Orchard Culture Setup

• Culture Setup

Steps Before Planting

• Selecting the system and planting density is crucial
• Density is defined as the number of plants per hectare, calculated as 10,000 m² / (E * e)
  • E represents the spacing between rows
  • e represents the spacing between plants

Planting System Density

• Extensive orchard: 80-150 plants/Ha
• Semi-extensive orchard: 200-400 plants/Ha
• Semi-intensive orchard: 500-800 plants/Ha
• Intensive orchard: 1000-1500 plants/Ha
• Super-intensive orchard: 2500-3000+ plants/Ha

Crop Density and Spacing

• Rosaceae (apple, pear, peach, cherry): 500-1200 trees/Ha with 3-4m spacing between trees and 4-5m between rows. Grown in goblet or palmette shape for easier harvesting
• Citrus (orange, mandarin, lemon): 400-700 trees/Ha with 4-5m spacing between trees and 5-6m between rows. Grown in goblet or spherical shape for light exposure
• Olive tree: 100 to 20,000+ trees/Ha (depending on the type of culture) with 1.3-8m spacing between trees and 4-10m between rows. Grown in goblet shape for traditional or hedge formation for super-intensive cultivation
• Date palm: 100-150 trees/Ha with 8-10m spacing between trees and rows. Arranged in staggered rows for optimized usage of water and light
• Vine: 3000-5000 plants/Ha with 1.5-2m spacing between plants and 2.5-3m between rows. Espalier is used to maximize light exposure

Plantation Modes

• Square planting: trees are planted in a square pattern, with equal distance between rows and trees
• Quincunx planting: trees are arranged to form equilateral triangles
• Rectangle planting: trees planted in a rectangular pattern
• Hedge planting: fruit trees aligned in one or more closely spaced rows creating a continuous hedge

Pollination

• Fruit tree pollination requires two different varieties of the same species for cross-pollination, because most are self-sterile.
• Pollination period varies.
• Apple trees bloom in February, while apricot trees bloom in March
• Varieties within a species bloom at different times like very early, early, mid, late, and very late
• It is important to choose different varieties with overlapping bloom times, since blooming spans several days to weeks depending on the species, variety, and year

Vectors of Pollination

• Insect pollination uses bees for rosaceae. 2-5 hives per hectare are needed
• Blastophaga wasps pollinate figs (entomophilous)
• Wind pollination with light pollen is used for walnut, pistachio, olive, and vine (anemophilous)

Fertility Types

• Auto-fertile plants self-pollinate
• Auto-sterile plants need pollen from other trees, hence depend on pollinating insects

Autosterile Species

• Apple
• Pear
• Date palm
• Cherry
• Almond

Autofertile Species

• Peach
• Quince
• Citrus
• Olive
• Apricot

Pollinator Arrangement

• Pollinators can be arranged in alternating blocks or a grid pattern in an orchard

Plot Preparation

• Staking out a plot involves marking its boundaries with stakes to indicate where planting will occur, using sticks and string or measured twine
• Holes can be dug manually or with hydraulic auger.
• The number of holes dug matches the number of plants

For Soil Preparation

• If the soil has been tilled, large planting holes are unneeded
• The land can just be broken up for the setting of plant cuttings
• For untilled soil, the holes need to be 1m3 in size, each side being 1 meter
• Holes should be dug 2-3 weeks before planting
• Topsoil and subsoil should be reserved separately because the rich topsoil goes at the bottom

Choosing and Maintaining Plants

• Healthy, vigorous plants with a straight central leader
• Bud-grafting points should be well-healed
• Roots should be highly branched
• Plants should be certified and labeled

Bare Root Plants

• Preparing bare-rooted plants involves root trimming and soaking
  • The goal is to facilitate placement and remove damaged, extra, or dead roots while promoting new root growth
  • Soaking bare roots in praline solution helps rehydrate dessicated roots, promote healing of trims, and stimulate new root growth

Container Plants

• Before planting container plants: the container needs to be removed, adjust the divot so it matches pit size, and cut away any roots that look dried out
• Plants from the nursery need to be sorted and kept in a cool place at preparation for planting

Planting and Placement

• Timeline is flexible
• Light soil in low-rainfall areas: plant in November–December to benefit from autumnal rains
• Heavy soil in cold areas in the northwest: plant after winter to avoid frost damage

Transplanting Steps

• Harvesting a young plant for relocation
• Mix manure in with the soil
• Plant the new plant
• Tutor the plants
• Refill the soil and compress the top before watering
• Compress and add water to complete it

Transplanting Stages

• Place the tree, centering it in the hole
• Insert the stake next to the tree, into the dominant wind, so that the branches will not rub against the stake. Then secure the connection
• fill in the hole, being wary of the graft being covered in the soil
• Compress the ground to create a small bowl to contain water at the base
• Protection is needed to prevent animals and machines from harming the trees
• Heavily water the tree to settle the soil, and incorporate compost or manure to the surface

Creating Basins

• A basin is a circular hollow around the tree, useful for optimizing water absorption and preventing erosion.
• Create a circular basin around the tree, one meter in diameter and 10-15 cm deep
• Use the soil from this to create a rim around the perimeter to keep water in
• Adjust and secure the edges for good infiltration

Cultivation Care:

• Focuses on pruning, soil maintenance, irrigation, fertilization, thinning, and pest control.

