Garantia de plantas más sanas

PRODUCCIÓN DE PLÁNTULAS DE HORTALIZAS EN TÚNEL

UNIÓN EUROPEAEUROPEAN UNION

Healthier plants, guaranteed

VEGETABLE SEEDLINGSPRODUCED IN TUNNELS

Vegetable seedlingsproduced in tunnelsHealthier plants, guaranteed

Doña Esthela del Carmen Estrada, ofthe Los Filos community, municipalityof Villa El Carmen (Nicaragua), is acommunity promoter in charge ofproviding vegetable seedlings producedin tunnels to a group of 35 farmers inher community. She tells us:

“I’ve been working with the tunnel forfour years now. Before, when nobodyknew about tunnel planting, the plantswould grow really badly in the groundand pests like whiteflies would affectthem a lot. The plants would wilt andget all yellowy.

But the pests can’t get in the tunnelbecause the micromesh keeps themout and protects from the wind. Thelittle plants grow greener and quicker inthe tunnel where they spend 22 to 28days. Then the farmers come to takethem and plant them in raised beds.

When using plastic trays, I put one seedin each seed hopper. You can’t putmore than one because it stunts thegrowth. The advantage is that the littleplant comes out with soil andeverything, with its roots whole.”

1+VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS PRODUCED IN TUNNELS: HEALTHIER PLANTS, GUARANTEED

Purpose of producingvegetable seedlings intunnels

Traditionally, vegetable farmers plantseedbeds in the open, exposing theseeds and later the seedlings to manypests and diseases. Besides, when theseedlings are uprooted from a nursery,they come out with naked, incompleteroots, which brings about stress duringtransplant and potential diseases.Melon, watermelon, cucumber andmaize are crops that really suffertransplant stress.

In the tunnel you can:

n Guarantee healthy, high-qualityplants, free of virus infection or insector wind damage, as these cannotpenetrate the micromesh and reachthe interior of the tunnel.

n Create favourable conditions for theseedlings and adverse ones for pests.

n Avoid seed loss.n Use water efficiently. n Grow crops all year, independently of

weather conditions.

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Step by step: Tunnel planting

1. Disinfecting the trays

4 Fill a bucket with clean water.4 Add chlorine (10 ccs in 20 litres of

water).

4 Submerge the tray in the bucket andleave for a few seconds. As the wholetray doesn’t fit in the bucket at once,turn it around and submerge theother half for a few seconds.

3+VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS PRODUCED IN TUNNELS: HEALTHIER PLANTS, GUARANTEED

2. Filling the buckets:

n Prepare the substrate mixture thatyou’re going to use in the trays with:

4 Two shovels-full of vermicompost.4 One shovel-full of burnt rice chaff.

The combination of these ingredients inthese proportions is proven to combinethe necessary characteristics forseedling production, giving them thesupport and nutrients they need for

proper development and permittingthat, at the time of transplant, theseedling will come out with its rootsystem intact.

n Fill each tray cell evenly with thismixture and tap the tray so that thesubstrate settles and compacts alittle.

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3. Planting

n Make a hole in the middle of eachseed hopper with a stick or pencil.Each hole should be the same depth,two or three times greater than thesize of the seed.

n Place a single seed in each hole.When more than one seed is plantedand germinates, you have to uprootthe extra seedlings and leave justone.

n Cover the seeds with a bit ofsubstrate.

n Water the trays daily in the morningand evening so that the seeds cangerminate. Use a watering can orsplash by hand.

4. Transplant

n Tomato seeds begin to germinate 3 to4 days after planting. Peppers 7 to 9days, onions 11 to 15 days.

n Transplant the seedlings to the field22 to 28 days later according to thecrop. As a general rule, you cantransplant when the seedlings havetheir first two true leaves or are about15 cm. tall.

n The seedlings should come easily outof the tray with substrate and all.

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Advantages and limitationsAdvantages

4 Tunnel seedling mortality is 90% lessthan that of seedlings produced intraditional nurseries.

4 You don’t need a lot of nursery space.4 The tunnel structure, if well taken

care of, can last about 8-10 years. 4 You don’t need a lot of water to water

the trays.

Possible limitations

4 A tunnel is relatively expensive ($150USD) and would not be profitable fora single vegetable farmer. It must befor collective or community use.

4 Every three to five years, dependingon wear and tear, the micromeshmust be replaced for a new one.You’ll need 20 square metres (cost:about $40 USD).

Recommendations4 During the rainy season, you have to

protect the micromesh withtransparent plastic so that dripswon’t fall on the trays and themicromesh doesn’t rot with decayingleaves.

4 It’s good to locate the tunnelsomewhere away from trees thatcould fall on the tunnel or cover it inleaves that rot and damage themicromesh.

4 Don’t let the plants get leggy in thetrays.

This publication has been produced with the support of the European Union.The content is the sole responsibility of the author and in no case should be considered

as reflecting the views of the European Union.

CreditsProduction: Pascal Chaput • Revision: Lutgarda Barahona, Louise Joyce, Mark Camburn •

Translation: Juliana Marín, Mark Camburn • Photography: Pascal Chaput • Design: Enmente •January 2018

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