Introduction
Agriculture
and Horticulture are vital sciences as they suffice the very basic need of food
for the Human beings. Qualitative and quantitative food can essentially be
produced from healthy plants which in turn are produced only when their seedlings/sapplings
are vigorous and healthy. Nursery is consequently the basic need of
horticulture. Plant propagation techniques and practices is the core of
horticulture nurseries. The planting materials for horticultural plantations
are raised from seeds and vegetative parts. Role of Mother Plants is very
primary and important. The fate of nursery depends on quality and truthfulness
of mother plants. A good nursery entrepreneur does not depend on others for
procurement of mother plants. Mother plants are required for both stock and
scion. Mother plants should be selected on the basis of its genetic traits and
other factors like availability and adaptation in the growing environment.
Specific Importance of
Plant Nursery
1.
Seedlings and grafts are produced in nursery and the fruit orchards and
ornamental gardens can be established with minimum care, cost and maintenance.
2.
The nursery planting materials are available at the beginning of the planting
season. This saves the time, money and efforts of the farmers to raise
seedlings.
3.
There is a wide scope for fruit orchards, ornamental, vegetable, and landscape
gardens at public gardens, highways and co-operative housing societies.
Physical
Resources for Nursery
Nursery
like any other enterprise requires certain resources. The criteria for
selection of products also depend on these resources. These resources thus play
a very important role in determining the type of nursery enterprise. These
physical resources are enlisted below.
1. Land
Land
is the basic and fundamental physical resource for plant nursery. The area
available must be considered before planning the nursery and the products. Soil
sample testing should be done to avoid problematic and unmanageable soils. Soil
should be well drained, porous and light to medium in texture. Soil pH should
be 6.5 – 7.5. Heavy, black cotton soil, sandy, ill drained and soils having
high pH more than 8 are strictly avoided. Low lying land should not be
selected. The soils should be free from salts and other harmful elements. The
selected site should be close to railway station or bus station. Wind breaks
and shelter belts should be raised prior to planting nursery plants.
2. Irrigation
Facilities
Required
land with sufficient and assured supply of irrigation is the most important
basic resource. Quality of irrigation water should be at prescribed level.
Harmful factors can be tested by water testing in laboratory. The pH and
electrical conductivity (EC) of irrigation water should be tested.
3. Labour
Labour
is another important resource. Degree of mechanization must be considered
before estimating the labor requirement. Skilled as well as unskilled man power
is necessary for grafting, budding, weeding, irrigation, spraying, dusting,
training, pruning, etc. Technically sound gardeners are also necessary. Labour
should be available at reasonable rates.
4. Electricity
The
availability of power or electricity is also very important and is in
accordance with the man power available. Load shedding should be minimum
possible. Regular supply of electricity is very essential. Electricity is
required for water pumps, spraying, dusting and many other operations.
5. Road and Transport
Once
the nursery stock is ready for sale, there should be good roads and transport
facilities. These facilities are also required for timely importing of stock
and other material for the nursery.
6. Mother Plants
Mother
plants are the most important factor for successful nursery. Separate planting
of mother plants is necessary. Different varieties of mother plants are planted
in different plots. Pests and diseases are controlled regularly by spraying
pesticides and fungicides. Mother plants should be authentic and selected from
Government nurseries or from Agricultural Universities. Mother plants should be
selected very carefully as the sale of the nursery stock depends on the mother
plants used for the propagation.
7.
Propagation Structures:
Propagation structures
are very essential for production of grafts or seedlings. They are useful for
multiplication of grafts and seedlings. Hardening of plants is done with the
help of propagation structures.
8.
Hedges and Compound
Thorny plants like
Chilar (thorny creeper), golden duranta (thorny shrub), and agave are used as
hedges in nurseries. Barbed wire fencing is also used. Hedges protect the
nursery plants from wild and stray animals, theft, etc.
9.