Orchard Pruning

• Removing the limbs of the organs on a fruit tree either passively or manually

Pruning Goals

• To define the tree shape
• To supply the plant with light
• To promote branch growth and regrowth
• To endorse plant and fruit growth and wellness
• Restore and support the overall health

Pruning Dos and Donts

• Always cut above an outward-facing eye to promote growth.
• Never cut above an inward-facing eye
• Prune flush with the branch to prevent leaving a stub

Pruning Practices

• Wooded areas are prime for cutting
• The limbs and branched that should be conserved
• How to shape the aereation of the plant
  • And its relation to the graft point

Equipment:

• Pruning shears
• Loppers
• Saws (manual and motorized)
• A-frame Ladders
• Gloves
• Mastic to seal cuts.

Precautionary Measures

• Disinfect pruning tools to avoid spreading disease, and sharpen them to ensure clean cuts.

Pruning Schedule

• Prune during dormancy for deciduous trees, and after low activity for evergreen trees
• Disturbance will heal fast
• Branches are better to manage with no leaves

Pruning Method

• Forming the plant
• Managing Fruiting
• Rejuvenation

Formation Pruning

• Designed initially
  • Goblet: the standard vase
  • Espalier: flat branches fixed to panels that maximize sun while optimizing light exposure
  • Vertical: trunks supporting a vertical grow pattern, making harvesting and managing spacing better

Espalier Variations

• Cordons can be either single
• The branches on the form palisade are in a form U that can be single or double

Maintenance Pruning

• Maintenance happens after the 3rd to 5th year of growth
• Branches are cut above the bud that will create a branch and direct growth

Operations

• When plants are two years the scaffold limbs need to be trimmed to facilitate structure which facilitates branches
• After 3 years, these need to be trimmed to ensure optimal scaffolds

Fruit-Bearing Pruning

• To support the the fruit production the tree
• Production type varies depending on the plant to be managed

Aims of Fruit Bearing Pruning

• Promote fruiting
• Regularize production
• Better fruits
• Avert Alternation
• Help nutritionally for land and aerial support
• Promote aeration

Fruit Bearing Pruning Operations

• Remove dead and broken material and the limbs to facilitate maximum growth
• Reduce shade
• And eliminate shaded limbs

Complementary Pruning

• Tipping: To cut new outgrowths to facilitate branching
• Arching: To encourage new shoots for fruit
• Debudding: Used to remove bad budding points
• Ringing: An incision used to block the creation of sap
• Inclination: When plant tips are tilted to facilitate new budding and leaf growth

Soil Conditioning

• Involves aerating, reducing evaporation, improving permeability, and incorporating the necessary materials to avoid weeds and pests

Soil Work Is Accomplished

• Every 4-6 cycles with a pulverizer
• Set to 18 to 20 cm to avoid root damage

Soil Covering

• Mulches are an agricultural technique of taking organic or inorganic material to create these benefits
• Keeps weeds away
• Warms soil for optimal production
• Prevents soil contact
• Retains water
• Mulching is accomplished by hay and plastic

Plastic Mulches

• Reduce evaporation and suppress weed growth.
  • May lead to salt accumulation, are costly, environmentally unfriendly, and need to be frequently watered

Organic Mulches

• Organic mulches: improves fertility, evaporation and weed reduction
• May become flammable, house disease, and increase the change of frost

Weeds

• Weeding is the process of eradicating unwanted plants whether annular bi annular or Vivaldi's

Weed Control Effects

• Direct effect for yield
• Indirect from the amount needed to harvest
• And secondary of infestation

Weed Controls

• Physically taking the plants out
• Using chemicals for weed eradication

Weed Removal Time Line

• Weeding can happen when seeds are less then 50 cm or the plants can be killed by chemistry

Types of Weedkillers

• Before growth
• After growth
• Selective
• Non selective

Chemistry Considerations

• Contact points
• Through systems

Weed Kill Schedule

• Diagnostic by understanding infestation
• Planning for timelines
• Put the chemicals in practice based on directions
• Always evaluate the process

Irrigation

• Is important when the rains can not provide the crop with water
• There are many irrigation types

Irrigation Categories

• Gravity
• Sprinkling
• Drip

Core Water Qualities

• Understanding crop life cycles
• To know water needs to supply to the land
• Water loss in evaporation compared to precipitation

Managing Moisture

• Plants obtain water through irrigation and rains
• Moisture is held in a soil that is exploited for production

Scheduling Irrigations

• Depends on the life stage of crop
• And consideration of weather

Considerations

• Knowing peak watering needs
• Calculating the proper dosage
• How often to water
• With the formula ETC = Kc x Kr x ETo

Variables

• ETC: evapotranspiration (mm x day)
• Kc: cultural coefficient
• Kr: the amount that the plants cover the top soil
• ET0: reference evapotranspiration (mm x day)

The Water Equation

• l (MM) = ETC - Pe
  • Where PE = effective rainfall (mm) with two forms PE = 0.6 x p as a function rainfall

Irrigation Tips

• Drip feed directly to the plants in short periods (20cm) during the early stages
• Expand to long watering periods