0-60 cm soil layer, band placed at planting. For broadcast application 275 kg N minus the soil mineral N is recommended at planting, but yields will be lower than with band placement of fertilizer