Space for Hardening of Nursery Plants
Small shade net houses
are required for hardening of nursery plants. Young, pampered seedlings that
were grown either indoors or in a greenhouse will need a period to adjust and
acclimatize to outdoor conditions, prior to planting. This transition period is
called "hardening off". Hardening off gradually exposes the tender
plants to wind, sun and rain and toughens them up by thickening the cuticle on
the leaves so that the leaves lose less water. This helps prevent transplant
shock in which the seedlings have a stunted growth or they die from sudden
changes in temperature. Hardenings off time depend on the type of plants grown
and the temperature fluctuations.
10.
Store and Office
Garden tools,
implements, raw materials, insecticides, fungicides, manures, fertilizers,
boards, polythene bags etc are stored in store house. An ideal nursery has at
least one well managed office for keeping all registers, notebooks, information
books and for instructing the team. The record of mother plants, progeny, Stock
of plants, etc is preserved in office.
Important
Nursery Operation
A. Field/Bed
Preparation and Eradication of Competing Vegetation:
Preparation
of field/beds includes eradication of competing vegetation, leveling and
cultivation of soil. Deep ploughing the field twice helps to loosen the soil
and kill weeds and other vegetation. The stones and roots found in the soil while
ploughing should be removed as they obstruct the growth of seedlings. Burning
of dry grass and shrubby material helps to reduce the insect and weed problem
and the left over mineral rich ash improves the fertility of the seed beds.
Types of Plant Nursery
Soil
Nurseries
grow plants for resale to landscapers and to the general public. A nursery can
be a field nursery where plants are grown in the soil, a container nursery
where all the plants are grown in pots or a greenhouse operation where the
plants are grown in different types of growth media. The type of soil needed
for nursery production will depend upon what and how you intend to grow.
Growing media such as peat or bark are often used in container and greenhouse
nurseries to reduce the pest and disease problems.
1. Field Nursery Soil
Field
nurseries mainly produce ornamental shrubs, fruit trees and perennial flowering
plants. The type of soil needed for a field nursery needs to be fertile and
well drained. The soil should cling to the roots of the plants well when the
seedlings/grafts are transplanted and the root ball is covered with burlap for
shipment. The top soil should be enriched with compost and manure to maintain
fertility and soil structure. The root ball size should be kept as small as possible
to minimize topsoil loss. Short duration cover crops may be taken on fallow
areas to improve soil tilth by minimizing erosion.
2. Container Nursery
Soil
Container
nurseries grow plants in containers. Some containers are pot-in-pot where plant
containers are placed in permanent ground containers called socket pots. These
are usually used to grow trees or large shrubs. Smaller plants and shrubs are
grown in pots above the ground. Good drainage is necessary for container grown
plants. A mixture of sand, peat moss and aged hardwood bark is commonly used
for pot mixture. Lime often needs to be added to the non-soil growth media to
balance its pH. Additional nutrients and minerals such as sulphur may also be
needed.
B. Layout of Beds and
Leveling
Rectangular
beds are preferred to other shapes. The width of the seed bed should be kept
such that weeding and hoeing can be accomplished without entering the seed bed.
It should be 1.2 to 1.5 m. The length of the seed beds should be not more than
12.5 m. The types of seed beds used in a nursery are, Raised beds: The nursery
beds are raised to about 10-15 cm above the ground level. These types of beds
are used in high rainfall areas. Sunken beds: To avoid flow of water outside
the beds in dry areas. Sunken beds which are usually 15 cm deeper than the
normal ground level are made. Level beds: Level beds are made in normal
rainfall areas.
C. Mixing of Farm Yard
Manure
Farm
yard manure (FYM) crushed into fine powder should be thoroughly mixed with the
top soil of the bed before sowing the seeds or planting the other planting
materials (cuttings, suckers, rhizomes etc.). If the soils are sandy, addition
of clay/pond soil proves beneficial.
