By Umar Nsubuga
Any farmer worth his salt will tell you that good seed begets good breed. In crops, it is important to preserve the best seeds for future planting.
This helps in making the crop variety survive pests, diseases as well as harsh climatic conditions.
Moses Kiptala, a famous farmer in Mengya village, Kween district and has been a farmer for the last 40 years says past farming communities treated the preservation of seed not only as a necessity for the survival of the crop type in question but for the very social itself.
“For instance, the best maize, the cobs would be carefully selected and tied up in a bundle. The bundle would then be tied on a pole with the cobs facing downwards. The protective sheath covering the cob would not be removed. The method preserved the seeds from pests for a considerable length of time,” he explains.
In other instances, the cobs in their sheaths would be placed above the kitchen fire where the smoke would help keep away any pest invasion. It would also dry up the cobs with ease.
Twaha Kakooza, a commercial farmer in Kayunga district says other seeds such as beans, peas and legumes in general would be preserved with ash, dust, hot pepper and extracts from certain plants.
In all cases, it was important to store the seed when it was well-dried. It would also be placed where the rain could not get at it.
According to Kakooza, all these initiatives are the agricultural technologies which were introduced by farming communities after lengthy trials spanning generations.
Herny Sekyewa, an agronomist says the time-tested system of selecting seed and preserving the best for the future is fast dying out. Many farmers just pick seed from any source and plant it. This does not always produce the best crops.
Davis Magala, a farmer and businessman says the best way to know about the performance of any seed variety is by knowing about its history.
“This is best obtained from farmers who have grown this particular crop for a long time. By inquiring from farmers in your area you will be able to know about the source of good seed varieties for crops ranging from cereals to legumes and bananas as well as good tree species,” he says.
He adds, “On the farm, select the most robust plants as your source of seeds for the future. The same applies to good breeding animals.”
“Take care to select the best animals for future generations. However, care should be taken to cater for all the good attributes,” Magala says.
The animals may be good-looking but may be poor milk producers. This would make it a poor choice for a dairy animal.
Selecting good breeds for animals and seeds is important for establishing a good mixed farm.
