Fertilizer Application Methods

Orchard Sanitation

• Collect and burn debris to eliminate conditions that encourage mice.
• Remove and destroy all dropped fruit to prevent pest and disease attraction.
• Rake and burn apple and cherry leaves to prevent disease spread.
• Scrape loose bark from trunks, crotches, and main limbs of apple trees to prevent pest and disease habitat.
• Prune out and destroy all dead or diseased limbs, branches, and twigs to prevent disease spread.

Control of Weeds, Pests, and Diseases

• Cultural control measures include:
  • Using resistant and healthy planting materials
  • Maintaining adequate plant density per unit area
  • Effective weed control and sanitation
• Biological control measures utilize natural enemies of pests and diseases, such as parasites and predators.
• Mechanical control measures include simple actions like picking up and destroying large pests or removing and burning diseased branches.
• Chemical control measures use insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and nematicides, but require careful attention due to potential dangers.
• Legislative control measures include quarantine laws and standards to prevent the introduction of pests and diseases.

Harvesting of Fruit Crops

• Fruits are "living" structures and must be harvested at the right time for proper utilization and consumption.
• Maturity indices help determine the right time to harvest.
• Packaging provides protection, convenience, economy, and appeal.
• Packaging functions include:
  • Assembling produce into convenient units for handling
  • Protecting produce during distribution, storage, and marketing
• Modern packaging must:
  • Have sufficient mechanical strength to protect contents during handling and transport
  • Not contain toxic chemicals
  • Allow rapid cooling and insulation from external heat
  • Have sufficient permeability to respiratory gases
  • Facilitate easy disposal, reuse, or recycling
  • Be cost-effective

Storage and Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

• Storage is essential to extend the supply of fruits and vegetables.
• Objectives of storage include:
  • Extending the storage life of fruits and vegetables
  • Increasing their period of availability
• Substantial quantities of fruits go waste due to lack of proper storage facilities.
• Fruits and vegetables are living entities that continue to carry out vital physiological activities after harvest.
• Types of storage include:
  • Common storage: using caves, mounds, trenches, and other natural structures
  • Temperature-regulated storage: using natural circulation and insulation

Fruit Propagation

• Plant propagation is the science of multiplying and producing plants using propagules.
• Propagules include:
  • Seeds
  • Cuttings
  • Layers
  • Buds
  • Scions
  • Explants
  • Specialized structures (bulbs, tubers, and corms)
• Propagation methods include:
  • Sexual propagation: using seeds
  • Asexual propagation: using stems, buds, and other plant parts
• Asexual propagation is faster and shorter, and may be more economical.
• Importance of using good quality seeds includes:
  • Maintaining true-to-type or genetic uniformity
  • Avoiding heterozygosity
  • Shortening the juvenile period
  • Being more economical
  • Combining multiple genotypes into a single plant
• Methods of asexual propagation include:
  • Layering
  • Cutting
  • Budding
  • Grafting
  • Micropropagation/tissue culture
  • Using specialized plant structures (stolons/runners, rhizomes/suckers, corms)

Fertilizer Application Methods

• Broadcast: spreading fertilizer over the growing area and incorporating it into the soil
• Band: applying narrow bands of fertilizer in furrows next to the planting area
• Starter solutions: applying fertilizer to satisfy the need for fertility when setting out transplants
• Side dress: applying fertilizer as a side dressing after plants are growing
• Foliar feed: applying fertilizer to the leaves when insufficient fertilizer was applied before planting, a quick growth response is wanted, or micro-nutrients are locked into the soil