Agriculture for Engineers 4 (3+1)

Lesson 37. Nursery Raising

37.2 NECESSITY OF NURSERY

Nursery is necessity for every horticulture grower. The development of seedling in nursery is not only reduces the crop span but also increase the uniformity of the crop and thus, harvesting as compared to direct sown crops. Transplanting of seedling are also eliminate the need of thinning and providing good opportunities for virus free vigorous off season nursery, if grown under protected condition. Nursery is helpful and convenient to manage seedling under small area and grower can get timely plant protection measures are with minimal efforts. Development of a nursery provides favourable climate to emerging plants for their better growth and development. The effective utilization of unfavourable period by preparing nursery under protected condition. Seed cost of some crops like hybrid vegetables, ornamental plants, spices and some fruits can be economized through nursery. Nursery production help in maintaining effective plants stand in shortest possible time through gap filling. Although many fruits and vegetable seeds can be sown directly in field, experiment has shown that raising seedling in a nursery has a number of advantages as discussed below.

1. Intensive care- Seedling receives better care and protection in the nursery. The average garden soil is not an ideal medium for raising seedling especially from the point of view of soil tilth. At an early stage of development most vegetable crops require special attention that is not possible in main field.
2. Reduction of costs- fewer seeds are used for raising seedling in the nursery than for sowing directly in the field, because in the letter seedling have to be thinned to one which is wasteful. When expensive hybrid seeds are used, transplanting therefore become more economically attractive. Pesticides and labour are also reduced under nursery conditions as compared to planning directly in the field.
3. Opportunity for selection- Raising, seedling   in a nursery afford the grower an opportunity to select well-grown, vigorous, uniform and dieses  free seedling.
4. Extend a short growing season for late maturing crops – seedling can be raised in nursery under a protected environment before condition outside become suitable for growth and transplanted into field when condition allow, thus reducing the amount of time spent in the field.
5. Forced vegetable production for an early market – generally prices of horticulture produce are attractive when production or supply is low. Vegetables can be grown “out - of- season” in a nursery when condition are not yet favourable. Such crops will thus mature earlier after transplanting and hence stand to fetch a higher price in the market.

 37.3 NURSERY MANAGEMENT

The first stage in successful production of horticulture crops is to raise healthy vigorous seedlings. Young plants whether propagated from seed or vegetative require a lot of care particularly during the early stages of growth. They have to be protected from adverse temperature, heavy rain, wind and verity of pests and diseases. If small seeded vegetables are shown directly in field, germination is often poor and the young plants grow very slowly and require a long time to mature. Also the season may be short for full development in the field. To overcome these problems many   vegetables crops are grown in nurseries before being transplanted in field. A vegetables or fruit nursery is a place where plants be cared for during the early stages of growth, providing optimum conditions for germination and subsequent growth until they are strong enough to be planted out in their permanent place. A nursery can be as simple as a raised bed in an open field or sophisticated as a glass-house with micro-sprinklers and an management and the plant propagation are same, though they are altogether different but inter-related. In fact mass multiplication of quality planting material is the central theme of nursery management but nursery management is a trade oriented dynamic process, which refers to efficient utilization of resource for economic returns. Nursery management is a team effort to reach the desired goal.  

The main phase of nursery management are (1) planning- edaphic  climatic and socioeconomic consideration; demand for planning materials; provision of mother block, requirement of land area, water supply, working tools, growing, structures and inputs availability; accessibility; trained man power; plant protection; disposal of planting materials etc. (2) implementation- land treatment, protection, against biotic interference and soil erosion, proper layout, input supply (3) monitoring and evolution-physical presence, rapid response, critical analysis, intensive to worker and (4) feed back for further refinement. The key elements of hi-tech nursery management are place, plant and the person behind.

37.3.1 Advantage of nursery management

• It is possible to provide favourable growth conditions i.e. germination as well growth.
• Better care of younger plants as it is easy to look after nursery in small area against pathogenic infection, pests and weeds.
• Crop grown by nursery raising is quite early and fetch higher price in the market, so economically more profitable.
• There is saving of land and labour as main fields will be occupied by the crops rotation can be followed.
• More time is available for the preparation of main field because nursery is grown separately.
• As vegetables seeds are expensive particularly hybrids, so we can economized the seed by sowing them in the nursery.

