Land preparation for VNR Madhur Orchard
The first step is to study elevation and slope of the land.
Elevation surveys
Precision contour surveys are essential on low slope areas. On higher slope contour (slopes > 0.5%) they may not be needed because the slope direction is much less likely to be altered by minor elevation changes. The reasons for undertaking a precision survey are-
- To detect the dominant direction of slope
- To identify humps and hollows that will change the direction of surface flows
- To identify the need for local drains or cross drains to remove water from small depression and
- To plan the orientation of Raised Beds and the best location to dispose of water from the major drains at the lower end of the Raised Beds. Surveyors with the capability of undertaking precise elevation surveys and producing maps are available in country areas
Deep Ploughing
Deep ploughing of field is done twice with 12-18 inches plough
Why deep ploughing is required?
Deep ploughing is required for two major benefits
- It breaks the hard pan of soil, allowing better root growth & better penetration of water/ moisture.
- Exposing soil borne insects/pests to harsh atmospheric conditions, which helps in reducing their population in field.
Disc Plough
- Disc plough is used to break the heavy clods
Benefits – It improves soil tilt.
Breaking Clods
- After deep ploughing, clods of soil are broken with a heavy rotavator.
- This is to be done 5-10 days after deep ploughing when moisture is reduced.
Benefits: This gives better texture to soil and makes it suitable for leveling & plantation.
Leveling & Slope
- Leveling of field is done to avoid water logging in uneven pockets & for convenience of activating agricultural practices, a slope of 0.5 % is made with the help of leveler to get runoff excess water.
Benefits:
- This is made to drain out excess water from field.
Leveling of 200-250 ft. long patch at a time with drainage proved to be efficient and cost effective.
Drainage Trench
- After leveling the field, a main drainage trench- 2 ft. deep and 2/3 ft. wide is made.
Benefits
- This ensures collection & drain off excess water from the orchard area.
Making Raised Beds
Bed preparation is to be made at pre – plantations stage
Bed is made with the help of Ridger.
Avoid making beds post plantation as it will be fatal to grafted plants.
Why raised beds are required?
The prime objective for installing Raised Beds is to drain excess water from the root zones of crops and pastures.
The objectives of managing soils in Raised Beds are to create and maintain:
- A stable soil structure;
- A porous and permeable soil; and
- A deeper than normal seedbed
The desired outcome from these management objectives are to ensure the Raised Beds function properly, as per following:
- Drain and aerate freely, and thus prevent water logging;
- Increase root growth and proliferation, and thereby reinforce the loose structure, minimize subsidence and increase soil organic matter
- Increases plant water use, and thereby increases production
Bed Orientation
Orienting Raised Beds north-south is best. The north-south orientation allows for an even exposure of the bed to sunlight, which maximizes the chances of uniform crop development across the full width of the bed.
Crops planted on a predominantly east-west orientation have the rows closest to the northern shoulder of the bed exposed to sunlight for most of the day. This causes greater soil evaporation from the northern shoulder and results in one or two crop rows growing less well and yielding less than the crop rows on the remainder of the bed. Experience has shown that a north-south orientation is best.
This practice also ensures higher sunlight & aeration to the plants to be healthy and productive.
A 12 FT X 8 FT VNR MADHUR PLANTATION ON RAISED BED
Raised beds have following benefits
- It confines the root zone of the plant so that farmer can give water and nutrients to feeder roots.
- It helps in better management of weeds and intercultural operations within plant periphery.
- It maintains optimum moisture in roots during rainfall.
- The beds are made in N-S direction, so plants get maximum sunlight.
- Raised beds are to be prepared as per the rainfall and the height of waterlogged. 1.5 – 2 ft beds are suitable in most of the areas.
- Raised beds are made 12ft (measured from centre of raised bed) apart, or as per spacing model opted.
- Raised beds of 18-24 inches height and 30-36 inches breadth are required for plantation.
- It enhances the life of drip-laterals.
SPACING
- Spacing of the orchard depends on its size due to scope of mechanical practices in between the rows.
- Labour availability is getting shorter hence, we must have mechanical options in orchard management.
Different spacing models are suggested for VNR-Madhur Orchard:
(Row x Plant spacing mentioned below)
- 12×8 ft. (450 plants/ acre) – Open Centre Canopy / Round Canopy & Espalier System
10×6 ft. (726 plants/ acre) – Espalier System (SLT System)
DIGGING PITS
Pits are required to loosen the soil and placement of required nutrients with digested FYM. It results better moisture availability for good root development and plant growth.
- Pits are dug on raised beds either manually or mechanically. Mechanical digging is efficient and cost-effective.
- For this purpose, tractor mounted post-hole digger with auger diameter 20 – 22 inches can be used.
Post hole digger can be sourced from Agri. Implement Shops or Contractors of Forest / Electricity Departments.
Tractor driven digger can make 450 / 500 pits per day on raised bed. Manually, one labour can make max. 10-20 pits in a day.
