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Fundamentals of Horticulture

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IMPORTANT NOTES;

  • Irrigation: It is defined as the artificial application of water to the plants in the event of shortage of natural rains in order to obtain rapid growth and increased yields. 
  •  I. Surface irrigation: a. Flooding b. Basin type c.Furrow type d.Ring type 
  • II. Sub-surface irrigation:a. a.Trench method b. Through underground pipelines c. Perforated pipelines. 
  • III. Overhead or aerial irrigation : a. Sprinkler b.Revolving nozzles 
  • IV. Drip or trickle irrigation 
I. Surface irrigation:
  • a. Flooding :When the land is flat, letting in water from one end floods the entire area. This system is commonly practiced in canal or tank bed areas. It is the easiest method and permits the use of bullock drawn implements in the orchards. But in this there is wastage of water and leads to soil erosion also. It encourages growth of weeds and spread of diseases like gummosis in citrus and collar rot in papaya.
  • b. Basin system: In this system, circular basins are provided around the trunk of the tree. The basins are inter-connected in series and are fed through the main channel running perpendicular to the tree rows. When compared to flooding, this system minimises the loss of water. In this system of irrigation, the water close to trunk may bring about certain diseases like gummosis and nutrients are likely to be carried over from one basin to the other.
  • c. Furrow system: Unlike the flood system, here the entire land surface is not covered with irrigation water. The furrows are opened in the entire orchard at 4” or less apart, depending upon the age of the trees. Water is let in these furrows from the main channels. In orchards, two furrows on each side of the rows are generally made. It is suited to such lands , which have a moderate slope to the extent of 1-2% if the water is to run freely and reach the ends of the furrows. Where the slope is sharp, the furrows are made to follow the contour more or less closely. This method has disadvantage of excess of water penetration at the head than at the farther end, which may result in variation in vigour and growth of trees. 
  • d. Ring system: this is an improvement over the basin system. In this system, a ring is formed close and around the tree and water is let into the basin .This method is recommended for citrus trees thereby reducing the chances of collar rot to which these trees are often susceptible. The size of the ring will increase as the tree grows .In this system, the spread of diseases like collar rot, etc., are prevented. However, it involves more labour and capital and it does not permit uniform distribution of water throughout the bed or basin as in the basin system of irrigation.
1. Sub-surface irrigation:
 
  • This system consists of conducting water in number of furrows or ditches underground in perforated pipelines until sufficient water is taken into the soil so as to retained the water table near the root zone. In limited situation, this may be a very desirable system of irrigation. In general, however, it must be used with great caution because of the danger of water logging and salt accumulation. If the sub-strata are so slowly permeable that practically no water moves through, water added may stand in soil sufficiently for long time resulting an injury to the plant root due to poor aeration. Where irrigation water or the sub-soil contains appreciable amount of salt, sub-soil irrigation is usually not advisable. Land must be carefully levelled for successful subsoil irrigation so that raising the water table will wet all parts of the field equally.
2. Over head or aerial irrigation:

  • In this system, water is applied in the form of spring, somewhat resembling rainfall. This is accomplished by pumping water from original source into the main supply line from where it is distributed to perforated pipes, which operate at low pressure (80 to 120 lb per square inch) and supply the water in a fairly uniform rectangular pattern. They have a high rate of application, usually 1”/hour or higher. Because of the high application rates, their use is restricted to soils with high infiltration rates, such as sandy or gravelly. Revolving nozzle is also at times used, which operated on either low or high pressure. Usually the rate of application followed in the rate of 0.2” to 0.3” per hour.
 Sprinkler irrigation:

  • May have definite economic advantages in developing new land that has never been irrigated, particularly where the land is rough or the soil is too much porous, shallow or highly erodable. It is quite useful where only small streams are available, such as irrigation wells of small capacity. It is helpful in irrigating at the seedling stage when the furrowing is difficult and flooding leads to crusting of soil. Fertilizer materials may be evenly applied by this method. This is usually done by drawing liquid fertilizer solutions slowly into the pipe. It has several disadvantages like high initial cost, difficult to work in windy location, trouble from clogging of nozzle, interference in pollination process and requirement of more labours while removing or resetting. In general, this system is best adopted for areas where ordinary surface systems are inefficient.
3. Drip or trickle system:

  • This is the most recent system of irrigating the plants. It is usually practise for high value crops, especially in green houses and glass houses. There will be an installation of pipelines with nozzles very close to the soil. The nozzle is fitted in such a way that water is dripped almost in the root-zone of the plants. Water is allowed to move in pipes under very low or no pressure and it drop at regular interval. This system of irrigation has advantages like no disturbance of the soil; soil moisture is maintained, lesser leaching of nutrients from the soil.
Broadcasting:
 • Fertilizer in solid state or granular or dust are spread uniformly over the entire field.
 • Leaching loss may be more.

