Fundamentals of Horticulture PDF

Fundamentals of Horticulture Dr. G. S. K. Swamy Dr. J. Auxcilia AgriMoon.Com  Fundamentals of Horticulture -: Course content creator :- Dr. G. S. K. Swamy Associate Professor (Fruit science) Ki...

Fundamentals of Horticulture Dr. G. S. K. Swamy Dr. J. Auxcilia AgriMoon.Com  Fundamentals of Horticulture -: Course content creator :- Dr. G. S. K. Swamy Associate Professor (Fruit science) Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi -:Content moderater :- Dr. J. Auxcilia Assistant Professor (Fruit Crops) Horticulture College & Research Institute, TNAU, Coimbatore  Index Lecture Name Page No Lecture No.1 Introduction 4-7 Lecture No.2 Horticultural crops and Human Nutrition 8-10 Lecture No.3 Climatic Requirement 11-15 Lecture No.4 Horticultural Zones of India 16-17 Lecture No.5 Soil Requirement 18-20 Lecture No.6&7 Importance of Nursery and its management 21-22 Lecture No.8 & 9 Planning of Orchard 23-25 Lecture No.10 Orchard 26-30 Lecture No.11 Kitchen garden 31-32 Lecture No.12 Digging and filling of pits 33-35 Lecture No.13&14 Orchard Management 36-46 Lecture No. 15 & 16 Water management 47-49 Lecture No. 17&18 Manures and manuring 50-54 Lecture No. 19 Weed management in Orchard 55-58 Lecture No. Training and pruning 59-63 20,21,22&23 Lecture No. 24 &25 Kinds of flower bearing shoots (can it be clubbed with 64-67 pruning in last chapter?) Lecture No. 26 Top Working 68 Lecture No. 27&28 Problem of Unfruitfulness 69-73 Lecture No. 29 Organic farming 74-75 Lecture No. 30,31&32 Plant growth regulators 76-81 Lecture No. 33, 34 &35 Maturity indices for fruits 82-86 Lecture No. 36 Marketing of fruits (can this be dropped?) 87  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.1 INTRODUCTION India is the seventh largest country in the world with a total geographical area of 328.73 m ha. and has second largest population 121crores (2011), after China. The total arable land available is 144 million hectare of which 70% is under rainfed cultivation. Around 55-60 per cent of the total population depends on agriculture and allied activities. Horticulture crops constitute a significant portion of total agricultural production in the country. The term Horticulture is derived from the Latin words: “hortus” meaning garden and “cultura” meaning cultivation. In ancient days the gardens had protected enclosures with high walls or similar structures surrounding the houses. The enclosed places were used to grow fruit, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants. Therefore, in original sense “Horticulture refers to cultivation of garden plants within protected enclosures”. At present the horticulture may be defined as the science and technique of production, processing and merchandizing of fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, plantations, medicinal and aromatic plants. Branches of Horticulture Horticulture is a wide field and includes a great variety and diversity of crops. The science of horticulture can be divided into several branches depending upon the crops it deals with. The following are the branches of horticulture.. 1. Pomology: refers to cultivation of fruit crops. 2. Olericulture: refers to cultivation of vegetables. 3. Floriculture: refers to cultivation of flower crops. 4. Plantation crops: refers to cultivation of crops like coconut, arecanut, rubber, coffee, tea etc. 5. Spices crops: refers to cultivation of crops like, cardamom, pepper, nutmeg etc. 6. Medicinal and aromatic crops: deals with cultivation of medicinal and aromatic crops. 7. Post harvest technology: deals with post harvest handling, grading, packaging, storage, processing, value addition, marketing etc. of horticulture crops. 8. Plant propagation: deals with propagation of plants. Fruit crops: India is the second largest producer of fruits after Brazil. A large variety of fruit crops are grown in India. Of these, mango, banana, citrus, papaya, guava, pineapple, sapota, jackfruit, litchi, grapes, apple, pear, peach, plum, walnut etc. are the important ones. AgriMoon.Com 4  Fundamentals of Horticulture India accounts for 10 per cent of the total world production of fruits. It leads the world in the production of mango, banana, sapota and acid lime besides recording highest productivity in grape. The leading fruit growing states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Vegetable crops: More than 40 vegetables belonging to Solanaceaeous, cucurbitaceous, leguminous, cruciferous, root crops and leafy vegetables are grown in Indian tropical , sub- tropical and temperate regions. Important vegetables grown in India are onion, tomato, potato, brinjal, peas, beans, okra, chilli, cabbage, cauliflower, bottle gourd, cucumber, watermelon, carrot, radish etc. India ranks second in vegetable production next to China in area and production contributing 13.38 percent to the total world production. India occupies first position in cauliflower, second in Onion, third in cabbage in the world. West Bengal, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka are the important states for horticultural crop production. Floriculture: Flower cultivation is being practiced in India since ages. It is an important/integral part of socio-cultural and religious life of Indian people. It has taken a shape of industry in recent years. India is known for growing traditional flowers such as jasmine, marigold, chrysanthemum, tuberose, crossandra, aster, etc. Commercial cultivation of cut flowers like, rose, orchids, gladiolus, carnation, anthurium, gerbera is also being done. The important flower growing states are Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Sikkim, Jammu &Kashmir, Meghalaya etc. Plantation crops: This is one of the important sector contributing about Rs.7500 crores of export earnings. The major plantation crops include coconut, arecanut, oil palm, cashew, tea coffee, rubber cocoa, betel vine, vanilla etc. The leading states are Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam etc. Spices: They constitute an important group of horticulture crops and are defined as vegetable products or mixture thereof, free from extraneous matter used for flavouring, seasoning and imparting aroma in foods. India is known as home of spices producing a wide variety of spices like black pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, chilli, Coriander etc. Major spice producing states are Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil Nadu etc. Medicinal and Aromatic plants: India has diverse collection of medicinal and aromatic plants species distributed throughout the country. It has more than 9500 species with medicinal properties. Demand for these crops is increasing progressively in both domestic and export markets. Important medicinal plants are Isabgol, Senna, Opium poppy, Periwinkle, Coleus, Ashwagandha, etc. and aromatic plants are Japanese mint, Lemon grass, Citronella, Davana, Patchouli etc. AgriMoon.Com 5  Fundamentals of Horticulture Features of Horticulture 1. Horticultural produces are mostly utilized in the fresh state and are highly perishable. 2. Horticultural crops need intensive cultivation requiring a large input of capital, labour and technology per unit area. 3. Cultural operations like propagation, training, pruning and harvesting are skilled and specific to horticultural crops. 4. Horticultural produce are rich sources of vitamins and minerals and alkaloids. 5. Aesthetic gratification is an exclusive phenomenon to horticultural science. Importance of Horticulture Horticulture is important for the following considerations: 1. As a source of variability in produce. 2. As a source of nutrients, vitamins, minerals, flavour, aroma, alkaloids, oleoresins, fibre, etc. 3. As a source of medicine. 4. As an economic proposition as they give higher returns per unit area in terms of energy, money, job, etc. 5. Employment generation 860 man days/annum for fruit crops as against 143 man days/annum for cereal crops and the crops like grapes, banana and pineapple need 1000- 2500 man days per annum. 6. Effective utilization of waste land through cultivation of hardy fruits and medicinal plants. 7. As a substitute of family income being component of home garden. 8. As a foreign exchange earner, has higher share compare to agriculture crops. 9. As an input for industry being amenable to processing, especially fruit and vegetable preservation industry. 10. Aesthetic consideration and protection of environment. 11. Religious significance. In short horticulture supplies quality food for health and mind, more calories per unit area, develops better resources and yields higher returns per unit area. It also enhances land value and creates better purchasing power for those who are engaged in this industry. Therefore, horticulture is important for health, wealth, hygiene and happiness. Scope of Horticulture Like any other things, scope of horticulture depends on incentive it has for the farmers, adaptability of the crops, necessity and facilities for future growth through inputs availability and infrastructure for the distribution of produce/marketing etc. AgriMoon.Com 6  Fundamentals of Horticulture Incentive for the farmer: The biggest incentive for the farmer is money and horticultural crops provide more returns in terms of per unit area production, export value, value addition compared to agricultural crops. Adaptability: India is bestowed with a great variety of climatic and edaphic conditions as we have climates varying from tropical, subtropical, temperate and within these humid, semi-arid, arid, frost free temperate etc. Likewise we have soils like loam, alluvial, laterite, medium black rocky shallow, heavy black, sandy etc. and thus a large number of crops can be accommodated with very high level of adaptability. Thus, there is good scope for horticultural crops. Necessity: After having achieved self sufficiency in food, nutritional security for the people of the country has become the point of consideration/priority. Moreover, Indians are basically vegetarians, and to meet their nutritional requirement in terms of vitamins and minerals horticulture crops are to be grown in sufficient quantities to provide a bare minimum of 85 g of fruits and 200 g of vegetables per head per day with a population of above 120 crores. Continued increase in demand for horticultural produce provides tremendous scope for the growth of this industry. Good land is under pressure for stable food, industry, housing, roads and infrastructure due to population explosion and only wasteland had to be efficiently utilized where cultivation of annuals is a gamble due to restricted root zone and their susceptibility of abiotic stress. These lands can be best utilized to cultivate hardy horticultural crops like fruits and medicinal plants. At present our share in international trade of horticultural commodities is less than one per cent of total trade. Moreover, these commodities (spices, coffee, tea) fetch 10-20 times more foreign exchange per unit weight than cereals and therefore, taking advantage of globalization of trade, nearness of big market and the size of production, our country should greatly involve in international trade which would provide scope for growth. In the recent past communication and transport system have improved, investment in food industry has increased which will support growth of horticulture through quick deliverance and avoidance of waste. In brief it can be stated that horticulture has great scope for the following reasons: 1. To exploit great variability of agro climatic conditions. 