Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
a 6-month head-start compared to those to be planted during the forthcoming rainy
season and will certainly outgrow the latter by a wide margin. It is also advantageous
to plant in this season if the species selected are frost tender.
In areas affected by salinity and waterlogging, the appropriate time of planting will
be when most of the water has seeped into ground. Mound planting is a preferred
method in such cases, but timing is also of crucial importance for survival, since
plants too tender by the next rains will face the risk of asphyxiation or drowning if
these are unable to attain adequate height and vigour by then.
6.2
Transporting Plants to Pits
Nursery-raised plants, after having been culled, graded, and selected, are transported
to a place near the plantation site or to different spots within the site. From here,
plants should be transported by head loads to the individual pits and kept near the
soil heaps of the pits. Care should be taken to transport plants of correct species to
the respective soil and terrain zones. A thorough watering should be given to the
plants before transporting, if rain has not already fallen during the last 24-48 h. A
plant once kept on a pit should be able to survive there without water at least for 3-4
days. Even so, the time lag between transportation and planting should not exceed
2 days.
Transportation of bare-root plants is much simpler and costs much less. The plants
are uprooted from the field or mother-beds, bundled into 50s or 100s, wrapped in wet
hessian cloth, and tied with a cord. These are taken to the planting site and planted
immediately. Bare-root plants can be planted in pre-dug pits or in slits in soil made
during the planting operation itself. The latter method is suitable if the soil is of good
texture and is not badly compacted, and the ground is not sloping, or when saving
the cost of pit digging is indispensable.
6.3
The Operation of Planting
Correct planting operation involves a series of steps, each important in its own way.
The pits should be treated with pesticide spray or powder, if the plants have not already
been treated in nursery before transportation. If mixing of manure and fertiliser with
the pit soil is provided, it should be mixed thoroughly. Stones, boulders, and other
pollutants should be removed from the soil to be refilled into the pit. About 10 cm of
soil should be refilled on pit bottom to form a bedding for the plant roots to penetrate.
The polypot should be torn with a sharp-edged knife or blade fixed into a wooden
cleft or handle. One vertical cut and one half-round cut at the bottom should be
enough to enable the bag to be removed safely and quickly. Care should be taken to
ensure that no part of the root system of the plant is disturbed, and the clump of soil
is intact. The plant should then be lowered, vertically positioned on the cushion of
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