D. Sowing
Sowing
is done with the best seed available, to obtain the maximum number of healthy
and sturdy seedlings for transplanting or field planting.
Sowing
on Beds:
Seeds
should be sown in lines, so as to facilitate the interculture operations such
as weeding, fertilization, etc. Shallow furrows of 0.5-1.0 cm depth should be
made by fingers or using a stick, at a distance of 12-15 cm. Seeds should be
placed in furrows at an interval of 2 cm. After placingthe seeds, the furrows
should be covered with a thin layer of the soil and pressed so as to embed the
seeds. If seeds are very small, seeds are sprinkled on the top of the bed and
the surface is compacted by pressing the top soil or mulched with straw to
avoid the seeds from being flown away by water or picked by birds.
Sowing in
Polybags/Pots:
Polybags
or pots are used for raising seedlings of number of species. They help to
minimize the disturbance to the root system, avoid the problem of digging and
are easy in transportation. Seeds planted in polybags or pots give a higher
final survival. Generally polybags of 22.5 x 12.5 cm2 size are used. Earthen
pots generally 5 inch diameter are used for raising the rootstocks for the
species which are multiplied by inarching. Polybag or pot filling mixture
should contain thoroughly mixed well drained soil, FYM and clay or pond soil in
1: 1: 1 ratio. One to two seeds should be sown in each bag/pot at 0.5 to 1.0 cm
depth. Gap filling in bags or pots should be carried out within two weeks of initial
sowing.
E. Pricking
Pricking
is the shifting of plants from one nursery bed to another or in the polybag/pot
for better root and shoot growth. Pricking increases root growth and produces
better and efficient root system in several species. While pricking, spacing is
manipulated according to the requirement of the species at that particular
growth stage. Pricking makes the plants hardier. Pricking can be done with a
pointed slick or metal label.
F. Irrigation
Seed
beds should be watered immediately after sowing. The polybags/pots can be
irrigated with rose head can or polybags/pots should be kept in sunken beds
about 25 to 30 cm deep so that flood irrigation can be adopted. Regular
irrigations should be applied at an interval of 5 to 7 days during summer and
15 to 20 days during winter. Water should not be allowed to stagnate during
rainy season. Light and frequent irrigations are preferred to heavy irrigations
at long intervals.
G. Weeding and Hoeing
Weeding
should be carried out regularly. Weeds should be destroyed early before they
begin to compete for water and soil nutrients and before their growth makes
hoeing difficult. Weeds should be eradicted before they flower so as to control
their regeneration.
H. Manures and
Fertilizers
Mixing
of well-rotten Farm Yard Manure in the soil of the nursery helps to maintain
its fertility. Nutrient status of the soil and the requirement of the species
being grown should be assessed. Application of the nutrients and trace elements
as per requirements should be made through soil placement or foliar spray.
I. Lifting of Plants
from Nursery
Before
removal from the nursery, plants should be thoroughly watered to loosen the
soil and to avoid desiccation during transport until planting. Plants should be
lifted carefully without any damage to roots, particularly the fine roots.
Roots along with earth ball should be wrapped in grass or other material to
prevent splitting of earth ball. Plants after lifting from nursery and before
planting in the field should be kept under shade and water should be sprinkled
over them during transit. They should be transported to the destination as
quickly as possible.
Management in Mass
Plant Production of Nursery Bed and Container Plants
Rooting Media:
The rooting medium is an important input for nursery production. The rooting
media should have appropriate physical and chemical properties for better
germination and root development. The media should be even in texture. It must
be free from living organisms and pathogens. The media should be firm enough to
hold planting material properly. Abundantly available rooting media are sand,
coco peat, perlite, vermiculite, leaf mold, sphagnum moss, pumice, sawdust and
wood shavings etc.