2. To meet the need for fruits, vegetables, flowers, spices, beverages in relation to population growth based on minimum nutritional and other needs. 3. To meet the requirement of processing industry. 4. To substitute import and increase export. 5. To improve the economic conditions of the farmers and to engage more labourers to avert the problem of unemployment. 6. To protect environment. AgriMoon.Com 7  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.2 Horticultural crops and Human Nutrition Fruits and vegetables play an important role in balanced diet. These provide not only energy rich food but also provide vital protective nutrients/elements and vitamins. Comparatively fruits and vegetables are the cheapest source of natural nutritive foods. Since most of Indians are vegetarians, the incorporation of horticulture produce in daily diet is essential for good health. With the growing awareness and inclination towards vegetarianism worldwide the horticulture crops are gaining tremendous importance. Functions of fruits and vegetables in human body: 1. Fruits and vegetables provide palatability, taste, improves appetite and provides fibre thereby the constipation can be overcome. 2. They neutralize the acids produced during digestion of proteins and fatty acids. 3. They improve the general immunity of human body against diseases, deficiencies etc. 4. They are the important source of vitamins and minerals for used in several bio-chemical reactions occur in body. Fruits:- Fruits provide higher energy value per unit area compared to cereals. Some of the essential nutrients provided by different fruits are: Vitamins/ Role in human body Source Minerals Vitamin-A 1. Essential for growth and Mango, Papaya, Persimon, reproduction. Dates, Jack fruit, Walnut, 2. Helps in resistance to infections, Oranges, Passion fruit, Loquât increases longevity and etc. decreases senility. 3. Deficiency causes, night blindness, xeropthalmia, retardation in growth, roughness in skin, formation of stones in kidney. AgriMoon.Com 8  Fundamentals of Horticulture Vitamin – B1 1. Essential for the maintains of Walnut, Apricot, Apple, good appetite and normal Banana, Grapefruit, Plum and digestion. Almond. 2. Necessary for growth, fertility, lactation and for normal functioning of nervous system. 3. Deficiency causes beri-beri, paralysis, loss the sensitivity of skin, enlargement of heart, loss of appetite and fall in body temperature. Vitamin – B2 1. Important for growth, health of Bael, Papaya, Litchi, skin and for respiration in poorly Pomegranate, Wood apple and vascularised tissue such as the Pineapple. cornea. 2. Deficiency causes pellagra and alopecia, loss of appetite, loss of weight, sore throat, development of cataract, swollen nose and baldness. Vitamin – C 1. Deficiency causes scurvy, pain in Barbados cherry, Aonla, joints, swelling of limbs, Guava, Lime, Lemon, Sweet unhealthy gums, tooth decay, oranges, Ber, Pineapple and delay in wound healing and Pear. rheumatism. AgriMoon.Com 9  Fundamentals of Horticulture Minerals are essential for the growth and development for the human body Calcium Causes Rickets, Osteomalacia. Sitaphal, Ramphal, Fig, Phalsa, Citrus, Sapota, Grapes, West Indian Cherry etc. Phosphorous Essential for cell multiplication of Wood apple, Avocado, bones and soft tissues. Helps in Dates, Pomegranate and liberation of energy on oxidation of Grape raisins. carbohydrates. Iron Act as oxygen carrier in the body. Karonda, Date palm, Grape raisins, West Indian Cherry, Guava, Sitaphal, Avocado, Sapota, plum etc. Proteins Important for body growth, West Indian cherry, formation and maintenance of body Avocado, Custrad Apple, tissuess Banana, Apricot, Guava, Grapes etc.,  F ruits are also a good source of energy eg. Avocado, Olive etc.,  Fruits are also a good source of enzymes which are helpful in metabolic activities leading to proper digestion of food. Eg. Jamun and Papaya. All fruits have one or the other medicinal value. They should be eaten in adequate quantity. Regular consumption of fruits reduces obesity, maintain health and increase the longevity of life. Fruits are attractive in appearance, delicious in taste and easily digestible. Therefore ,they are liked by young and old alike. AgriMoon.Com 10  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.3 Climatic Requirement Climate is the most important factor on which choice of the crop for a region depends and therefore, understanding about climate and its requirement for different crops for optimum production on sustainable basis is important for horticulturists. Climate is defined as the whole of average atmospheric phenomena for a certain region calculated for a period of thirty years. These phenomena are light, heat, water and air. Light: Electromagnetic radiation to which the organs of plant react ranging in wavelength from 4000 to 7700 angstrom units, and is propagated at a speed of about 540 kilometres per second. It is essential for the process of photosynthesis and therefore, for growth and development of plants. There are two aspects of light, its intensity and duration which are important for plant development. The light intensity can be estimated from the number of hours of bright sunlight or from the cloudiness of sky. Generally horticultural crops need a lot of light and must be grown in sunny climate, but there are some crops which can tolerate shade eg. turmeric and ginger. There are others like young mangosteen, coffee, cocoa and tea need shade during part of their development. A third group requires permanent shade like salak palm, duku, and carambola. The duration of light for the time elapsing between dawn and dusk referred as photoperiod or day length.This exert considerable influence on flowering. Based on the response by plants we classify plants in nine classes (Table 2.2) but the major classes are following. However, fruit crops for such categories are not known. (i) Long day plants: Cabbage, Cauliflower, Onion, Beet, Radish, Carrot, Spinach, Potato, Dill and Plantago. (ii) Short day plants: Strawberry, Pineapple, Chrysanthemum, Poinsettia, Aster, Balsam, Salvia, Euphorbia andXanthium. (iii) Day neutral plants: Tomato, most fruit crops, Pepper, Cucumber, Snapdragon, Mirabilis and certain varieties of peas. Heat: Heat is a non-mechanical energy transfer with reference to a temperature difference between a system and its environmental surrounding. It is measured as temperature by thermometers. Daily, monthly and yearly averages as-well as, mean low and high temperatures and their extremes are computed. The yearly average at sea level on equator is 26-27°C and the range is small; it usually accounts to 2-3°C between months and 6-10°C between day and night. Further away from equator range increases and altitude also has the effect on lowering the temperature by 5-6o C for every 1000 m. The growth of the plants depends primarily on temperature. This means a plant which grows normally at sea level will grow slowly in the mountains e.g. ‘Lacatan’ banana has a growth cycle of 13 months at sea level but takes one more month at 100m altitude. Availability of heat units decide the crop for a given place and the AgriMoon.Com 11  Fundamentals of Horticulture average temperature of a place gives an idea about heat units available on the basis of which crop can be decided. Temperate fruit crops like apple, pear, peach, plum and almond become dormant due to short day conditions in the region and need chilling of various lengths to break dormancy. Frost and chilling are harmful for tropical and subtropical plants. On the other hand extremely high temperatures found in arid region cause wilting, sunscald, necrotic spot and even death of plants. Therefore, under such conditions appropriate choice of plants and provision of protection become important. Based on the temperature variations on the surface of the earth we have the following climates.  Tropical equable climate with no distinct winter.  