What’s Happening At CARDI

As the local arm of the Caribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute (CARDI) annual work programme is approaching the end it does not mean that activities been on the decline, on the contrary.   It is business as usual, there several projects still ongoing and these are:

 

Seed Production and Management

We must remember that seeds are the most efficient means of propagating crops. Additionally, they are used for maintaining and transmitting genetic improvements made by scientists and farmers. These are the seeds that are being produced

 

  • Hot Pepper
  • Corn
  • Pumpkin
  • Table squash

Germplasm Conservation

A new sweet potato germplasm was established in August 2022. Sixteen varieties of sweet potato are now available.

An older sweet potato germplasm established in June 2022 has been available for farmers to collect clean and healthy planting material. There is a high demand for planting material by farmers and CARDI has continued to support farmers by providing sweet potato cuttings. Livestock farmers also use the sweet potato vines to feed their animals.

 

A number of cassava plots were well established at the CARDI station and it is anticipated that in the future CARDI will provide additional planting material.

 

 Climate Smart Agriculture Practices

Use of improved technology, such as rapid multiplication of cassava in the humidity bin, has been used to establish multiple cassava plots at the unit. This process uses two and three node cuttings for the cassava which are smaller than the usual length used traditionally. The ability to establish a new cassava plant is tripled, since a third of the material is now required, therefore reducing the amount of material necessary and hence more rapidly multiplying the number of cassava plants in a given plot. Additionally, such techniques have been used to establish new varieties of sweet potato.

Intercropping of pumpkin and cassava has proven to be a good practice as it relates to water conservation and creating a more suitable micro-climate for production as well as improving land use efficiency.

Use of organic mulch has been particularly useful when establishing plantain, banana and a range of fruit trees at the unit given the high temperatures and limited rainfall.

Subsurface irrigation has proven to be very useful under drought conditions. Fruit trees established using this system have continued to grow and have been productive despite the prevailing drought conditions. These fruit trees exhibit a greater degree of drought resilience because of the healthy root system developed as a result of the subsurface irrigation at the earlier stages of their physiological development.

High Quality Forages

Farmers and animal herders could obtain a variety of feed for their livestock from CARDI.  These includes:

Mulberry

Gliricidia

Guinea grass

Sweet Potato Vines

Cassava leaves


Technical Support (Demand for seeds has increased among farmers).

  • Hot pepper seeds.
  • Pumpkin seeds.
  • Table squash seeds.
  • Corn seeds.

CARDI continues to provide technical support and advice to stakeholders who visit the unit. Sustainable agricultural practices are on display for stakeholders at CARDI and there is a wealth of knowledge, literature and plant genetic resources available at the unit.