Soil
Management: Soil maps are available from the Soil
Conservation Service. Soil testing and a soil survey helps to determine soil
quality and characteristics. It is the soil quality and characteristics which
determine the layout of the nursery. Soil characteristics for a good nursery
soil are, easy tillage, well-drained soil with high water-holding capacity,
land with less than a 5% slope to insure good aeration and surface drainage,
fertile soils, high organic matter content (3-5%), without large stones, hardpans,
or shale in the root zone. Balled plants should be planted in a sandy-clay to
clay-loam soil which will hold to the roots when the plant is being uprooted.
Bare-root plants require light-textured soils that are sandy or sandy-loam in
texture. These types of soils can be worked easily and will readily fall away
from the roots as the plants are being harvested. Container production does not
require good soil on site. Container growing medium can be brought from remote
locations.
Seeds:
Seeds are important factors influencing the yield potential. Seeds determine
yield potential, adaptation to environmental conditions, and resistance to
insect pests and disease. Seed selection is a critical management decisions in
crop production. The cost of seed stocks usually is less than 5 to 10 percent
of total production costs.
Maintenance of Mother
Plant: Mother plants are very important constituent of a
nursery. The success of any nursery depends greatly on the health and vigor of
its mother plants. It is therefore necessary to obtain genetically sound mother
plants to produce healthy and vigorous offsprings. Not only is the selection of
mother plants necessary but proper care and maintenance of these plants is also
essential to obtain vigorous and healthy growth. This can be achieved by taking
appropriate care. Mother plants are irrigated regularly. Manures and
Fertilizers are given at proper stages. Diseases and pests are controlled by
spraying fungicides and insecticides. After care and all operations are carried
out so as to get healthy and vigorous bud sticks. First dose of manures and
fertilizers is given in June – July. Second dose is given in September –
October. Reproductive growth is strictly avoided. Only vegetative growth is
permitted and maximum bud sticks are produced.
Water Management:
Water is an important resource not only to nursery growers but to all humans.
The leaching losses of soil nutrients can be reduced by controlling application
of excess of water to the plants. Micro, overhead and pulse irrigation method
are the methods of watering larger nursery area. Micro-irrigation applies small
amounts of water to the root zone area only. It also promotes compact root
development which is important for subsequent tree survival in the landscape.
Drip irrigation is often avoided in container production as drip lines cause
difficulty in working around and moving containers. Drip or trickle system
reduces the
wastage
of water by 60-70 per cent. Overhead irrigation is designed to cover a large
area. These are the cheapest irrigation systems. However, this system brings
about uneven water distribution which slows down the plant growth. It
encourages disease spread due to humidity. Wastage of water through runoff is
more in this type of irrigation. Pulse irrigation saves water in container
production. Traditionally water was applied in containers by a system which
wetted the rooting medium by a long but single application of water. Wastage
and runoff was large in this type of application. In case of pulse irrigation,
water is applied for about 15 minutes, four or more times with a pause of 30 to
60 minutes between each application. It reduces water wastage by about 30% and
also minimizes runoff from containers.
Drainage:
Drainage means the process of removing excess water from the soil using
artificial means so as to enhance crop production. In order to facilitate
healthy and sufficient vegetative and reproductive growth of plants, a good
drainage system must be developed in the beds and around the nursery.
Adequately gentle slope in the pot and bed surface is also desirable. It is
extremely important to ensure that water logging does not occur in and around
the pots and beds. Soil needs artificial drainage for various reasons, when
there is a high water table in the bed and when excess surface water cannot
move downward through the soil.
Sanitation :
Sanitation is defined as “the formulation and application of measures designed
to protect plant health”. Maintenance of sanitation is necessary in any plant
propagation work. If all the necessary sanitary precautions are taken at the
onset, the problems would be less in magnitude and its management can be done
effectively. It is necessary to use clean growing media, sterile containers, a
sanitized bench and pathogen free planting materials in all plant propagation
processes. However, soil borne pathogens may contaminate the soil mixture and
media even when all precautions are taken. Small outbreaks of diseases can be
controlled by using appropriate fungicides. Sanitation practices in nursery
include,
• Prevention of insects, pests and
diseases
• Inspection for insect, pest and disease
incidences
• Environmental control leading to
protection from harmful environment factors like hot sun, freezing
temperatures, storms, etc.