Subtropical Climate with distinct winter and summer. Temperate: Distinct winter, summer and autumn with temperature below freezing during winter is common. Tropical : Mango, Banana, Papaya, Sapota, Pineapple, Coconut, Cashew, Arecanut, Breadfruit, Jackfruit and Avocado. Subtropical: Guava, Grape, Citrus, Date palm, Phalsa, Pomegranate, Litchi and Loquat. Temperate: Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum, Quince, Apricot, Walnut, Almond, Strawberry and Cherry. However, this choice is not very rigid as some tropical crops which can be grown in subtropics and vice versa. There are low chilling temperate crops which can be grown in sub- tropics like peach, pear, strawberry etc. Short duration crops like vegetables and flower crops are classified as warm season and cool season crops accommodated in various types of climates depending on temperature variations within a year. Flower and vegetable crops have been depicted in table 1 according to their season of growing. However, there are some plants which can grow under both the situations. Table 1: Classification of vegetable and flower crops according to seasons. Warm Season Cool Season AgriMoon.Com 12  Fundamentals of Horticulture Vegetables Bottle gourd Cabbage Water melon Cauliflower Brinjal Pea Tomato Beans Clusterbean Potato Okra Onion Sweetpotato Carrot Radish Tomato Flowers Marigold Aster Zinnia Poppy Chrysanthemum Dianthus Sunflower Dahlia Gomphrena Salvia Gaillardia Petunia Portulaca Pansy Kochia Phlox Amaranthus Coreopsis Celosia Verbena Coreopsis Diamorphotheca Calendula Brachycoms Candytuft Sweet allysum Antirrhinum Sweetpea AgriMoon.Com 13  Fundamentals of Horticulture Water Water is a transparent, odourless and tasteless liquid compound of hydrogen and oxygen (H20) with 11.91% hydrogen and 88.81% oxygen. It is essential for plant growth and development as a substrate in photosynthesis, regulation of plant temperature, distribution of metabolites and nutrients. It comes through precipitation of rain and snow. Near equator the total rainfall is 2000 mm per year and away from it, which reduces but again influenced by a number of factors like mountain ranges. Water requirement of plant is dependent on soil type and evapo- transpiration rate. For crop production it is not the total rainfall but its distribution is more important and in Indian subcontinent we have rains mainly confined to June to September, thereby fruit culture in India had to be supported by irrigation or one has to select crop where fruiting is confined to water availability periods and trees remain dormant during stress. Water is also present in the atmosphere as vapour and we call it as humidity. This atmospheric humidity also influences growth and development of plants. Low humidity has drying effects and enhances water requirement whereas high humidity favours fungal diseases. Plants liking for high humidity and low humidity are there: High humidity: Sapota, Banana, Mangosteen, Jackfruit and Breadfruit. Low humidity (Dry): Ber, Grape, Date palm, Pomegranate, Citrus, Aonla and Guava. Air A mixture of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases that surrounds the earth and forms its atmosphere. It is also one of the climatic factors influencing plant growth. If its quality is polluted by the accumulation of gasses like hydrocarbons, SO2, CO2, CO, NO ethylene and methane the plant growth adversely affected but we are more concerned with the movement of air (wind) causing great damage to crops in deserts, coastal areas, valleys for which provision of windbreaks and shelterbelts are suggested and such situations sometimes have to be avoided for plantation. Storm has a wind speed of 50/hr whereas, hurricane has a wind speed of more than 100km/hr. AgriMoon.Com 14  Fundamentals of Horticulture Table 2: Plants according to photoperiodic requirements. 1. Short-day plants Strawberry, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos bipinnatus, Aster, Poinsettia, Impetiens balsamina (Balsam), Salvia occidentalis, Euphorbia pulcherrima, Xanthium pensylxanicum, Rice, Some soyabean varieties and Tobacco. 2 Long-day plants Spinach, Beet, Radish, Potato, Hibiscus syriacus, Hyoscyamus niger, Anethum graveolens (Dill), Plantago lanceolata and Wheat. 3 Day-neutral Most of the fruit crops, Tomato, Pepper, Cucumber, Mirabilis plants (Four O Clock plant), Cotton, Certain varieties of peas, Buck wheat and Snapdragon. 4 SL plants Strawberry, Primula malacoides and Cineraria hybrid. 5 LL plants Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, Silene pendula. 6 LS plants Physostegia verginiana, Bottonia latisquama. 7 SS plants Pharbitis nil, Cosmos bipinnatus and Glycine max. 8 LI plants Phlox paniculata. 9 SI plants Late varieties of rice. 10 IS plants Chrysanthemum articum. 11 IL plants Spinach and Wheat 12 II plants Capsicum frutenscens (Bell Pepper) and Early varieties of rice. AgriMoon.Com 15  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.4 Horticultural Zones of India The Indian subcontinent is bestowed with a great variety of climate and soil conditions. Broadly the country can be divided into tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. Within each broad category there are differences due to rainfall, humidity, altitude etc. And considering these aspects six different horticultural zones have been identified so that appropriate choice of the crops can be made and development is planned. They are: (i)Temperate: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, North Uttaranchal, Sikkim and part of Arunachal Pradesh. (ii) N. W. Subtropical: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Central Uttar Pradesh and North M.P. (iii) N. E. Subtropical: Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur. (iv) Central tropical: South Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal. (v) Southern tropical: Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. AgriMoon.Com 16  Fundamentals of Horticulture (iv) Coastal tropical humid: Konkan, Goa, Kerala, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. To exploit the potential of a crop and its sustenance, right choice based on climate and soil is necessary otherwise the management of the crop becomes difficult and the cost of cultivation increases. To be precise, most adaptable crop should be chosen for sustenance. Table 3: Climatic requirements for important fruits of India Mango : Tropical and sub tropical. Citrus : Subtropical but can be grown under temperate conditions. Grapes : Temperate but can be grown under subtropical and tropical conditions. Peaches : Temperate but low chilling varieties can be grown under subtropical conditions. Sapota : Tropical but can be grown under subtropical conditions which are free from frost. Papaya : Tropical and mild subtropical climate. Banana : Tropical, can be grown under subtropical climate provided it is free from hot winds and frost. Almond : Temperate but some low chilling varieties can be grown under subtropical climate. Apple : Temperate but low chilling varieties can also be grown on lower hills. AgriMoon.Com 17  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.5 Soil Requirement Soil is the upper most crust of earth surface which supports plant growth. It is defined as a three phase system in which plants grow. These phases are solid, liquid, and gas and are essential. Solid part is frame which provides space for other two. This consists of minerals, clay minerals and organic matter. The soil is also a living system with millions of microbes that breakdown organic matter and builds it again.Microbes are essential and survive only when soil is well aerated and rich in organic matter and devoid of waterlogged conditions. Texture of soil depends on the size of solid particles and classified as gravel, coarse and fine sand, silt and clay. Soils are classified according to relative distribution of these particles and there are 12 textural classes. Likewise, arrangement of these particles is referred as structure, and both texture and structure lend soil physical properties like water holding capacity, aeration and bulk density. Generally loamy soils and crumb structure are most preferred for fruit crops. According to level of organic matter, soils are classified as mineral soil or organic soil and soil having more than 20% organic matter is organic soil like peat and muck. Minerals and salts lend chemical properties to the soil like pH, alkalinity, sodicity, salinity and cation exchange capacity which influence the availability of nutrients in soil. Therefore, for making choice for soil, soil analysis in terms of following criteria is essential to decide on land capability. Criteria for land capability class: (I) Slope and erosion hazard. (ii) Soil depth. (iii) Drainage. (iv) Workability. (v) Stoniness and rockiness. (vi) Water holding capacity. (vii) Permeability. (viii) Nutrient availability. (ix) Fertility status. (x) Salinity, alkalinity and acidity hazards. Based on these criteria there are 8 capability classes of which (i) to (iv) are suitable for cultivation and (v) to (viii) are not suitable for cultivation. The soil provides support for the plant and act as storehouse of nutrients and water as well as oxygen for root growth. The ability of the soil to support plant growth is often referred to as its productive capacity which depends on fertility and physical condition. Therefore, the soil has to be a good soil. A good soil is one which have the capacity to nourish and sustain plant growth by providing mineral particles (nutrients) in an available form to plants by their interaction with soil air, moisture, microbes and humus. Generally a loam soil is considered to be a good soil. Generally fruit crops need porous, aerated, deep (2 m) uniformly textured soils and the pH of soil should be within range of 6-8. Soil with hardpan within 120 cm from surface, soil with AgriMoon.Com 18  Fundamentals of Horticulture high clay content at surface and very less at subsurface or vice-versa are not suitable for fruit crops. Fruit crops are susceptible to waterlogged condition and growth is adversely affected by salinity, sodicity and alkalinity. It is, therefore, important that soil be analyzed for its quality and then choice of the crop is made for sustainable production. If the soils are problematic like poor aeration or drainage, sodicity, alkalinity, acidity and salinity, they require improvement or reclamation before taking up crop production or the venture would fail. Alternatively tolerant or resistant crops can be choosen for different problems. Salinity tolerant crops: Kair, Khirni, Woodapple, Date palm, Ber, Aonla, Fig, Sapota etc. Sodicity tolerant crops: Ber, Tamarind, Woodapple, Date palm, Aonla, Karonda, Fig, Phalsa, Pomegranate, Guava, Bael and almond. Drought tolerant crops: Ber, Aonla, Ahalsa, Lasoda, Kair, Custard apple, Karonda, Fig, Guava etc. If we know the soil and the requirement of soil for the crops, then choice of the crop can easily be made. Let us examine the example of coconut plant for which the suitable soil is indicated below. Soil characteristics for coconut: Slope 0.02% Drainage good Texture Clay loamy-sand CEC Any Base saturation + 20 EC Any ESP Any Grouping of fruits according to their tolerance to salinity: (i) High salt tolerance: Date palm, Ber and Aonla. (ii) Medium salt tolerance: Pomegranate, Fig and Grape. (iii) Low salt tolerance: Apple, Orange, Almond, Lemon and avocado. In making choice of soil for fruit crops physical properties should he emphasized, more as chemicals can be added from outside to improve nutrient status and chemical properties of the soil. Generally the depth and the drainability are very important for crop production. To upkeep soils for sustainable production following things are to be done before and after planting a crop: Soil analysis in terms of its physical and chemical attributes.  