Establishment of an orchard is a long term investment hence requires eriteal/proper planning, An orchard is set up for many years of its existence and high initial cost is also essential part in its investment. Further high expenditure and efficient management becomes necessary in its running condition, The selection of proper location and site, planting system and planting distance, procurement of planty/ choosing ( varieties and the nursery plants have to be considered carefully to ensure maximum production, ‘The following components should be given due attention, Location and site : In establishing a orchard proper selection of site is important, Selection may be made based on the following criteria, * The location should be in a well establishedtfruit growing region because one could get the benefit of experience of other growers and also get the benefit of selling the produce. * There should be a market close to the area, Whether there are seasonal gluts or over Production in any particular period of the year * Whether there is assured demand in the market for the fruits to be grown * The climate should be suitable to grow the chosen fruit crops. * Adequate water supply should be available round the year, © Suitability of soil, its fertility, the nature of subsoil and soil depth. © Site must have proper drainage and no water stagnation during rainy season. * Irrigation water must be of good quality. * There must be proper transport facilities either by road or rail within the reach. * Whether the climatic conditions are suitable for the fruits to be grown and are whether site is free from the limiting factors such as cyclones, frost, hailstorms and strong hot winds, Whether his orchard is a new venture or whether there are already other growers. © Availability of labour. ‘© Free from Industrial pollution like crushers, cement factories. Planning of an orchard A careful plan of the orchard is necessary for the most efficient and economic management. The following points should be borne in mind in preparing the plan. Optimum spacing to accommodate maximum number of trees per unit area. ‘© Stores and office building in the orchard should be constructed at the centre for proper supervision. ‘© Wells should be located at convenient places in different parts at the rate of one well for 2 to 4 hectares. + Each kind of fruit should be assigned in a separate block. + Fruits ripening at the same time should be grouped together. * In deciduous fruit trees, there are some varieties which require pollen from another variety to set fruits in them, otherwise, they will be barren, Such pollen donors are known as pollinators.So pollinators should be provided in deciduous fruits. Every third tree in every third row should be planted with a pollinator. ‘+ Irrigation channels should be laid along the gradients for most economical conduct of water. For every 30m length of channel, 7.5 cm slope should be given, * Roads should occupy minimum space for the economy of transport. The clearance between wind break and first row of trees is advantageous for the road. * Short growing trees should be allotted at the front and tall at the back for easy watching and to improve the appearance,«Evergreen trees should be in the front and deciduous ones behind. «Fruits attracting birds and animals should be close to the watehman's shed. Steps in establishment of an orchard: After the selection of the site and drafting the plan, next comes the establishment of an orchard with fruit plants, For this, the selected site should be thoroughly surveyed for studying its size, topography, flow of rgation Water, drainage and fertility gradients. The positioning of main and subsidiary roads, wells, wind breaks cege.should be planned clearly Steps: 1. Clearing of the land: Preparation of the soil depends largely on its condition, previous history and serower's plans. Ifthe land has been under cultivation and has been well maintained, nothing further may be required. On the other hand if the site is a new one and was never under cultivation earlier, much has 0 be done ‘well in advance for planting. If the land is a virgin land i.e. itis not under cultivation previously, the existing ryegetation is to be cleared. Standing trees, shrubs, bushes etc. should be cut down and uprooted along with the scumps and removed. No vegetation should be left on the site. Otherwise, they may shade the young plants; compete for water, light and nutrients. Further, their removal at a later date is expensive and risky. All the stumps and roots may be removed. Otherwise they may harbour white ants, termite hills, diseases etc. and spread to the new plants. Along with vegetation, stones, rocks and ant hills, termite bills ete.should be removed. 2. Leveling: Leveling is important for efficient irrigation, improving appearance. If the land is sloppy contouring (if the slope is 3 to 1 >10%) is to be done. During leveling sub soil should not be exposed. 3. Fencing: Fencing is necessary to protect trees from stray cattle, human trespassing and also for atiractiveness. The fence may be of stone, barbed wire or live fence. Growing of live fence is an expensive one. At the inital stage it may be cheap but afterwards the maintenance is costly. Live fence needs periodical punning or trimming to shape and also to control their growth and encouraging more branching. This is one of the costly tems of the orchard cultivation. Characteristics of a good fence plant: Drought resistant Easy to raise from seed Quick growing Should have dense foliage Should stand severe pruning Should not be hard to secature Should be preferably thorny Live fences are sown at the commencement of rainy season to minimize irrigation. They are dibbled in | rows; 20-30 em apart in a trench dug 60em deep and manured soil. Examples of non-thorny fence plants: ‘amarind, Thevitia, Lawsonia, Casuarina, Gliricidia etc. Examples of thorny fence plants: Agave, cactus, *rosophisjuliflora, Commiphorabarli, Inga dulcisetc. |. Wind break plants: The wind breaks are provided to resist the velocity of wind which causes loss of bloom, ‘ind erosion and evaporation of moisture and to keep the orchard warm by checking frost and cold waves. The ‘eneficial effect of wind break is felt up to a distance equal to3 times its height. The most effective windbreak is double row of tall trees alternately placed. The characteristics of a tree suitable as wind break are: * Itshould be fast growing * It should be easilyestabishable * Itshould be able to acelimatize to the environment drainage to check