37.4 LAYOUT OF MODEL NURSERY

Nursery is the place where all kinds of plants like trees, shrubs, climbers etc. are grown and kept for transporting or for using them as stock plants for budding, grafting, and other methods of propagation or for sale. The modern nurseries also serve as an area where garden tools, fertilizers are also offered for sale along with plant material. The area for models nursery production is prepared for effective utilization of inputs and to do things in proper manner, institutions for nursery establishment as per their requirement design various location specific models. But their some important component, which should be taken into care and provision, should be made for these during planning and lay-out preparation for nurseries.

i. Fence : Prior to the establishment of a nursery, a good fence with barbed wire must be erected all around the nursery to prevent trees pass of animals and theft. The fence could be further strengthened by planting a live hedge, with thorny fruit plants. This also adds beauty in bearing and also provides additional income through sale of fruits and seedling obtained from the seed.

ii. Roads and paths: A proper planning of roads and paths inside the nursery will not add only beauty, but also make the nursery operation easy and economical. This could be achieved by dividing the nursery into different blocks and various sections. But at the same time, the land should not be wasted by unnecessarily lying out of paths and roads. Each road/path should lead the customer to appoint of interest in the nursery area.

iii. Progeny block / mother plant block: The nursery should have a well-maintained progeny block or mother plant block/scion bank planted with those varieties in good demand. The layer cutting should be obtained preferably from the original breeder/research institute from where it is released or from a reputed nursery. One should remember that, the success of any nursery largely depends upon the initial selection of progeny plants or mother plants for further multiplication. Any mistake made in this aspect will result in loss of the reputation of the nursery. A well managed progeny block or mother plants block will not only create confidence among the customers but also reduces the cost of production and increases the success rate of grafting/budding/layering because of availability of fresh scion material throughout the season within the nursery itself and there will not be any lag period between separation of scions and graftage. There are so many cultivars for fruit crops, grow only important cultivar in mother blocks as per demand and germ plasma conservation.

iv. Irrigation systems: Horticultural nursery plants require abundant supply of water for irrigation, since they are grown in poly bags or pots with limited quantity of potting mixture. Hence sufficient number of wells to yield sufficient quantity of irrigation water is a must in nursery. In areas with low water yields and frequents power failures, a sump to hold sufficient quantity of water to irrigate the nursery plants is also very much essential along with appropriate pumps for lifting the irrigation water. In areas where electricity failure is a problem, which is more common, an alternative power supply is very essential for smooth running of pump set. Since water security is a limiting factor in most of areas in the country a well laid out PVC pipeline systems will solve the problems to a greater extent. An experienced agricultural engineer may be consulted in this regard for lay-out of pipeline. This facilitates efficient and economic distribution of irrigation water to various components in the nursery.

v. Office cum stores: An office-cum-stores is needed for effective management of the nursery. The office buildings may be constructed in a place, which offers better supervision, and also to receive customers. The office buildings may be decorated with attractive photographs of fruit storeroom of suitable sizes is needed for storing poly bags, tools and implements, packaging materials, labels, pesticides, fertilizers etc.

vi. Seed beds:  In a nursery, this component is essential to raise the seedling and rootstock. These are to be laid out near the water source, since they require frequent watering and irrigation. Beds of 1.0 meter width of any convent length are to be made. A working area of 60 cm between the beds is necessary. This facilities are easy in slowing of seeds, weeding, watering, spraying, lifting, of seedling. Irrigation channels are to be made laid out conveniently. Alternatively, sprinklers irrigation systems may be provided for watering the beds; which offers uniform germination and seedling growth.

vii. Nursery beds: Rising of seedling / rootstalk in poly bags requires more spaces compared to nursery beds but mortality is greatly reduced along with uniformity. Nursery beds area should also have a provision to keep the grafted plants either in trenches of 30 cm deep and 1.0 meter wide so as to accommodate 500 grafts in each bed. Alternatively the graft / layer can be arranged on the ground in beds of 1.0 meter wide with 60 cm working place in between the beds. Such beds can be irrigated either with a rose fitted to a flexible hosepipe or by overhead micro-sprinklers.

viii. Potting mixture and potting yard:  For better success of nursery plants, a good potting mixture is necessary. The potting mixture may be prepared well in advance by adding sufficient quantity of super phosphate for better decomposition and solubilization. The potting mixture maybe kept near the potting yard, where potting / pocketing is done. Construction is a potting yard of suitable size facilities potting of seedling or grafting / budding operations even on a rainy day.