Bring the soil to its optimum potential by applying organic matter, chemical fertilizers, micronutrient and amendments depending on soil analysis report.  Adoption of soil conservation technique like green manuring on regular basis.  Use of improved water management techniques like drip irrigation and check basin or Furrows. AgriMoon.Com 19  Fundamentals of Horticulture  Incorporation of large quantity of bulky organic matter each year.  Creation of appropriate drainage around the plot.  Scrapping of salts, and reclamation of soil by application of gypsum, iron pyrites, press mud etc. On regular basis in case of salinity problem.  Replenishment of nutrients harvested by the crop on regular basis by preparing a balance sheet for nutrients.  Recycling of organic waste. Soil is the most important natural resource for fruit culture and it needs to be protected and improved. AgriMoon.Com 20  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.6&7 Importance of Nursery and its management Nursery is a place where seedling, saplings or any other planting materials are raised, propagated, multiplied and sold out for planting. The prerequisite of a successful and remunerative fruit production is the availability of good quality true-to- type and diverse plant materials. Setting up of a nursery is a long term venture and requires careful planning and expertise. Importance of Nursery: 1. The young seedlings require special attention during the first few weeks after germination. It is easier and economical to look after the young and tender seedlings growing in nursery bed in a small area than in a large permanent site. 2. Majority of fruit crops are propagated by vegetative means. The propagules require special skill and aftercare before transferring them in the main field. In a controlled condition in nursery all these can be provided successfully by skilled labour. 3. Cuttings are best rooted and grafts are hardened in the mist house chamber which is an integrated part of a nursery. 4. Direct sowing method is not so successful in several crops when compared with transplanting of seedlings raised in nursery. 5. Plants hardened in the nursery are preferred for causality replacement in orchards. 6. Besides these, raising of seedlings or saplings in nursery provides more time for pre- planting operations/preparations. 7. Seasoning/hardening of seedlings against natural odds is only possible in nursery. Classification of nursery: Nursery can be broadly grouped into two on the basis of its site: 1. Home nursery 2.Commercial nursery Home nursery: is the area where planting materials specifically grown or raised only to cater the needs of the growers garden. The area is small and the primary consideration is the raising of quality planting material. Costly methods of nursery practices are adopted. Commercial nursery: Nurseries are larger in size and collection of plants. This is mainly concerned with economic returns from the investments and therefore, very expensive methods are avoided. This type of nursery can be divided into two based on location: a. Rural nursery b. Urban nursery Factors affecting the establishment of a nursery: AgriMoon.Com 21  Fundamentals of Horticulture 1.Location and site - a. Topography b. climate c. reputation of locality for business d. transport facility 2 Selection of soil 3 Water facility 4 Manures 5 Availability of labour Components of nursery: A nursery should consist of the following components: 1. Building structures: This includes office, sale counter, packing shed, potting shed, store, implement shed and residential quarter. 2. Progeny tree block: The current choice of kind and variety of fruit crops and collection of true to type mother plants have strong bearing on the success and goodwill of a nursery industry. Suitable fruit crops should be selected to meet the demand of the customers. There should be a collection of good number of promising varieties of popular crops to make a wide choice. The progeny tree should be healthy, disease free, genetically true to type and free from pest attack. The pedigree of these plants should be known to the nursery man. 3. Propagation structures: structures like green house, glass house, poly house, hot bed, cold frames, lath house, shade house, mist house are used to create congenial condition for the propagation of plants. 4. Nursery bed. Management of young nursery plants: a. Irrigation: the young seedling should be frequently watered with low pressure. Excess and deficit of moisture is harmful. Proper care should be taken to avoid subsoil congestion through provision of proper drainage. b. Nutrition: Proper nutrition has profound effect on growth. The growing media should have liberal dose of manures and decomposed organic manure. A light and frequent dose of nitrogen will boost the growth of young seedlings. c. Weed control: The nursery should be kept weed free including roads and channel to avoid chances of further spread. d. Plant protection: In the initial stages the seedlings are more prone for pest and diseases. Therefore, prophylactic measures should be undertaken. Common pests: Ants, Snails, Rodents, Cutworms and sucking pests. Diseases: Collar rot, Damping off, Nematodes, Wilt etc. AgriMoon.Com 22  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.8 & 9 PLANNING OF ORCHARDS Orchard is a long-term investment and needs lot of planning and expertise. While planning and planting a new orchard, one should give utmost attention and care to various aspects like selection of location and site, nature of soil and subsoil, planning of suitable kinds and varieties of fruits, proper planting distance and purchasing of plants from reliable nurseries. Preparation of land The land should be cleaned properly for free movement of men and machinery. All the trees, bushes and creepers should be removed. The soil of the area designed for growing fruit plants needs thorough preparation. A virgin land requires a deep ploughing and harrowing. The land should be repeatedly ploughed and bring the soil to a fine tilth. Layout plan The marking of position of the plant in the field is referred as layout. The layout plan of the orchard should be prepared carefully, preferably in consultation with horticultural experts. The orchard layout plan includes the system of planning provision for orchard paths, roads, water channels and farm building. A sketch of the proposed orchard should be prepared before the actual planting is taken up. Method of layout For laying out an orchard, according to square system, a base line is first established and position of the trees is marked along this line by laying wooden stakes in the ground. Another base line at right angle to the first base line, is then marked along with the other edge of the field with the help of a carpenter square or a cross staff. The right angle can also be drawn with the help of measuring tape. One end of this tape is fixed at three metre distance from the corner along the first line and the tape is then stretched along the second base line for a distance of four metre. The diagonal distance between these two points should be five metre. The wooden stakes are put in the ground at the desired distance along the second line. All the four rows are thus established and staked. Three men, one putting the peg in the field and others correcting alignment while moving along the base line, can easily stake the whole field. The marking of position of the plant in the field is called “layout”. Aims: 1) To provide adequate space to plants. 2) To accommodate more number of plants. 3) Easy intercultural operations. 4) System of planting AgriMoon.Com 23  Fundamentals of Horticulture The following are the important systems of planting generally followed on the basis of Agro- climatic conditions.to improve aesthetic view of the land. Square system It is the most commonly used method and easy to layout in the field. In this system, plant to plant and row to row distance is the same. The plants are at the right angle to each other, every unit of four plants forming a square. This system facilitates the interculture in two directions after the orchard is planted. Advantage: 1) Most easy and popular one. 2) In this row to row and plant to plant distance is kept similar. 3) Plants are exactly at right angle to each other. 4) Interculture operations can be done in both the directions. 5) Adequate space for inter-cultivation of remunerative crops like vegetables. Rectangular system In this system, the plot is divided into rectangles instead of squares and trees are planted at the four corners of the rectangle in straight rows running at right angles. Like square system, this system also facilitates the interculture in two directions. The only difference is that in this system more plants can be accommodated in the row keeping more space between the rows. Advantages: 1) Lay out in rectangular shape. 