Know your soil: cultivating fruit and vegetable crops in Uganda

Fruit and vegetable production involves a range of species with different requirements regarding soil quality and other specific site conditions. Prior knowledge of these conditions can help select the most suitable fruit and vegetable crops and reduce production risks.

 

The status of soil nutrients, for instance, influences seed germination and growth rates, pest and disease incidence, yield, maturity and nutritional composition of the harvested products. The RELOAD team in Uganda compared the soils at Kabanyolo, an experimental site, with the requirements for growing pineapple, watermelon, passion fruit, cabbage, tomato, pumpkin and eggplants.

 

The findings suggest that the soil conditions at Kabanyolo are good for growing cabbage and pumpkin; for the other species mentioned, amendments with lime, sulphur and organic fertilizers would be beneficial. Read the full article "here"