PLANNING OF ORCHARD
After
selecting the location some preliminary operations should be done to make the
land good for orchard. Trees are felled, shrubs and woody growth are cleared
and the stumps and roots are removed. Deep ploughing is essential to remove big
roots and soil compaction.
Land
should be thoroughly ploughed and levelled. Soil levelling is essential because
it makes irrigation easy and controls soil erosion. In hilly areas the land
should be divided into different terraces according to the topography and
should be levelled within the terrace.
(Guava Orchard)
In
poor soil (the soil which is not suitable for crop production) green manuring
should be done either by green manuring in-situ or by green leaf manuring. Well-decomposed organic matter like farm yard manure or cow dung etc can also be
added to improve the physicochemical properties of soil.
A
careful plan of the orchard is necessary for the most efficient and economic management
of resources (land, water, nutrients etc) in the orchard. The following points
should be focused before preparing the plan:
2. Stores
and office buildings should be constructed at the centre of the orchard for proper
supervision or nearer to a water source or nearer to a public road for good
transport facilities.
3. Road
should occupy minimum space. It must be between the wind break and the first
row of the tree to utilise the space more efficiently. Road should be at
straight line and at right angle to each other. Width of road should allow the
easy movement of carts and machineries. Road must be cemented to overcome the splash
of mud on the foliage during movements of machineries.
4. Well
or water source should be at convenient place at different part of orchard at a
rate of one well per two to four hectors. It should be dug before planting and
at the highest point of the orchard for easy distribution of water. Irrigation
channel should be laid along the gradient of the slope for most economic
conduct of water.
5. Each
kind of fruits should be assigned in separate blocks.
6. Fruits ripening at the same time should be grouped together.
7. Pollinators
or pollinating varieties should be provided in deciduous fruits (apple, pear etc)
mainly in case of self-incompatible (It is the genetic mechanism of crop which prevent self-fertilization or autogamy and thus encourage cross-pollination
or out-crossing and allogamy) varieties. Each third tree in every third
row should be planted with a pollinator variety.
8. Short
growing trees must be allotted at the front and tall at back for easy watching
and it improves the appearance of the orchard.
9. Evergreen
tree should be at the front and deciduous one at the back.
10. Fruits
which attract birds and animals should be close to watchman’s shed.
11. Good fencing is
essential. Live fencing (A fence or barrier made up of living organisms or
plants) is economic and cheap to other kinds.
12. Wind
break should be grown on the boarder of the orchard prior to planting the
seedling.
FOR MORE ABOUT (LOCATION AND SITE SELECTION) CLICK THE LINK BELOW
(LOCATION AND SITE SELECTION) Maintaining healthy orchard, Unfruitfulness-in-fruit-plants, flower-induction, causes-of-unfruitfulness-in-fruits, juvenality-in-fruit-plants.