2) More space between row to row. 3) Inter-cultural operations can be done in both the ways. 4) Plants get proper space and sunlight. Hexagonal system In hexagonal system, the trees are planted in the corners of equilateral triangles. Six trees thus form a hexagon with another tree at its centre. This system, though a little difficult for AgriMoon.Com 24  Fundamentals of Horticulture execution but accommodates 15 percent more plants. Cultivation of land between the tree rows is possible in three directions with this system. This system is generally followed where the land is costly and very fertile with ample provision of irrigation water. Advantages: 1) Accommodates 15 % more plants than the square system. 2) Plants are planted at the corner of equilateral triangle. 3) Six trees are planted making a hexagon. 4) The seventh tree is planted in the centre and called septule. 5) This requires fertile land. Disadvantage: o Lay out is difficult and cumbersome. Fig: Hexagonal system of planting. Quincunx system This system is exactly like the square system but one additional tree is planted in the centre of each square. The number of plants per acre by this system is almost doubled than the square system. Fruit trees like papaya, kinnow, phalsa, guava, peach, plum etc. can be planted as fillers in the permanent trees provides an additional income to the grower in the early life of the orchard. The filler trees are uprooted when the main orchard trees start commercial fruiting. Contour system This system is usually followed in the hilly areas with high slopes but it is very much similar to the square/rectangular system. Under such circumstances, the trees may be well planted in lines following the contour of the soil with only a slight slope. Irrigation and cultivation are then practiced only across the slope of the land as this practice reduces the chances of soil erosion. In this system layout is done as in square/rectangular system, first by establishing the base line at the lowest level and then marking for the trees should be done from the base to the top. Bench terraces are used where the slope is greater than 10 per cent. Triangular system In this system, trees are planted as in the square system but the plants in the 2 nd, 4th, 6th and such other alternate rows are planted midway between the 1st, 3rd, 5th and such other alternative rows. This system provides more open space for the trees and for intercrop. AgriMoon.Com 25  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.10 ORCHARD Orchard refers to an area where intensive cultivation of fruit crops is done. Or it is an area where fruit crops like mango, citrus, papaya, banana etc. are cultivated. Or it is an enclosed area where a fruit /group of fruit trees are grown. Orcharding: refers to growing of fruit plants in an orderly manner and maintain them for successive economic returns. Garden: The term garden refers to fruit farm, where sophisticated agro-techniques are employed for commercial cultivation. Eg: Grape garden. Specific crops: 1. Vineyard/vinery—grape garden 2. Pinery- Pineapple 3. Orangery—Orange garden Plantation: refers to a fairly large area where cultivation is done with a particular type of fruit crop. Eg: Mango plantation, apple plantation, coconut plantation etc. Estate: refers to large area (more than 1000 acres) of sole crop cultivation. This terminology was used in earlier days (British empire). Eg: Coffee estate and Tea estate. Types of Orchards. There are various types of orcharding 1. Orcharding with single variety of a particular fruit crop. 2. Orcharding with different variety of a fruit crop. 3. Mixed orchard with different fruit crops of almost equal life span. 4. Orcharding with intercrops/intercropping. 5. Multistoried orchard. 6. High density orchard. 7. Dry land orchard. 8. Clonal orchards. AgriMoon.Com 26  Fundamentals of Horticulture 9. Nutrition /Kitchen garden. 1. Orcharding with single variety of a particular fruit crop: Eg: Mango orchard exclusively Alphonso variety. Pomegranate orchard of Kesar variety. Guava orchard of Sardar variety. Advantages: 1. Purity of the variety can be maintained. 2. Convenient for planning and management. 3. All the trees come to harvest at the same time. Disadvantages: 1. The variety may be incompatible (which leads to poor fruit set). 2. The variety may be susceptible to pest and diseases. 3. The variety may be irregular like Alphonso variety. 4. The variety may not satisfy all consumers. 2. Orcharding with different variety of fruit crop: Eg: Mango orchard - Alphonso+ Kesar+Pairi. Sapota orchard - Cricket ball+ Kalipatti. Grape - Thomson seedless+ Sonaka +Sharad seedless. Advantages: 1. If one variety fails for some reasons other variety will give some returns/income. 2. Problem of self incompatibility can be overcome. 3. It can help in supply variety of fruits during different periods and to cater the needs of different customers. Disadvantages: 1. Purity of variety may be affected. 2. Management and harvesting varies. AgriMoon.Com 27  Fundamentals of Horticulture 3. Mixed orchards with different fruits of equal life span. 3. Mixed orchard with different fruit crops of almost equal life span. Eg: Mango+Sapota+Guava. Tamarind+Ber+Annona+Aonla. Fig+Pomegrante+Ber+Lime. Papaya+Banana+Pineapple. Advantages: 1. More than one crop may be available on the same piece of land. 2. If one crop fails other crop will come to rescue and maintains continuity of income. 3. Year round income. Disadvantages: 1. Management becomes very difficult. 2. Problems of pest and diseases. 4. Orchrding with intercrop: This system involves incorporation of another species (fruit/vegetable) in between the interspaces of main crop. This system uses the open space available during pre-bearing period of main crop. The intercropping is discontinued once the main crop completely covers the canopy. The intercrop selected should have the following characters. 1. Should be compatible with main crop in their water, nutrient and soil requirement. 2. Compact stature and should not compete with main crop. 3. Short duration when compared to other perennial crops. 4. Should not act as an alternate host for pest and diseases. Advantages: 1. Helps in getting additional income from the orchard during pre-bearing stage of main crop. 2. It also acts as a cover crop and prevents soil erosion. 3. Suppress the weed growth in open space. 4. Efficient land utilization. AgriMoon.Com 28  Fundamentals of Horticulture Eg: Banana, Papaya, Pineapple, Guava, Phalsa, Fig, Beans, Cowpea, Dolichos, Marigold, Gaillardia, Aster etc. 5. Multistoried orchard: Eg: Coconut+Black pepper+cocoa+pineapple. Arecanut+Vanilla+Banana+Pinapple. The principle involved in multistoried orchard is harvesting light at different height/story. The planting should be such that sunlight is harvested by different crops at different stories/levels/height and there won’t be any competition for soil nutrients, moisture and sunlight because the spread and distribution of roots at different crop component is distributed in different layers of the soil profile. 6.High density orchard: High density aims at increasing the productivity per unit area by increasing plant population/unit area by closer spacing. This has been successfully done in several temperate fruit crops like apple, pear, peach etc. where there is availability of dwarfing rootstocks and plant response for training and pruning and chemical regulation of size. Eg : Apple 3X3 ---1111 plants. 3X2 ---1666 plants. Limited success of high density is noticed in tropical and subtropical fruit crops because of 1. Non availability of dwarfing rootstocks. 2. Vigorous growth throughout the year. 3. Poor response for training and pruning. High density orchard was tried in mango with dwarfing variety like Amrapali and with the use of dwarfing rootstock like Olur, Vellaikollamban. Different types of high density planting followed in fruit crops: Bush orchard, Pyramid orchard, Tatura trellies, Meadow orchard, Hedge row system etc. Advantages: 1. High returns per unit area. 2. Maximum use of resources. 3. Possibility of adopting mechanization. Disadvantages: 1. Competition in later years. AgriMoon.Com 29  Fundamentals of Horticulture 2. Pest and disease problems. 3. Cultural operation is difficult. 7. Dryland orchard: Growing of fruit plants in drylands like arid and semiarid zones as rainfed crop. This concept is gaining importance as several fruit crops have been identified for cultivation in arid and semi arid regions. Eg: Ber, Aonla, Datepalm, Tamarind, Fig, Phalsa etc. With the advancement of irrigation technology and efficient water harvesting and conservation some of high value fruit crops are also being grown in arid and semiarid/rainfed regions. Eg: Mango, Grape, Pomegranate etc. 8. Clonal orchard: Orchard established from plants derived from single individual mother plants through vegetative means. Eg: Clonal orchard of mango var. Alphonso. Advantages: Plants will be uniform in growth, bearing habit and management practices AgriMoon.Com 30  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.11 Kitchen garden Fruits and vegetables play an important role in the balanced diet of human beings by providing not only the energy rich food but also promise vital protective nutrients. In order to make available the requisite quantity and kind of fresh fruit and vegetables every day to a family, it is better to have a nutrition garden to grow them in the house premises. Fruits and vegetables obtained from market lack freshness and deteriorate in the food value besides their exorbitant price. Therefore, the best quality of the fresh produce can be had from one’s own nutrition garden as the time interval between the harvest and the consumption becomes the least. Working in a garden becomes a pleasure, an inspiration, a means of recreation and a possible family enterprise in which all members have due share to spend the leisure hours. The whole family can be engaged in it, where no great technical skill is required. The land available within the compound of the residential building can be utilized for laying out a nutrition garden, which would help in taking proper care, harvesting, irrigation and other operations. Big trees should be planted towards the northern side of the garden as they will not only shade the vegetables but the roots may compete for moisture and nutrition if planted in between. A model nutrition garden generally consists of growing vegetables and fruits either separately or in combination. Thus the plan of growing vegetables and fruits has to be integrated in a most beneficial manner. The size of the garden may depend on the area available in the compound, the time available for its care and daily requirement of fresh fruits and vegetables of a family. To meet the demand of vegetables for an average family of 5 to 6 members, an area of 200 square meters will be sufficient. To produce 300g of vegetables per day, all the year round, about 50 square meters of area is required. Depending on the space available and the family size the planning may be done either for a big or a medium or a small size garden. Guidelines/Principles in planning nutrition garden: 1. It is convenient to layout rectangular plot than a square plot. 2. Garden should be well protected with suitable fence. 