KAIBOI TECHNICAL TRAINING INSTITUTE

TRADE PROJECT REPORT

TITLE: RAISING OF MANGO CUTTINGS USING A BULB ONION

DEPARTMENT: AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

NAME: NAOMI NAFULA

INDEX NO:5401010591

SUPERVISOR: MR LEVY CHEBAI

COURSE NAME: CRAFT CERTIFICATE IN GENERAL AGRICULTURE.

PRESENTED. TO THE KENYA NATIONAL EXAMINATION. COUNCIL FOR THE

PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE AWARD OF CRAFT CERTIFICATE IN
GENERAL AGRICULTURE.

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 Declaration
I hereby declare that this is my original document that has not been submitted to Kenya
National Examinational council or any other body for award in certificate in general
agriculture.

Name:

Sign: ______________

Date:_______________

Supervisor:

Sign: ______________

Date:_______________
 Dedication
This is dedicated to all my course mates, friends parents and relatives, much goes to my
family for every encouraging quotes” no gain without pain and no victory expectation
through surrender.”

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 Acknowledgment
I wish to convey my sincere regards to all who saw me through this course to my family
members for their moral support and financial support my colleagues for the process of this
documents .

I also acknowledge my course mates for their support research of my project.

I also acknowledge my project supervisor for this guidance and devotion in seeing my
success in this project, may I also thanks to all tutors for giving a hand in advice.

Thanks you all and God bless you.

Contents
COURSE NAME: CRAFT CERTIFICATE IN GENERAL AGRICULTURE.....................i
Declaration............................................................................................................................................ii
Dedication.............................................................................................................................................iii
Acknowledgment..................................................................................................................................iv
ABSTRACT.............................................................................................................................................vi
CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................................................1
1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION........................................................................................................1
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT....................................................................................................................2
1.3 PURPOSE FOR THE STUDY................................................................................................................2
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY..............................................................................................................2
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY..........................................................................................................2
1.6 THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY...............................................................................................................2
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY............................................................................................................2
1.8 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE PROJECT......................................................................................................2
CHAPTER TWO......................................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER THREE....................................................................................................................................5
3.1materials required for the project....................................................................................................5
3.2 budget estimates.............................................................................................................................5
BUDGET..............................................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER FOUR......................................................................................................................................6
4.1 PROJECT DESIGN..............................................................................................................................6
4.2 METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................................................6
4.3 CALENDER OF WORK.......................................................................................................................7
4.4FINDINGS..........................................................................................................................................2
4.5RECOMMENDATION.........................................................................................................................2
4.6CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................9

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 ABSTRACT
Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are important to facilitate root formation and firm
plant establishment hence used in vegetative propagation for many years. Farmers use
other alternative technique to induce rooting of cuttings. This study was conducted to
identify the effect of bulb Onion on root formation of stem cuttings of plants. An
experiment was conducted using a mango cuttings(Mangifera indica)
The project tries to investigate whether a bulb Onion , can be used as anl alternative
root inducing substance, for plant cuttings . These finding could be used in
developing root inducing substance and resolving and reducing the risk of chemical
toxicity in plants due to PGRs
 CHAPTER ONE
1.0 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Mango

Mangifera indica, called mango, is a multi-stemmed tropical evergreen tree that is native to
Mexico, Central America and South America. Mangoes were first domesticated in tropical
America, where they were cultivated as individual seedling trees before the Spanish conquest.
The plants did not receive serious horticultural attention until about 1900, when
horticulturists found that production of grafted trees was simple and allowed perpetuation of
superior seedlings and the establishment of orchards. Flourishing mango industries have since
developed around the world in suitable climates

Mango is rich in vitamin and it is essential in providing good immunity to the body to the
body and protect the body against diseases .

Some of the varieties of mango are Kent, Dashari,Haden, Chaunsa , palmer and kesar this are
majorly grown varieties in Kenya .

In addition, a mangoes are associated with various diseases in their growth some of disease
are Anthracnose, powdery mildew, Die dark, Red rust and Sooty mould . This disease lower
the produce of the mango as they low the quality of mango hence the demand will be low.

