Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
1.8
HIGH DENSITY PLANTING
HDP of perennial fruit trees like apple, pear, peach, mango, guava or litchi
is considered as one of the technological advancements of recent past as
it can lead to cost-output and fruit quality enhancements. The main fac-
tors here are intra and inter-row spacing, training system, and canopy and
hedgerow profiles. This is perhaps the most important, irrevocable and
decisive set of criteria, for these decisions are made before planting and
often determine yield and the orchard's overall economic viability. The
primary reasons for the adoption of high-density orchard systems have
been earlier cropping and higher yields, which translate to higher produc-
tion efficiency, better utilization of land, and a higher return of investment.
Trees in high-density orchards may be free-standing, staked, or supported
by a trellis. This is a function of the training system, the tree species the
rootstock and cultivar selected, and the goals of the enterprise. Intensive
orchards require a greater outlay of capital, labor and managerial skills,
especially during establishment. The need for greater investment is a func-
tion of the larger number of trees and tree supports and will be especially
significant if a wire supported training system is proposed.
The concept of HDP is becoming widespread all over the country, al-
though there are limits to it, and varying constraints linked to given cir-
cumstances when the goal is to produce high-quality fruit at competitive
prices. It is an approach dictate by two key factors: shorter life-span of
the orchard to quickly depreciate start-up outlays (by years 4 to 8 of or-
chard life) by planting early cropping cultivars, and to establish a manage-
ment system that will reduce per-unit production costs. Once established,
high-density orchards with smaller trees require less labor per unit of fruit
produced than low-density orchards. Smaller trees and readily accessible
canopies are easier to harvest, and the need for using and transporting
ladders is minimize or eliminated. The ability to harvest most of the fruit
from ground level is also valuable in pick-your-own operations where the
absence of ladders reduces concerns of liability. Pruning is less labor-in-
tensive in many systems, and the trees are easier to manage, provided plant
growth is regulated by early and regular cropping.
Pest control in high-density orchards is facilitated because tree cano-
pies are smaller and in many systems (especially trellised ones) are not
very deep. This allows enhanced spray penetration into the canopy and
reduces the need for large orchard spray equipment. Studies on spray de-