3. Perennial vegetables like curry leaf, drumstick and quick growing fruits like papaya, banana and lime should be planted along the border. 4. Perennial vegetables like coccinia, chow-chow, etc., which require support should be planted at the rear end of the garden. 5. Long duration vegetables like tapioca, elephant foot yam, etc., may be planted together. 6. Suitable short duration companion crops such as radish, beetroot, carrot, etc., can be grown with the long duration crops. These crops can be grown on the bunds. 7. Crop rotation should be followed in such a way so that each plot will be planted with leguminous vegetable crop at least once in two years and also see that at least 4-6 kinds of vegetables are always available. 8. One plot should be kept reserved for raising nursery seedlings. 9. Knowledge of planting season is essential in planning the cropping pattern. AgriMoon.Com 31  Fundamentals of Horticulture 10. The entire plot should be divided into a number of small plots (sub plots). The size and number of sub plots can be decided based on area available (family size) and crops chosen with convenience. 11. One or two compost pits may be dug in the shady corner of the garden. 12. The plot should be provided according to convenience using minimum space. 13. Creeping vegetables like gourds and others may be trailed on the fence or erected pendals. 14. The area in between the perennial plants may be utilised for short duration shallow rooted annual vegetables or spices like garlic, coriander, etc. 15. If the land is limited preference can be given for growing those vegetables which are costly, highly perishable, not easily available in the market and which can produce maximum edible vegetables per unit area. The irrigation channel from the water source and path should be so planned and prepared that it covers the whole area of the garden for easy operation AgriMoon.Com 32  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.12 Digging and filling of pits Marking of pits and planting should always be done with the help of planting board. The guide pegs are installed at both the ends. One meter deep pits of one meter diameter should be dug. Top 30 cm soil should be kept on one side, which is used for refilling the pits as it is fertile soil. Bottom 70 cm soil should be kept on other side, which is discarded. The pits should be left exposed for a few days before actual planting. These pits should be refilled with mixture of topsoil, 2-3 baskets of silt and 2-3 baskets of well-decomposed farmyard manure. The refilled pits should be watered a few days before planting the tree. To each pit add carbofuron (25g) for control of white ants. Method of planting Bore holes of suitable size are made in the centre of the filled pits with the help of planting board. Place the earth ball of a plant in it in such a way that the upper surface has the same level as ground. Fill loose earth around the ball and press it firmly with the handle of a spade or khurpi. Apply water soon after planting the plants in the pits. Planting distance of fruit plants: The spacing given to the fruit trees is generally governed by the different factors like climate and soil, choice of varieties, growth habit of tree, rootstock used, nature of irrigation and pruning technique followed. The spacing may vary according to different systems of planting. Provision of optimum spacing to fruit trees is one of the most important aspects of successful fruit culture. Optimum spacing regulates the proper utilization of sunlight, avoids competition in the uptake of nutrients caused by the collision of root systems and facilitates proper irrigation. The latest technology on high-density plantation system where trees are planted at critical spacing for maximum utilization of space is becoming popular. It will be very difficult to suggest exact spacing for fruit trees, which will suit every locality or soil. Given below is the spacing of some of the important fruit plants, which serve as basic guideline for establishing a new orchard. Name of fruit tree Planting distance (m) Number of plants/ha (square system) Mango 10 100 Citrus & Pomegranate 6 275 Grape i) Head system 2.0X1.5 3300 ii) Kniffin system 4.00X3.00 1100 AgriMoon.Com 33  Fundamentals of Horticulture iii) Bower system 3.1X6.0 550 Guava, Peach & Loquat 6.5 225 Litchi & Sapota 7.5-9.0 180-123 Ber & Pear 7.5 180 Date-palm & Almond 6-7 275-202 Jamun 10-12 105-75 Phalsa & Papaya 1.5 4400 Banana i) Tall varieties 2.7X3.0 1210 ii) Dwarf varieties 1.8X1.8 3052 Pineapple 30X60X90 cm 43500 Custard apple 5 390 Jack fruit 10 100 Planting season: The planting season of different fruit crops vary on the basis of their evergreen or deciduous nature. Evergreen fruit plants: There are two planting times for evergreen fruits ie., beginning of monsoon and end of rainy season in heavy rainfall areas. The fruit plants such as citrus, mango and litchi should preferably be planted during September or in the beginning of October when the weather becomes mild and more favourable and there is enough moisture in the soil. Guava can also be planted bare-rooted during February-March or August-September. The plant should be defoliated and the roots covered with moist material. Most of the sub-tropical and tropical evergreen fruit plants are suitably transplanted during the rainy season when the atmospheric humidity is high and sufficient supply of soil moisture is obtained. During this active period of growth, the plants easily penetrate their roots in the soil and get established. High atmospheric humidity during the rainy season helps them to minimize the transpiration loss. The evergreen plants can also be transplanted during the onset of spring with equal success provided an ample quantity of irrigation water is available. Early regeneration of rootlets due to high temperature and available moisture during this period helps in early establishment of the plants in most of the cases. Deciduous fruit plants: The deciduous fruit plants are planted during winter when they are dormant. Their planting must be completed before the start of new growth i.e., up to middle AgriMoon.Com 34  Fundamentals of Horticulture January in case of peach and plum and up to middle of February in case of pear and grapes. The bare rooted ber can also be planted during January and up to middle of February. It would be wise, if the planting operation in deciduous fruit plants could be done well before the dormancy is broken and the plants start their growth afresh during subsequent period. Planting should be avoided during hot and dry spells of weather. The fruit trees should preferably be planted in the afternoon and on cloudy and humid days rather than in bright sunshine and dry weather. AgriMoon.Com 35  Fundamentals of Horticulture Lecture No.13&14 Orchard Management Orchard is an area, often enclosed, devoted to the cultivation of fruit trees and as a unit it encompasses various resources like land, water, trees and external inputs. All these resources have to be well utilized to the best advantage for higher production per unit area on sustainable basis without adversely affecting the quality of environment. We should also understand that a good manager is one who gets maximum out of various inputs consistently without any loss of fertilizers and manure, plant, plant protection chemicals, produce etc. Therefore, one should understand the management of these qualities of both resource and output. Various resources are soil and water. Resources for better comprehension of orchard management are: (I) Soil management (ii) Water management (iii) Nutrition management (iv) Pruning and training (plant management) (v) Weed management (vi) Plant protection against insect pests and diseases. (vii) Bearing, fruitfulness and causes of unfruitfulness. (viii) Maturity and harvest. (ix) Post harvest handling, utilization and marketing. Soil management/Floor management: Soil management aims at maintaining soil in good condition, or improving the condition if necessary. This includes protection from direct sunlight and from the impact of rainfall and wind erosion. In annual crops like vegetables and flowers which do not leave vacant space. There is no such problem except that one has to replenish nutrients harvested by crops and leached out but in tree crops, wherein, it is usually several years after planting before a tree which form such an extensive canopy that it can provide adequate protection to the soil, the vacant space needs to be productively utilized and protected through different management practices like intercropping, cover cropping, cultivation, sod culture, mulching, rotation, high density planting.. Objectives of soil management: (i) To create favourable conditions for moisture supply and proper drainage. (ii) To maintain high fertility level and replenishment against losses. (iv) To provide proper soil conditions for gaseous exchange and microbial activities through addition of organic matter. (iii) To check or reduce soil erosion. (v) To ensure supply of nutrients for growth and development of plants. (vi) To utilize