To meet the demand for mango production there is need to develop efficient propagation
method that ensure a sustainable and relief supply of mangoes seedlings. Traditional
Propagation technique such as growing mango from seed as limitations in term of long
germination period, inconsistent fruit quality in variability in tree characteristics. This method
often results in high level of genetic and variation making it to maintain desired traits in
Mangoes ochard .

Bulb Onion

Bulb Onion is believe to have been originated from central Asia. Some of the varieties of
bulb Onion are Sweet onions, Chives, Leeks and Welsh onions this are the majorly grown
varieties in Kenya.

In addition, bulb Onion is associated with some of disease including Botrytis, Downy mildew
and Purple blotch which affect their producton .

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 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
Mango farming is one of the Kenyas cash crop. High demand for mango seedlings has led to
shortage. This project therefore tries to increase the supply of the seedlings by using a bulb
Onion as a rooting media to avoid the use of chemicals which is a sustainable agricultural
activity which avoids pollution of the environment.

1.3 PURPOSE FOR THE STUDY

Establishment of mango seedlings using a bulb Onion as a rooting medium is a project that
seeks to introduce mango farming in Nandi county, specifically at Kaiboi region since
farmers in the area are mainly Maize farmers. This project seeks to use natural way of raising
mango seedlings in an environments that only requires a mixture of nutrient. This is a
sustainable form of agriculture that is cheap and that it requires a small area .

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

 To raise
 To determine the growth rate of mango seedlings using a bulb Onion as arooting
medium
 To establish cheap methods of raising plant cuttings.
 To embrace sustainable agriculture

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The project is important in that it will raise mango seedlings without the use of chemical
substances. This study will also enable farmers in the area raise mango seedlings cheaply.

1.6 THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The project will raise mango seedlings using a bulb Onion as a rooting media at Kaiboi
Technical Institute. The project will be carried out in the institute farm.

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Bulb Onion is not dominant in the region hence it will be sought else where.

1.8 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE PROJECT

The project will provide quality seedlings compared to those from ordinary farms.
 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are often referred as synthetic plant hormones and used in
agriculture for many years. PGR s categorized into five main groups such as auxins,
gibberellins, cytokinins, abscisic acid and ethylene. These PGRs alter plant physiological and
functional processes.Most of PGRs are used in commercial agriculture including horticulture
and other fields of agriculture. Success of rooting of cuttings depends on the physiological
stage of the mother plant (Day and Loveys, 1998), time which cutting was taken (Darwesh,
2000) and the type of PGRs used (Rowzack, 2001).Replacement of synthetic PGRs with
natural alternatives are becoming popular because of high cost of synthetic PGRs, risk of
toxicity inplants, human and animals due to the application of overdoses (Cutler et al., 1990).
Alternative natural plant extracts rich in plant hormones and antioxidants can be used to
improve, induce and stimulate growth of another plant species. Bulb Onion is one of the
sources which could be used to stimulate rooting of cuttings .

Hartman H.T and D.E Kester (2002) explored the rooting success of mango cuttings under
different hormone treatments and environmental conditions. They identified specific hormone
concentration and rooting media compositions that resulted in higher rooting rates and
increased survival rates of cutting seedlings. They study provided practical guidelines for
optimizing cutting propagation technique.

In addition, Tasaki , Ernia . 2003 . Conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on

cutting propagation in various plant species, highlighting the advantages and challenges
associated with this method.

Rooting hormones play a significant role in promoting the formation of roots in cutting and
enhancing the overall success of propagatin. Auxin , such as indole -3-butyric acid (IBA) and
indole -3-acetic acid (IAA) are commonly used to stimulate root initiation and development.
The application if appropriate hormone concentration and method such as basal and dipping
or foliar spraying can significantly improve rooting success. The interaction between cutting
type, hormone, concentration and environmental conditions should be carefully considered to
optimize rooting responses in cutting-grown seedlings.

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Since a bulb Onion contains plant hormones such as auxins and gibberellin, and plant
root growth promoters such as salicylic acid (Surjushe et al., 2008), it could be used as
a source of hormone instead of synthetic growth.

Fresh bulb Onion used for inducing rooting of stem cuttings and air layering of plants.
Rooting of cuttings may be facilitated due to its antibacterial properties and/or it
composition which includes root inducing substances like growth regulators or
hormones. However, written scientific evidences are limited on the effect of bulb Onion as
a root inducing substances hence systematically designed experiments are
needed to prove the use of bulb Onion as a root inducing substances.

