PLANNING AND LAYOUT OF AN ORCHARD.pptx

Horticulture

1. Dr. M . V e n k a t r a m a n Assistant Professor (Hor t ) D S U , T r i c h y L e c 7 PLANNING AND LAYOUT OF AN ORCHARD

2. Orchard Orchard is a long-term investment and needs lot of planning and expertise. While planning and planting a new orchard , utmost attention and care is to be given 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 source

3. Planning The critical components like Roads , Orchard structures like office, implements shed, godown -cum-store, pump houses etc. Fence and windbreak , Irrigation , Spacing and planting materials need adequate attention.

4. Laying out of orchards Aim at providing maximum number of trees/ha Adequate space for proper development of the trees And ensuring convenience in orchard cultural practices. The system of layout can be grouped under two broad categories viz. a ) Vertical row planting pattern b ) Alternate row planting system

5. a) Vertical row planting pattern Square system In this system a tree is planted at each corner of a square whatever may the planting distance . The distance between row to row and plant to plant is same .

6. Merits Easy to lay out . More space between row to row Inter- cultural operations can be done in both ways. Plants get proper space and sunlight Demerits Major disadvantage - lot of space in the centre of each square is wasted.

7. Rectangular system Similar to square system , except that the distance between plants in the row and distance between rows is not the same but different. Row to row distance is more than that from plant to plant in the row.

8. Merits and demerits: It has almost all the advantages of the square system but cultivation is somewhat difficult, especially when the trees have fully grown .

9. b ) Alternate row planting pattern Quincunx or filler system or diagonal system This is the modification of a square system of layout . Distinguished to make use of the empty space in the center of each square by planting another plant is called filler tree. Filler tree will be precocious and shorter duration and not be of same kind .

10. Guava, phalsa. plum, papaya, peaches, kinno w , banana and pomegranate are important fillers. They yield some crop before the permanent trees come into bearing . The filler tree is removed when the main fruit trees grow to full stature and start bearing . Commercially practiced where spacing exceeds 8 m or more or where permanent trees are very slow in their growth and also take longer time for coming to bearing. Eg . Sapota , Jackfruit.

11. Merits and demerits The main advantage of this system is that the plant population is about double than the square system . Accommodates 1.5 – 2 times double the number of plants (89%) more than square system. The greatest disadvantage of this system is that, it is difficult to carry out intercultural operations on account of the filler tree.

12. Hexagonal system or equilateral triangle or septule system In this system the trees are planted in each corner of the equilateral triangle. Seventh tree is planted in the centre of the hexagon and then it is called septule system. Distance between the rows is less than the distance between the trees in a row, but the distance from tree to tree in six directions remains the same . Usually employed , where land is expensive and is very fertile with good availability of water .

13. Merits and demerits The plants occupy the land fully without any waste as in square system This system allows 15% more plants than the square system of planting. Very difficult to layout - not generally followed.

14. Triangular system The trees are planted as in square system but the difference being that those in the even numbered rows are midway between those in the odd rows instead of opposite to them . Triangular system is based on the principle of isolateral triangle. The distance between any two adjacent trees in a row is equal to the perpendicular distance between any two adjacent rows .

15. Merits and demerits This system is not much of practical importance . Plants are not placed at equal distance from all sides . Accommodates 11 % lesser no of plants than square system. Problem : Intercultural operations

16. All the above systems are possible when the land is flat, plain or level , but not on uneven lands and sub- mountane areas (hilly areas ). On undulating lands and hill slopes different types of planting systems are followed, Viz., Contour and Terracing.

17. Contour system It is generally followed on the hills where the plants are planted along the contour across the slope . Undulated topography (slope exceeds 10 %) Advantages : reduce the soil erosion and conserve the soil moisture .

18. Other systems Terrace system : Extension of contour system Double hedge planting system: accommodate 22% higher plants than the single hedge row planting . Hedge row planting system commercially followed in mechanized fruit cultivation . E.g. Apple and Pineapple.

19. Planting of horticultural crops The minimum vertical distance between any two trees is called as planting distance. Two principles – deciding the planting distance Trees when fully grown , the fringes of trees should touch each other but the branches should not interlock. The root of trees spread over larger area than top of the tree , so there should be enough space for roots to feed without competition.

20. Factors – which decide the planting distance Kind of fruit tree Mango (10 x 10 m), guava (5 x 5 m) whereas papaya are planted at 2 x 2 m spacing. Rainfall In low rainfall areas wider spacing should be provided than high rainfall area Soil type and soil fertility In heavy soil less spacing should be given because the top and root growth are limited .

21. Root stocks Trees of some variety grafted on different root stocks will grow to different size and such trees require different planting distance. Eg . Apple

22. Pruning and training Trees trained on head system require closer spacing than the other type of training. Varietal factor: Spreading nature of varieties requires wider spacing than upright growth types Irrigation systems

23. Spacing generally followed for different fruit crops Crops Spacing Banana, Papaya and Grapes 1.8-2 m to 3 m x 1.8 m-2 to 3 m Pineapple 30 cm x 60 cm x 90 cm Passion fruit, Phalsa and Pomegranate 2 m x 3 m, 3 m x 3 m Custard Apple 4.5 m x 4.5 m Date Palm, Fig, Mandarin, Lime, Lemon and Sweet Orange 6 m x 6 m Pumelo and grapefruit 6-7 m x 6-7 m Guava 6-8 m x 6-8 m Sapota , Loquat and Avocado 8-9 m x 8-9 m

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