vacant land for additional income because such a loss is inconceivable for small holders. (viii) To reduce the cost of cultivation with high economic returns. (vii) To suppress weed population. AgriMoon.Com 36  Fundamentals of Horticulture Definitions of terms to be used in management of soil: Intercrop: Any crop other than main crop grown between the rows of perennial tree crops is known as intercrop and the cultivation there of is intercropping. Green manure crop: The crop other than main crop grown for the purpose of enriching the soil for organic matter is called green manure crop. Cover crop: The crop grown to provide a cover to soil to protect it from erosion. It may be green manure crop also. Methods of Soil Management: Appropriate soil management method is important for the control of weeds, incorporation of organic and inorganic fertilizers and to facilitate absorption of water in soil. Common soil management practices are (1) cultivation (2) sod culture (3) mulching and (4) rotation. Choice of the system is determined by many factors as mentioned below: (i) Crop (ii) Rooting depth of the crop (iii) Slope of the soil (iv) Rainfall of the area (v) Climatic condition of the place (vi) Economic condition of the farmer 1. Cultivation: Cultivation in context with soil management refers to working of the soil by ploughing, harrowing, disking or hoeing. It is essential for removal of weeds, incorporation of manures and fertilizers, green manuring and to facilitate water and nutrient absorption through better aeration. Depth of tillage and areas are determined by root depth and spread of the canopy of the tree. In cultivation different modifications are made under specific conditions. (i) Clean cultivation: In this method of soil management the space between plants is kept clean by tillage and removal of weeds. Advantages: (a) Removes competition of weeds for light, water and nutrients from crop and avoidance of alternate host for pests and diseases. (b) Improves soil physical condition through better aeration by breaking clods. (c) Helps in breaking hard top and abstructions in the infiltration of water. (d) Improves soil biological activities through better aeration. Disadvantages: (a) Loss of organic matter. (b) Loss of soil through erosion even on flat lands through water and wind. (c) Loss of nutrient through excessive leaching. (d) Injury to roots and creation of entry points for pathogens. AgriMoon.Com 37  Fundamentals of Horticulture Due to several such disadvantages, clean cultivation is not advisable in fruit farming, perhaps just before planting. Even so, it will seem inconceivable to most small holders not to use good land whenever possible and intercrops involving short duration crops and nitrogen fixing annual crops are preferred. If it should be, cultivation should be shallow and infrequent and should be stopped at flowering time. (ii) Cultivation and cover crops: In areas where soil is eroded during rains and drainage is poor, soil is cultivated and cover crops are grown between the rows during rains. The crop may and may not be turned into soil. These crops not only increase water retaining capacity of soil and biological complex of the soil but also add organic matter when ploughed in besides checking erosion. As cover crops, legumes should be preferred because they add extra N in soil through fixation of atmospheric-N in their nodules. They also suppress weeds during rainy season. Crops like greengram, blackgram, cowpea, cluster bean, soybean should be preferred during kharif season while pea, fenugreek, broad bean and lentil can be preferred in winter season as cover crops. Advantages: (a) Adds organic matter in soil. (b) Improves soil condition. (c) Improves soil fertility. (d) Increases water retention capacity of soil. (e) Increases biological complexes of soil. (f) Checks soil erosion. (g) Checks nutrient losses through soil erosion. (ii) Cultivation and intercropping. In this case of orchard soil management, cultivation is done for the purpose of raising intercrops. Intercropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field so that crop intensification occurs in both time and space dimensions, and there is intercrop competition during all or part of crop growth. This can be mixed strip or relay cropping. In context of an orchard or a plantation of perennial fruit trees, however, the practices of growing annuals or relatively short duration crop in the interspace during their formative years is referred to as intercropping and the growing of perennial in the interspacing of perennials is called mixed cropping. The term multistory cropping refers to a multispecies crop combination involving both annuals and perennials with an existing stand of perennials. Purpose of intercropping: Intercropping is intended to maximize land and space use efficiency to generate supplement income, particularly during the initial unproductive phase of the orchard. To protect the inter space from losses through weeds, erosion, impact of radiation, temperature, wind and water, and enriching it by nitrogen fixing leguminous crops. Disadvantage: If the main plantation is not given proper care, serious losses may occur as a result of root restriction, damage and infection, undue exhaustion of the soil, perpetuation of viral, fungal and nematode infection. Intercrops should therefore, receive secondary importance and fulfill the following criteria. (a) Should not be tall growing and spreading type. (b) They should not be exhaustive. AgriMoon.Com 38  Fundamentals of Horticulture (c) Should not function as alternate host for common pests and diseases. (d) The water requirement schedule should match or phenology of crop should match so that operation could be synchronized. (e) Should be compatible with main crop. Besides, it is necessary that separate provision for nutrients should be made for intercrop to avoid competition. Normally if one selects intercrop on the basis of agro-climate, resource, market and compatibility of crop with perennial plantation it should be a successful choice. Annual crops particularly legumes and shallow rooted vegetable crops like tomato, onion, beans, radish, spinach, etc. are preferred. Some perennials like pineapple, phalsa, banana, papaya are also taken as intercrops and popularly referred as filler crops. Based on experience and experimental evidences some recommendations for intercropping in young orchards exist. They are being presented in Table 4. Table 4: Intercrops in different orchard crops. Sl. Crop Duration for Recommended Intercrops No. intercrop 1 Apple 4 years Tomato, Cabbage, Beans, Strawberry, Early potato, Peach and Valeriana wallihi 2 Banana 5 months Green gram, Cowpea, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Yam, Elephant foot, Onion, Black gram, Turmeric, Brinjal, Colocasia, Dioscoria, Chillies and Okra 3 Ber 2 years Green gram, Moth, Cluster bean, Cowpea, Cumin and Chillies 4 Citrus 4 years Beans, Carrots, Tomatoes, Berseem, Senji, Onion, Potato, Chillies, Pulses, Cucurbits, Okra, Gram, Peas, Potato and Cabbage 5 Date palm 5 years Citrus medic , Guava and Sapota 6 Grape 1 year Vegetables relevant to area. 7 Guava 3 years Cauliflower, Peas, French bean, Cowpea, Cluster bean, Black gram, Green gram, Okra, Onion, Turmeric, Garlic, Cabbage, Chillies and Papaya 8 Litchi 7 years Turmeric, Ginger, Pointed gourd, Sweet potato, Tomato, Radish, Cabbage, Turnip, Brinjal, Cucurbits, Green gram, Black gram and Cowpea. 9 Mango 5 years Phalsa, Papaya, Guava, Banana, Peach, Strawberry, Pineapple, Cowpea, Cucurbits, AgriMoon.Com 39  Fundamentals of Horticulture Okra, Cabbage, Knolkhol, Beet, Onion, Carrot, Cauliflower, Tomato and Cluster bean. 10 Papaya 6-9 months Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chillies, Radish and Tomato. 11 Peach 3-4 years Soyabean, Pineapple, Cowpea and Turmeric. 12 Pomegranate 4 years Berseem, Luceme, Cowpea, Green gram, Cucurbits, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Bean, Peas, Tomato, Carrot, Onion, Potato and Brinjal. 13 Sapota 7 years Banana, Papaya, Pineapple, Broad bean, Tomato, Brinjal, Cabbage and Cauliflower Minimum tillage In this method inter space is maintained without any traditional soil tillage like ploughing, disking, harrowing, etc. This is receiving widespread adaptation in uneven topography. Here sod, weeds, cover crops and other vegetation are killed by herbicides in springs which forms a layer of dead plant material on soil surface. This controls erosion, conserve moisture and release nutrients. Sod culture In this system, in the space between trees, grasses are allowed to grow without tillage or mulching. Sometimes cover is mixed with grasses to improve fertility such as grasses are simply mowed and the surface is kept neat and tidy. This system is commonly followed in temperate region of Europe and America for apple and pear orchards and does not exist in tropical and subtropical region of India due to scarcity of available nutrients and soil moisture in most part of the year. It is the best system for the control of soil erosion and maintenance of soil organic matter and soil structure. In this case manures and fertilizers are not applied individually to trees but provided with sod allover the field and the system is satisfactory for deep rooted crops. Modifications in Sod System (i) Grasses are allowed to grow without cutting is not desirable because organic matter is lost. (ii) Grasses are grown cut as required and removed for making hay not desirable because organic matter is lost here also. (iii) Grasses are grown cut and left behind to decompose. (iv) Grasses are grown and pastured i.e., animals are allowed to graze. (v) Temporary sod. Sod is allowed for two years or so, then soil is ploughed, cultivated and sod is reseeded. Sod is not being followed in India due to lack of cool and moist weather. Lack of aeration, rat holes in sod prove harmful and trees die. Nutrient deficiency is also common especially of potassium. AgriMoon.Com 40  Fundamentals of Horticulture Mulching Mulching is the practice of covering the soil around the plants to make conditions