mulberry cultivation

land selection, preparation, planting, intercultivation

1. Submitted to: Dr. Vinoda mam Dept. of sericulture. College of sericulture, Chintamani. Submitted by: JYOTHI P ALC3021, IV BSc (ag) College of sericulture, Chintamani.

2. Mulberry cultivation: Land selection Preparation Planting Inter cultivation

3. Introduction A perennial plant – retained in the field for leaf harvest for at least 15 years  Though arboreal in nature, it is trained as low bush for commercial exploitation  Mulberry is a hardy plant and can tolerate varied range of agro-climatic conditions  Mulberry

4. Most suitable range of conditions include 20-30⁰C Temperature 9 to 13 hours sunshine/day 50 to 60 mm of water/week  Under such conditions 5-6 crops can be harvested in a year However,

5. Land selection As mulberry is a deep-rooted plant, the soil for mulberry garden should be fertile, deep, friable, sandy loam to clay loam in texture and porous. The soils must have good water holding capacity.  Soils with a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5 are ideal.  

6. Generally flat or slightly slopy lands are suitable for mulberry cultivation.  If the slope is more than 15%, suitable land development measures such as contour bunding , bench terracing, etc. should be adopted. As mulberry is deep rooted plant, the top soil should be sufficiently deep(80 to 90cm) & ploughed properly.

7. Land not suitable are: The farm lands along the highways. lands in the vicinity of factories. The area irrigated by raw sewage and untreated effluents. The plots adjacent to other gardens with intensive pesticide usage. The water logged areas. The tobacco grown land.

8. Preparation of land Planting should be undertaken during the commencement of monsoon. Therefore, land preparation should start in pre- monsoon period. Land should be prepared by deep ploughing upto a depth of 30-45 cm in order to loosen the soil, prior to the dry season, making use of the available soil moisture.

9. The field is then left exposed during the summer, in order to kill the weeds and soil borne insects. During the pre-monsoon showers, the soil lumps must be broken and the land must be ploughed repeatedly to bring the soil to a fine tilth .

10. Weeds, stones should be removed  during  the preparatory stage. The land should be levelled , and divided into plots of convenient size providing the contour bunds for proper harvesting of rain water.

11. For pit system: Pit system of planting with wider spacing should be adopted for rainfed mulberry. Pits of size 35x35x35 cm are dug at 90x90 cm spacing. Pits are then filled with the mixture of soil & FYM(2 kg of FYM/pit). One can use sericultural compost or vermicompost in the pit together yo get better re sults .

12. Planting: Generally, mulberry cuttings are used for planting, but planting the saplings is better. Branches of 6-8 months old and 10-15 diameter are selected for cutting preparation. Each cutting should be 20-22 cm in length with minimum of 3-4 healthy buds.

13. The cut should be clean without damaging the bark or wood. Greenish tender or too thick lower portion of the branches should not be considered for preparation of cuttings. Three cuttings are planted in each pit with a spacing of 15 cm between cuttings, in a triangle. Cuttings are placed deep, leaving just one bud on top, 2 to 3 cm above the ground and the soil around each cutting should be pressed well to keep the cuttings firm in the soil.

14. It is risky to resort to direct planting of cuttings, under rainfed conditions. It is ideal to use four months old saplings (1 sapling/pit) & support it with pot watering during initial period of establishment. Planting can be timed to receive adequate rainfall for 1-2 months for quick establishment and maximum growth of plants.

15. Points to be considerd while planting To avoid fungal attack, cuttings may be dipped in 0.2% Bavistin solution for 10 to 15 minutes. In the case of poor rooting varieties, 200 ppm of NAA/IBA dissolved in 90% ethyl alcohol and diluted can be used to treat the cuttings before planting. Cuttings can also be inoculated with VA- mycorrhiza in the nursery bed to get better survivability and economization of phosphatic fertilizer

16. Selection of planting material Generally, the mulberry plants are raised from semi-hardwood cuttings.  Cuttings are selected from well established garden of 8-12 months old.  Only full grown thick main stems, free from insect and disease damages having a diameter of 10-12mm are chosen for preparation of cuttings.

17. The cuttings should be of 15-20 cm with 3-4 active buds and should have 45o slanting cut at the bottom end.  Care should be taken to make a sharp clean cut at both the ends of cuttings without splitting the bark. 

18. Inter Cultivation: To eliminate the weeds and to loosen the soil for good aeration, around mulberry plant, light hoeing should be done two months after plantation. This will facilitate the plant to absorb the water freely and plant growth will not be restricted by weeds by competing with mulberry plant for food, nutrition and water.

19. Weed Management Usually integrated method of management is better.it includes the following methods: Cultural method Mechanical method Chemical method

20. Cultural method Remove the stubbles and roots of weeds while preparing the land Use well decomposed manure to avoid dissemination of weeds Clean the implements before use 

21. Mechanical method Operate country plough after pruning in the interspace Remove the weeds by hand hoe

22. Chemical method As post-emergence application, use Paraquat (Grammoxone) @ 2-3 lit/ha. Spray Glycel 7.5 ml with 10 grams of ammonium sulphate per litre of water as post-emergence application.  A total of 600 litres of spray fluid is required/ha. Use flooding / deflector / fan type nozzle for spraying weedicide.  Apply the weedicide immediately after pruning or within 2-3 days after pruning.