• Eradication of pests, diseases and
weeds.
Nutrient Management:
Nursery growers should test soils/media each year (midsummer) to determine
nutrient requirement of nursery beds for the following year. Usually in nursery
beds normal fertilizers like urea, Diammnium Phosphate (DAP) and Muriate of
Potash are applied. Fertilizers should be given in two spilt doses i.e. basal
and top dressing (after 10 days). The application is done by broadcasting or
foliar spray @ 0.5 to 2 per cent. Fertilization should be avoided just before
transplanting. This causes diversion of plant energy toward root development
and causes a negative impact on transplanted seedlings. Common source of
nutrients in nursery is FYM, compost, vermicompost, leaf mold, cakes etc.
Besides, primary nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are essentially applied
through straight fertilizers as these play an important role in root and shoot
development.
Weed
Management in Nursery: Weed management is an important
component of plant protection for improving the production potential of
nursery. It includes management of the weeds in such a way that the nursery
sustains its production potential without being harmed by the weeds. Weeds are
the plants that grow without human efforts and are not wanted. They grow in the
fields where they compete with nursery plant for water, soil nutrients, light,
and space. Proper weed management is a pre-requisite for obtaining higher input
efficiency. Weeds also act as alternate hosts that harbor insects, pests and
diseases and other microorganisms. Some weeds release growth inhibitors or
poisonous substances into the soil. These may be harmful to the nursery plants,
human beings and livestock. Weeds reduce the quality of marketable nursery
produce, leading to increased expenditure on labour, equipment and chemicals
for their removal. Weed management is done through the mechanical, cultural and
chemical means. Use of biological control methods in nursery is being
considered, but still not much in use. Use of herbicides is an important method
of weed-management technology. New hand-tools and implements have also been
designed to assist in weed management in nursery. Nursery plants are exposed to
severe competition from weeds. Most of these weeds are self-sown and they
provide tough competition to the nursery plants due to their faster growth than
the growth of nursery plant in their initial stages.
Diseases
Management in Nursery: Agricultural production of the
world sustains annual loss of about 20 to 30% on an average due to plant
diseases on different crops and in different countries. Plant diseases is one
of the major bottlenecks in Agricultural Production in irrigated crops,
monoculture cultivations, widely grown rainfed crops as well as in plant
nurseries. Cultural practices usually influence the development of disease in
plants by affecting the environment. Such practices are intended to make the
atmospheric, edaphic, or biological surroundings favorable to the crop plant,
unfavorable to its parasites. Cultural practices that lead to disease control
have little effect on the climate of a region but can exert significant
influence on the microclimate of the crop plants in a field.
Training
and Pruning in Nursery: Training and pruning are two
inter-related operations required in the nursery and field. Training is
primarily done to give proper shape to the plants, while pruning is mainly
concerned with the productivity or vitality of the plants. Both these practices
involves the judicious removal of the undesirable plant parts like branches,
limbs, twigs, flowers, shoots or roots etc.
Training
Training
may include operations leading to staking or supporting to a nursery plants and
it also primarily done to give proper shape to the nursery grown plants.
Training is primarily carried out in plants to provide the plant a mechanically
strong framework, to expose maximum leaves to light for the photosynthetic
process, for easy detection of diseases and pests and facilitate pest management
and to ensure full sanitation by the removal of diseased parts or twigs and
proper application of pesticides for elimination of the pest and disease.
Pruning
Pruning is an operation
for the removal of live or dead branches and pest and disease infested branches
from nursery plants to check spread of pest and disease in nursery plants.