more favourable for growth and conserve the available soil moisture. In this management system the open soil is put under loose cover of straw, hay, crop residue, leaves, saw dust and plastic. It is essentially a surface barrier against evaporation and checks weed growth reducing competition for nutrients. This is one of the important soil management practices adopted in certain countries in orchards. It offers a number of advantages at the same time suffer from disadvantages too. Advantages (a) Conserves moisture by suppressing weed growth, regulating soil temperature and protection from sun and wind. (b) Improves soil structure. (c) Reduces soil temperature fluctuations. (d) Increases soil organic matter level. (e) Controls erosion. (f) Improves water infiltration rate. (g) Improves nutrient availability through better soil condition micro flora. (h) Avoids competition for nutrient and moisture with main crop. (i) Controls weed growth. Disadvantages: (i) High cost. (ii) Transportation. (iii) Disease and pest infestation through dead plant material. (iv) Fire hazards. (v) Roots grow shallow due to the effect through soil temperature and moisture. Therefore, in first year mulching may not be advisable. Among all the mulching materials, plastic mulches are becoming popular especially black polythene mulch, where weed control is desired. Mulching is common in tropics especially in crops like banana, citrus, pineapple. Some of the recommendations made for different crops are being presented in Table 5. Table 5: Recommended mulches for different fruit crops. Sl Crop Mulch material No. 1 Banana Polythene, Straw mulch, Banana trash and Sugarcane trash. 2 Mango Straw mulch especially effective against spongy tissue. 3 Pomegranate Sugarcane trash, Paddy husk and Groundnut husk. 4 Ber Sugarcane trash, Wheat straw, Black polythene, Trash of Sachrarum munja and Local grasses. AgriMoon.Com 41  Fundamentals of Horticulture 5 Sapota 200 gauge black polythene. 6 Grape Black polythene. 7 Acid lime Dry leaf mulch. 8 Strawberry Black polythene, Cut grasses and Pine needles. 9 Guava Organic mulches. 10 Lemon Dry grasses and Black polythene. 11 Coorg Dry leaf mulch and Weed scraping. mandarin 12 Sweet lime Dry grasses. 13 Date palm Local weed bui (Aerva persica). 14 Pineapple Black polythene, Saw dust and Dry leaves. 15 Apple Oak leaves, Black alkathene and Conifer leaves. Rotation: Planting of different crops in a regular sequence on a given piece of land is referred as rotation. When this technique is used for soil management, it is necessary that sequence in the year or the rotation includes legume as one of the crops. Even in plantations of perennial fruit crops like papaya, banana, pineapple, after clearing of fields, these crops should be followed by leguminous green manure crop before planting them again. Choice of the legumes can be decided on the basis of climatic region. Generally sesbania, crotolaria, cluster- bean and cowpea, are preferred as they add higher quantities of organic matter and nitrogen. Advantages (a) Helps in controlling insect pests and diseases. (b) Helps in equalization of available nutrients. (c) Avoids bad effects of continuous mono-culture through elimination of build up of toxins, diseases and pests. Some of the recommendations are as under: Banana — Crotolaria or Sesbania or Cowpea. Papaya — Crotolaria or Cowpea. Pineapple — Sesbania or Glyricidia. Besides in young orchards when intercrops are takenup, some of the recommended rotations of intercrops are as under: Citrus Orchard Cowpea / Moong / Urd/Cucurbits / Turnip / Cauliflower /Carrot / Radish /Pea Mango Orchard (i) Brinjal — Cowpea (ii) Tomato — Clusterbean AgriMoon.Com 42  Fundamentals of Horticulture (iii) Tomato — Cowpea—Soybean—Coriander (iv) Soybean — Pea — Cowpea — Palak — Chillies. Banana Orchard (i) Moong — Toria (ii) Cowpea — Radish (iii) Moong —Turmeric (iv) Ragi — Bean (v) Groundnut — Bean Guava Orchard Cowpea/ clusterbean/Blackgram/Greengram /French bean. Litchi Orchard Cauliflower/Peas. Cucurbits / Greengram / Blackgram / Cowpea—Radish / Beat / Turnip / Carrot Pomegranate Orchards Cowpea/Green gram — Beans/Peas/Tomato/Carrot/Onion/Radish Legumes should be included in rotation and crops like papaya, banana, pineapple and vegetables should be preferred for higher returns. (should it be here?)Agro forestry Systems It is sufficiently clear that any increase in food production has to come primarily from raising the productivity of existing agricultural land rather than bringing more area under agriculture or horticulture. Therefore, agro forestry should become an important land use system, even in degraded soils, so that we not only meet the food and wood requirement of the people, but also protect this good earth from environmental hazards. In agro forestry systems, many options are available combining horticulture like agri -horti, horti—silvi, horti—pasture which combine horticultural crops with trees, pasture and agricultural crops. Among these horti-silvipastoral system appears to be one of the most efficient system for soil management. This encompasses any and all techniques that attempt to establish or maintain forests, horticultural crops, forage trees and pasture grasses on the same piece of land. It aims at systematically developing land use systems and practices where the positive interaction between trees and crops is maximized and seeks to achieve a more productive, sustainable and diversified output from the land than is possible with the conventional mono-cropping systems. In this system fruits and vegetable crops provide seasonal revenue, while forest trees are managed at 5 to 10 years rotation to give returns from timber, fuel wood and fodder. Horti-silvipastoral land use is considered to be an effective method of soil management satisfying multiple needs of farm families. It offers a number of advantages: (i) This system has higher employment potential being labour intensive. (ii) As a conservation farming system can help in the control of erosion in catchment. (iii) It is an excellent substitution for shifting cultivation in vogue in north-east region. (iv) Degraded lands can be renovated by this integrated management system. (v) It has potential to increase productivity under rainfed condition and provides stability in income. AgriMoon.Com 43  Fundamentals of Horticulture (vi) Inclusion of drought hardy fruit tree component can ensure regular income in drought prone area. In this system ber, pomegranate, aonla, mango, annona, jamun, tamarind, gonda, mahua and karonda as fruit trees; Acacia tortalis, Albizia amara, Leucena leucocephala, Eucalyptus spp. as forest trees and Cenchrus ciliaris, Cenchrus setigerus and Stylosanthes hamata as grass component have been found highly useful under rainfed semi arid conditions. In this case plantation of ber, mango and guava using staggered contour trenches, with forest spp. like Leucaena leucocephala and eucalyptus in highly degraded soil with Cenchrus ciliaris on gully rim and vegetable crops like cowpea, okra, clusterbean and brinjal in interface between fruit trees have been quite successful under rainfed conditions of Panch Mahal district of central Gujarat. Some of the other successfully tested agro forestry systems including horticulture like peach with turmeric, Eureka lemon with chillies and mandarin with ginger in Doon Valley; aerable crops with mango, guava, cashewnut, acid lime and sweet orange in Andhra Pradesh; eucalyptus with aonla, ber and guava in Faizabad (U.P.); ‘Coorg’ mandarin with Casurina and paddy in Karnataka; pastoral system under apple, almond, pear and plum with Festuca pretense, Dactylia glomerata and red and white clover in J and K and pineapple with Alnus nepalensis and Stylosanthes hamata in Shillong have been found successful. All these systems need large scale testing for soil management strategy and value addition to degraded areas before adoption. Multistory Cropping System: In this system of agro forestry which suits well to small holders, different multispecies are grown which form a multilayer or multistory. This is most common in coconut based farming system in Kerala to meet the diversified needs of the farming community for fodder, food and fuel besides increasing net return from a unit area. This system involves growing of annuals and perennial in different tiers by exploiting soil and air space more efficiently. It has been demonstrated that inter cropping and mixed cropping with compatible component crops in coconut do not have any adverse effect on the yield of main crop while increasing net returns for the farmers. Some common systems in vogue are - (i) Coconut/Cocoa/Ppineapple/Pepper (ii) Coconut/Hybrid napier and legume (Stylosanthes grandis). (iii) Coconut/Arecanut/Cocoa/Black pepper/Pineapple. This system is becoming most popular being efficient for effective utilization of solar energy and soil management. High Density Plantation: Planting density in general depends on kind of fruit tree, its growth habit, rootstock utilized, pruning and training needs and rainfall of the area and soil type. However, recommended planting densities in fruit crops results in under utilization of interspace during early stage of orchard’s life. This makes orcharding unattractive, particularly on small holdings because of long gestation period before giving returns and soil management problematic for vacant space. Therefore, high density planting, planting more than optimum number of plants per unit area, is being-considered as soil management strategy for making maximum use of land to achieve high yields in the early periods of orchard life along with ease in its management. This has been successful in fruit crops like apple, pear, banana, pineapple, mango, guava, citrus, ber and pomegranate. This can be achieved through the use of one of the following factors like dwarf AgriMoon.Com 44  Fundamentals of Horticulture genotypes, dwarfing rootstock, interstock, pruning and training, use of retardants, adjustment of planting geometry and induction of viral infection. Table 6: Recommended densities of some fruit species. Fruit Var