The reason why farmers used method is because this method is easier and the germination of
the seed is high as compared to seed planting which may take time to mature and reach
maturity early.

Cutting selection this project depends on the on the following factors with cutting selection
being a crucial aspect. Selection of appropriate planting materials, including the age , health
and physiological condition of the parent mango plant, it is essential for successful cutting
propagation. Young vigorous shoot with optimal lignification and hormone balance have
shown higher rooting potentials as compared to older or weakened plant material. The
selection of suitable cuttings types such as soft wood, semi hardwood or hardwood is also
important as it affects the success rate and subsequent growth of cutting grown seedlings.

Environmental conditions greatly influence the success of raising seedlings from

cuttings.Factors such as temperature, humidity light intensity and Air circulation can impact
root development , cutting survival and subsequent growth. Maintaining an optimum
microclimate through environmental control techniques such as misting system, greenhouse
structures, or propagation bed can create favourable conditions for rooting and support the
establishment of cutting-grown seedlings. Proper management of this factors is critical to
ensure successful cutting propagation and the subsequent growth and development of
seedlings.

Potential benefits of this Raising seedlings from cuttings offers several potential benefit
compared to traditional seed-based propagation methods. One significant advantange is the
preservation of genetic traits through clonal reproduction .
The propagation of plants is a fundamental practice in horticulture that provide the foundation
for crop establishment and production . Traditional method of propagating seedlings involve
the use of ordinary seeds , which may result in genetic variability and uncertainty in
preserving desirable traits . However raising of seedlings from cuttings offers an alternative
approach that allows for clonal reproduction and potential advantage in terms of genetic
characteristics, growth patterns and sustainability. This section review the theoritical aspect
related to raising seedlings from cuttings, including cutting section, rooting hormones ,
environmental factors, and the potential benefits of this propagation technique.

CHAPTER THREE
3.1materials required for the project
 3 basins
 Mango cuttings

 Water
 Compost manure
 Top soil
 Sand

3.2 budget estimates

BUDGET
ITEM QUANTITY COST (KHs.)

Basins 3 300

Mango stem cuttings 15 stems 150

20litre container 1 200

Compost manure 2kg Available

Saw dust Available

Bulb Onion Available

TOTAL 650

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CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 PROJECT DESIGN

4.2 METHODOLOGY
1. Identification of the site to carry out the project.
2. Assembling of materials to be used in the project
3. Mix the top soil and manure in the plastic basin
4. Apply saw dust on top
5. Cut the bulb Onion
6. Apply the seedling of Mango in the considering the time for each
7. Plant the mango seedlings in the basins
8. Water the seedlings
9. Ensure the container has hole that are evenly spread at the bottom for proper drainage.
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4.3 CALENDER OF WORK
DATE MILESTONE QUADIENCE/SUGGESTED
AMMENDATION
06/03/2023 Orientation and survey available Student and teachers.
records
08/03/2023 Preparation of proposal student

22/03/2023 Pre-moderation of project Student and panel

23/03/2023 Moderation of project Student and panel

11/05/2023 Submission of milestone 1 student

16/05/2023 Request ion of materials teacher

31/05/2023 Submission of milestone2 Student

01/06/2023 Material collection Student

02/06/2023 Land preparation Student

04/06/2023 Collecting seedlings Student

08/06/2023 Mixing soil and manure Student

09/06/2023 Planting of seedlings. Student

09/06/2023 Watering of seedlings Student

12/06/2023 Monitoring process student

13/06/2023 Assessing of project Student and a teacher

14/06/2023 Submission of milestone 3 student

4.4FINDINGS.
Mango and onion established using DAP fertiliser application did well since it promote
root development. NPK is also used to ensure the crop get sufficient nutrients.

4.5RECOMMENDATION.
Raising mango cuttings using onions simple and inexpensive strategy and has been
recognized as a potentially befitted technology to increase crop production.
Onions it encourage faster growth and plants reach maturity within a shorter time.

4.6CONCLUSION.
Following the research findings it was found out that good yield production of mango is
due to;

i. Good healthy planting materials.

ii. Good agronomic practices

iii. Good pest harvest