Fundamentals of Horticulture (2+1)

Methods of Soil Management

• Appropriate soil management method is important for the control of weeds, incorporation of organic and inorganic fertilizers and to facilitate absorption of water in soil.
• Common soil management practices are
  1. Cultivation
  2. Sod culture
  3. Mulching and
  4. Rotation.
• Choice of the system is determined by many factors as mentioned below:
  1. Crop
  2. Rooting depth of the crop
  3. Slope of the soil
  4. Rainfall of the area
  5. Climatic condition of the place
  6. Economic condition of the farmer
• Cultivation
  • Cultivation in context with soil management refers to working of the soil by ploughing, harrowing, disking or hoeing. It is essential for removal of weeds, incorporation of manures and fertilizers, green manuring and to facilitate water and nutrient absorption through better aeration.
  • Depth of tillage and areas are determined by root depth and spread of the canopy of the tree.
  • In cultivation different modifications are made under specific conditions.
    • Clean cultivation: In this method of soil management the space between plants is kept clean by tillage and removal of weeds.

Advantages

1. Removes competition of weeds for light, water and nutrients from crop and avoidance of alternate host for pests and diseases.
2. Improves soil physical condition through better aeration by breaking clods.
3. Helps in breaking hard top and abstructions in the infiltration of water.
4. Improves soil biological activities through better aeration.

Disadvantages

1. Loss of organic matter.
2. Loss of soil through erosion even on flat lands through water and wind.
3. Loss of nutrient through excessive leaching.
4. Injury to roots and creation of entry points for pathogens.

• Due to several such disadvantages, clean cultivation is not advisable in fruit farming, perhaps just before planting.
• Even so, it will seem inconceivable to most small holders not to use good land whenever possible and intercrops involving short duration crops and nitrogen fixing annual crops are preferred.
• If it should be, cultivation should be shallow and infrequent and should be stopped at flowering time.

• Cultivation and Cover Crops: In areas where soil is eroded during rains and drainage is poor, soil is cultivated and cover crops are grown between the rows during rains. The crop may and may not be turned into soil. These crops not only increase water retaining capacity of soil and biological complex of the soil but also add organic matter when ploughed in besides checking erosion. As cover crops, legumes should be preferred because they add extra N in soil through fixation of atmospheric-N in their nodules. They also suppress weeds during rainy season. Crops like greengram, blackgram, cowpea, cluster bean, soybean should be preferred during kharif season while pea, fenugreek, broad bean and lentil can be preferred in winter season as cover crops.

Advantages

1. Adds organic matter in soil.
2. Improves soil condition.
3. Improves soil fertility.
4. Increases water retention capacity of soil.
5. Increases biological complexes of soil.
6. Checks soil erosion.
7. Checks nutrient losses through soil erosion.

• Cultivation and Intercropping
  In this case of orchard soil management, cultivation is done for the purpose of raising intercrops. Intercropping is growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field so that crop intensification occurs in both time and space dimensions, and there is intercrop competition during all or part of crop growth. This can be mixed strip or relay cropping.
  In context of an orchard or a plantation of perennial fruit trees, however, the practices of growing annuals or relatively short duration crop in the interspace during their formative years is referred to as intercropping and the growing of perennial in the interspacing of perennials is called mixed cropping. The term multistory cropping refers to a multispecies crop combination involving both annuals and perennials with an existing stand of perennials.