Pruning is primarily done in nursery plants to promote and maintain healthy
plant growth, through the removal of diseased or insect infested plant parts,
dead branches or excess branches, to improve marketable quality of nursery
stock, through the promotion of uniform shape, clean and even growth and to
make plants more compact for display and transport.
Labor
Requirements: The number of employees you need in the
nursery will depend on the size of your operation. Starting with fewer
personnel gives more time for training and requires less financing. Mistakes
will also be less likely and less costly with lesser personnel. The nursery
business is inherently a seasonal activity with extended labor needs in
specific time of the year. By diversifying the types of products (e.g.,
container-grown plants) and services (e.g., landscaping) offered, you can
increase sales and reduce down-time of seasonal and part-time labor (e.g., migrant
workers and students). It should be kept in mind that personnel planning
include complying with Social Security, insurance, wage and hour, and income
tax requirements for each of your employees.
Light:
The
right amount of light is critical for healthy plant development. Too much shade
leads to etiolated and elongated growth of the seedlings which are weak and
prone to fungal diseases. But too much light leads to sun scorching and drying
out of the tender tissue. Quality shade cloth must be used to provide durable
and uniform shade to the seedlings. Avoid using grass, reed or bamboo mats as
they are not durable, do not provide uniform shade, and can harbor pests and
diseases. Shade cloth is usually woven from nylon (polypropylene) thread. But
cheaper polyvinylchloride cloth called saran is also available. Saran shrinks
about 3% and needs to be installed with slight sag. Shade cloth is available in
from 30 to 95% shade. It is available in black, green or red colors. Shade
cloth made from nylon can last over 10 years under tropical conditions. Higher
density shade cloths ranging from 60 to 80 per cent are used for young
seedlings. Lower densities ranges between 30 to 40 per cent can be used for
older ones. Note that three layers of 20% shade cloth do not necessarily
provide a 60% shade, because they usually do not exactly overlap. Use a
Parameter to ensure the correct amount of shade. The netting should be fixed
above head height i.e. 2 m. The netting should run along the east and west
sides to provide even shading and still allow easy access to seedlings.
Additional layers of low shades may be installed at plant height if necessary.
Temperature:
The temperature range for optimal plant development is 25–35° C. Air
temperatures above 40°C must be avoided. Additional heating needs to be
provided to propagation beds where temperature drops below 20° C in winter.
Heating cables or mats which provide bottom heat can easily be installed.
Temperatures need to be most carefully monitored and held inside the recommended
range during seed germination, rooting of cuttings and graft union formation.
Gas
Exchange: Rooting, cuttings and germinating seedlings have
high respiration rates. This means that oxygen is consumed and carbon dioxide
released. The proper exchange of these gases is very important for good root
development. In heavy soils and under waterlogged conditions, exchange of gases
does not take place efficiently, resulting in accumulation of toxic amounts of
CO2 in the root zone. This condition hampers the healthy root growth.. This
results in retarded photosynthesis and growth. Atmospheric air contains about
0.03% CO2 and 21% O2. For specialized purposes, plants can be grown under
elevated CO2 levels of up to 3% to increase production.
Electricity:
Electricity should be available in the nursery so that equipment such as
ventilators, heating cables, electrical balances, and data loggers can be
installed. If it is not possible to connect the nursery to the main power line,
consider using nonconventional systems of electrification.
Reference:
1.
The
pot-in-pot production system. 2003. Mark Holcomb, University of Tennessee.
2.
Boodley,
J. W. (1998). The commercial greenhouse. Albany, N.Y.: Delmar.
3.
George
Acquaah (2002). Horticulture Principles and Practices. Pearson Education Asia.
Presented
and prepered by:
Md. Rafiqul
Islam Shuvo
B.Sc.Ag.(Hons.)
, PSTU
MS in
Horticulture, BAU
www-agricultureinfo.blogspot.com
shuvo_ag10@yahoo.com
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