Band placement:
• Application of fertilizer on the sides of rows.
• Fertilizer in solid and liquid forms can be applied.
• Quantity of fertilizer may be economised. 

 RING PLACEMENT:
• Commonly followed in fruit trees.
• Fertilizers are applied in a ring encircling the trunk of the trees extending the entire
canopy.
• It is more labour intensive and costly.

FOLIAR APPLICATION
• Fertilizers are applied in liquid form as foliar sprays.
• They are easily absorbed by leaves.
• Fertilizers are applied in a very low concentration tolerable to the leaves.
• Recommended when the nutrients are required in small quantity.

 STARTER SOLUTION:
• Liquid form of fertilizer application.
• Seedlings and propagules are kept emerged up to their root system for varying duration in starter solution.

FERTIGATION:
• Application of fertilizers in irrigation water in either open or closed systems.
• Nitrogen and sulphur are the principal nutrients applied.
• Phosphorous fertigation is less common because of formation of precipitates takes place
with high Ca and Mg containing water.

TREE INJECTION:
• Direct injection of essential nutrients into the tree trunk.
• Iron salts are injected into chlorotic trees that are known to suffer from iron deficiency.
 
FEEDING NEEDLES:
• Several types of feeding needles or guns are available.
• With these fertilizers either in dry form or in water solution placed in holes.

Methods of weed control in orchards:
Broadly classified as:
1. Cultural methods
2. Biological methods
3. Chemical methods
4. Integrated weed control
5. Soil solarisation

Herbicides include wide variety of compounds classified on the basis of :

1. Chemical structure.
2. Selectivity (selective and non-selective).
3. Contact or translocated (systemic).

Selective herbicides are those which kill certain kind of specific weed without causing any
significant injury to others. For example: 2, 4-D (controls herbaceous dicot weeds), MCDA
(controls cyperus rotundus, plantago spp. etc.), whereas non-selective herbicide will
indiscriminately kill all the plants that come in contact. For example: Glyphosate, paraquat
(destroy green tissue only).

Systemic herbicides
They are also referred as translocated herbicides; they are absorbed by leaves, stems or
roots of treated plants. Translocated through either phloem or xylelm.
For example: Atrazine, Simazine, Diuron, Alachlor.

Training
Definition:
 Physical techniques that control the shape, size and direction of plant growth are known as
training or in other words training in effect is orientation of plant in space through techniques
like tying, fastening, staking, supporting over a trellis or pergola in a certain fashion or pruning
of some parts.
Objectives:
 To improve appearance and usefulness of plant/tree through providing different shapes
and securing balanced distribution.
 To ease cultural practices including intercultivation, plant protection and harvesting.
 To improve performance like planting at an angle of 45° and horizontal orientation of
branches make them fruiting better.

Top Working

 It is a technique or method of rejuvenation where in the objective is to upgrade seedling
plantations of inferior varieties with superior commercial cultivars or hybrids suitable for
domestic or export market or the desired variety of the grower.
The technique involves grafting with procured scions of desired variety on shoots
emerged on pruned branches by adopting softwood grafting during monsoon season ( Season of
top working slightly varies from species as it also depends on availability of good shoot and
scions). The scion shoots and the emerged shoots should be of same thickness.

Advantages of top working:
1. Increase the tree productivity /orchard productivity.
2. Conversion of old and senile orchards into productive orchards.
3. Conversion of seedling or inferior variety plantaion /orchard into new orchard
with desirable variety or varieties through top working.
4. Possibility of grafting several varieties on the same plant.
5. Increasing the fruit set of orchard by grafting few shoots with polliniser varieties.
6. Additional income by selling the pruned wood during non bearing season or
period.

Disadvantages:
1. Chances of death of plant if not done properly or on severe pruning.
2. Need good management post pruning period.
3. Loss of crop for 2-3 years
4. Chances of pest and disease occurrence (stem borer, anthracnose etc.).
5. Needs skilled labour for thinning of shoots, removal of side shoots etc.