Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

Exercise No. 3.33 118
CULTURAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN RELATION
TO MORPHOLOGY AND GROWTH STAGES OF
ORGANICALLY-GROWN CROSS-POLLINATED
VEGETABLES
BaCKGroUND aND raTIoNalE
Organically-grown cross-pollinated vegetables are
vegetables wherein pod or fruit setting results from union
of female (ovule) and male (pollen) reproductive cells of two
different plants, varieties, or cultivars. The most common
cross-pollinated vegetables are those belonging to cucurbits.
All plants in populations of cross-pollinated species are
highly heterozygous and enforced inbreeding (continuous
self-pollination) results in deterioration of their vigor and
other adverse effects. Heterozygosity is an essential feature
of commercial varieties of these species and it must be either
maintained during a breeding program or restored as a final
step of a program 119 .
168
Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for Organic Vegetable Production
when is this exercise most
appropriate?
ɶ In FFS, TOT, and
VST sessions, when
participants decided to
organically-grow crosspollinating
vegetables
(e.g., chayote, cucumber,
and zucchini) in learning
field or these vegetables
are grown in adjoining
fields; and
ɶ When farmers want to
learn innovative cultural
management practices in
relation to growth stages
of cross-pollinating
organic vegetables from
other farmers.
Some examples of cucurbits are chayote, cucumber, and zucchini. Unlike some self-pollinating
vegetables that are organically-grown in home gardens, cross-pollinated vegetables (including
chayote) are considered high-valued crops and are normally grown by organic farmers in
commercial scale. Just like any commercially grown vegetables, appropriate and location-specific
cultural management practices must be employed at different growth stages of crops to ensure more
productive and profitable ventures.
Innovative cultural management practices that are more adapted to various stages of organicallygrowing
cross-pollinated vegetables had evolved in the Cordilleras through farmers’ years of
experiences. These unique experiences can be regularly shared among farmers in FFSs to further
improve current practices. The foregoing exercise was designed to achieve this particular objective
through participatory, discovery-based and experiential learning approaches.
118 Adapted from Callo, Jr., D.P., L.B. Teofilo, and H.A. Tauli (eds). 2002. Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for Vegetable IPM, Volume II. SEAMEO
Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. pp156-160.
119 Bautista, O.K. (ed). 1994. Introduction to Tropical Horticulture. 2 nd Edition. SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture
and University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines. pp133-144.