soil erosion and also for (0%) or terracing (if the slope is @ eele wie «¢ Itshould have dense eanopy « Itshould not harbour pests and diseases «It should be frost resistant ‘« Itshould be drought resistant ‘© Itcan be propagated by various methods Planting material should be easily available and cheap It should have multipurpose uses like fuel wood, fodder etc. il i jing. “ se t rane nant ually lesed for growing as wind break plans are: Casuarina (Most effetive in open sandy soils), Prerocarpussantalimus(Redsanders), Enythrinaindica(Requires pruning to make tree top bushy),Cassia's and Polyalthialongifolia(Slow growing),Azadirachtaindica, Eucalyptus dlobulws,Grevillearobusta, Plerospermumacerifoliamare some trees which can also be used, For mango orchards, seedling mangoes and polyembryionic mangoes may be planted as wind breaks to provide chance seedlings and root stocks. There should a spacing of 12m between the row of wind bi be occupied by roads and drains. The wind break trees should be thick screen. A spacing of Sm is maximum for most plants. i 5. Roads and drains: These are laid out according to the plan prepared in advance taking the convenience and levels into consideration. Main irrigation channels also have to be plotted. Open drains should be straight, running parallel to the gradient, Silt catching devices should be employed in the drains. Covered drains should be filled with big stones at the base and smaller ones over them and the top 12 inches should be covered with the orchard soil so as not to impede ploughing and other operations. 6. Tillage: Tillage including sub soil should be done thoroughly at this stage, since it cannot be done after planting without disturbing the roots of the trees. 7. Sowing green manure crops:lf the soil is poor, it would be advisable to grow a green manure crop and plough it insituso as to improve its physical and chemical conditions before planting operations are taken up.A green manure crop is sown thick and uniformly all over the area to be planted. Apart from the manurial value the crop reveals by its growth, infertile patches of the land, so that they can be examined and suitable steps are taken for amending them. 8. Marking plant positions: The system of layout should be decided first. Then one of the fence lines or a road should be chosen as the base line. In deciding the base line, due regard should be given to appearance of the rows from the road along which the visitor or the manager is expected to walk. 9. Digging and filling of pits: Generally the pits are dug 2 to 3 months in advance of planting ie. March to May. Allow the its to weather. A planting board (a plank about 1.5m long or longer with two end notches and a center notch) is applied to the marking peg by its central notch and two pegs are driven at the end notches. Then the iad the marking pees are poe and a pit of I-meter cube is dug. The two pegs driven at the end notches, aca ee sn er si of the Pit. All pits are dug similarly so that plant position is not altered at acparisly 04 te topsoil Ecc topsoil should be kept on one side and the bottom soil on another side Lacan _ is somewhat fertile than the bottom soil. While filling the pits, the topsoil is mixed with Sate camped net mould or green leaf and a kilogram of super phosphate. Then the pits are filled eave 7 abi soil first and then with the topsoil mixed with the manures. The soil after filling should orchard level so as to allow for shrinkage on setting. reak and the first orchard row. This space may planted closer than their spread so as to form a 10. Fi f pits: Filling i i ‘ wit ey : a ee 8 or a grciehe or two after digging pits. The pits are filled with a mixture of Top selon ne meal. Pits are filled a few inches above the ground level for shrinkage and *quickly and establish early. Age of come to bearing early. For this the become equally vigorous and out plants have many advantages lik shock and easier to transplant. insects, mealy bugs, ap! the plants: Growers generally prefer older plants believing that these plants e is no experimental evidence. Younger plants make up in a few years and Brow older plants. So,no benefit of selecting older plants.Choosing young e cheaper in cost, easier to transport and they withstand transplanting Pests and diseases: Plants should be free from pests and diseases like scale tS, 1 » nematodes etc and diseases like canker, and viral diseases. 12. Lifting and packing: Before lifting of plants from the nursery the nursery is thoroughly irrigated one day in advance for easy lifting of the plants without damage to the root system. Then the plants are lifted carefully along ‘with a ball of earth attached to the root system. The roots are wrapped in straw or grass or covered with a gunny cloth and placed in a basket or a wooden crate for packing. Depending on the size of the basket or crate 6-7 plants are kept for each basket.4-5 long bamboo splinter or wooden pegs are forked into the sides of the basket and tied at the top. In between the plants and at the top of the basket after filling, the plants re covered with straw so as to avoid falling during transit. 13. Season of planting: The distribution of rainfall in the tropics and subtropics and the break of spring growth in temperate zone determine the season of planting. In tropical climate, most trees are planted between July and December and few in January also. In general planting is done during the monsoon in moderate rainfall areas and at the close of the monsoon in heavy rainfall areas. Planting should be done on cloudy days and preferably in the afternoons rather than in the morning. 14. Planting: The planting board should be used at the time of setting the plants, so that they are in a perfect line. The plants should be set in the soil to the same level as it was in the nursery. The bud / graft joint should not be covered with soil. Plants should be irrigated once copiously to get the soil particles to closely adhere to the roots and also to drive away the air around the roots completely. The plants should be staked with a straight bamboo piece or other twig. Graft bandage should be removed if not already done. Any buds on the rootstocks should be rubbed off. 15. Heeling inn: If the plants after transport are not directly planted in the field, they may be kept in shade in a slanting position along the side of a trench moistening the ball of earth .They may be left in this position till active growth commences by which time they should be planted in the field. This process is known as healing inn.