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Producing Nursery Producing Nursery CropsBy Allah Dad CropsBy Allah Dad
Khan Khan What are the operational procedures What are the operational procedures
used for container and field used for container and field nurseries?nurseries?
Key QuestionsWhat is the importance of nursery
production in Pakistan ?Why are marketing and product mix
important to nurseries?What are the differences between
container and field-grown plants?Why is nutrition monitoring important in
producing container-grown plants?How does temperature limit the
production of plants?
What is the importance of nursery production in
Pakistan
• Nursery production is considered relatively new
• Top 4 Nursery InHazara• Fruit Nursey Fasrm Haripur, Haji Abdul
Salam Nursery Farm , Awan Nursery Farm , Gulshan Nursery Farm
Why are marketing and product mix important to
nurseries?• Container Nurseries
– Determines the propagation needs of nursery
– General rule- 70% of plants grown should be staples of industry
– Specialty nursery- only grow one or two species
Field Nursery
– Typical crops:• Shade trees- red maple most popular• Flowering trees- crab apple most popular• Evergreen and deciduous shrubs
– Specialize in growing seedlings.
What are the differences between container and
field-grown plants?
Container-Grown Production
• Propagation– Important factors of media:
• Firmly hold cuttings• Free of insects and diseases• Good water-holding capacity• Excellent aeration and drainage
– Aeration- exchange or air in the soil with the air in atmosphere
– Container- provides protection for plant root system
Container selection criteria:
• Adequate drainage• Hold sufficient volume of media• Lightweight• Easy to handle• Durable• Free of toxic substances• Prevent root circling
Container selection and pruning
– Must consider consumer appeal– Root circling- root systems become too long
for their containers– Prevention of root circling:
• Air root pruning• Bottomless containers• Copper compounds
– Pruning may be necessary to induce growth and to remove undesirable growth and damaged or dead stems.
Watering C-G Plants• Determine water needs by:
– Weighing pots– Feeling growing medium– Using indicator plants that readily
show water stress• Water in early morning to
minimize evaporation loss
Irrigation System• Check irrigation systems regularly
for uniformity.• Cyclic irrigation, applying water in
two or more applications, conserves water.
Container beds• Stand alone plot that contains only
container plants• Factors to consider:
– Size of plant being produced– Container spacing requirements– Production practices
(pruning/fertilization)
Cotainers – Weight of containers– Irrigation design– Coverage
• Cover beds (ground) with:– Black polyethylene-short life– Ground cover cloth- 3 to 5 yr life– Gravel- allows weed growth– Crushed seashells- plants root into bed
Overwintering C-G plants• Roots are not as cold-hardy as shoots• Container temperature is less than 5
degree F than air temperature• Drying out of roots is a problem in winter• Methods of cold protection:
– Crowding and wrapping– Cover with whit polyethylene or winter blanket– Overwintering houses
Pest Control• Scout- individual trained to
identify plant pests• Weed control is major problem,
use pre-emergence herbicide• Eliminate alternate host for other
pests
Field Nursery Production• Check fields to determine
nutritional requirements and need for soil amendments
• Test soil so materials can be added during site preparation
• May require fumigation of soil
Plant Spacing• Distance between row depends
on:– Marketable size– Harvesting equipment– General rule: 3 feet per inch of stem
diameter at harvest
Liner selection and planting
• Seedling sold by stem diameter or cost per tree
• Height from few inches to three feet• Topping- increases caliper size and uniformity• Stubbing- cutting seedling down to stub to
regenerate a new trunk• Vegetatively propagated liners can be
purchased in cuttings, grafted plants, tissue culture produced plants– Most growers prefer trees grown on their own roots
Production Systems• Balled & Burlapped (B&B)- trees dug
keeping ball or soil around root system, then covered with cloth material– Advantages:
• Plants can be held for limited time• Digging and transplanting season is
extended• Less transplanting shock occurs
• Mechanical harvesting- tree gathered by mechanical means, like tree spade
• Bare root (BR)- trees dug without taking soil; may have more transplant shock than container grown liners– Advantages:
• Lightweight plants• Economical shipping• Initial cost per plant is lower
– Disadvantages:• Exposure to environmental extremes damages
fine roots• Handling problems• Field Survival
• Gro-bag- cylinder of porous fabric with plastic bottom– Prevents formation of tap roots, allowing
more of root system to be harvested– Quicker harvest than B&B
• Pot-in-pot- planted container placed in a holder pot– Combination of container and field production
Fertilization• Steps to take to implement fertility
program:– Determine soil types– Perform soil tests– Interpret results– Make corrective applications
• Soil sampling- should be a representative sample
• Incorporate nutrients prior to planting:– P, K, Ca, Mg– Lime- to raise pH
• Tissue analysis:– Monitor plant nutritional levels– Sample during fall- stored levels determine
the spring growth– Sample mature leaves
• Nitrogen requirements:– Deciduous trees- 250 lb./N/yr/acre– Narrowleaf evergreens- retain needle-like
leaves through the winter, require 200.n/N/yr/acre
– Broadleaf evergreens- do not have needle-like leaves, but retain leaves through the winter, require 100 lb./N/yr/acre
– Apply nitrogen in split applications
Pruning• Helps control growth and shape of
nursery stock• Removes dead, diseased, or damaged
stems• Serves to control plant size and remove
weak areas in branching pattern• Root pruning removes outward root tips
to encourage plants root system to remain within a small area.– Enables easier transplanting
Irrigation• Especially important during
transplanting and establishment• Reduce production time• Overhead irrigation- wastes water
by up to 25%
Pest Control
• Regular scouting is imperative• Weed control is major concern
Why is nutrition and monitoring important in producing C-G plants?
• Fertilization of C-G plants– Most growing media contain minimal
nutrients– Types of fertilizers used:
• Pre-plant amendments– Dolomitic limestone- provides Ca and Mg and
neutralizes acidity– Add 5-8 lbs per cubic yard of media– Ideal pH for most plants is 5.0-6.0
– Micronutrients• Required in small quantities, but essential• Prevent chlorosis and stunting• Application usually good for one year
• Controlled release fertilizer- nutrient becomes available to plant over extended period of time– Media temperature between 70-80
degrees F– N,P,K needed in a ratio of 3-1-2– Best to mix into media
• Quick release fertilizer– Readily soluble and immediate nutrition– 10-10-10 is an example
• Liquid feed system- Concentrated fertilizer mixed in a holding tank, then diluted and injected into an irrigation system– Liquid fertilizer- fluid in which the plant
nutrients are in true solution– Used as supplement to controlled release
fertilizers
Monitoring Nutrition of C-G plants
• Use to determine excessive or deficient nutrient status of media
• Two tests to perform: pH and soluble salts
• Pour-through method- simple method of sampling media fertility– Advantages
• Short time for extraction• Conducted in the field• No medium handled• No specialized equipment for extraction• Does not rupture controlled release
capsules
• Interpreting media analysis, consider:– Nutritional requirement of species
tested– Stage of crop growth– Time of year– Fertilization program– Growing medium– Other environmental and cultural
factors
• Test every two week & plot data– High soluble salt levels means water
frequently to leach out nutrients– Low soluble salt levels means it is time to
fertilize– High pH means inject acids:
• Sulfuric acid• Iron sulfate
– To raise pH add:• Dolomitic limestone• Calcium carbonate• Hydrated lime
– Can use foliar analysis• Leaf tissue test to diagnose nutrient deficiency
symptoms
Why does temperature limit the production of plants?
• Cold, winter temperatures in particular cause two concerns– Overwintering- How will you carry the
plant through the winter– Length of growing season- cold
temps shorten the growing season