NURSERY MANAGEMENT
PRACHIT.O. FTC, SUNDER NAGAR
GROUPS OF VEGETABLES BASED ON PLANTING TECHNIQUES
DIRECT SOWN Peas, Beans, root Crops & cucurbits
TRANSPLANTED Tomato, Brinjal, Chillies, Capsicum, Onion,
Cole Crops, lettuce etc.
ADVANTAGES OF NURSERY GROWING EASY & CONVENIENT TO LOOK AFTER THE
TENDER & YOUNG SEEDLINGS IN SMALL & COMPACT AREA
PROVIDES FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS FOR GROWTH
HELPS IN AVOIDING A PART OF UNFAVOURABLE WEATHER CONDITION
HELPS IN GETTING AN EARLY CROP NURSERY PLANTS CAN BE EASILY PROTECTED
AGAINST INSECT PESTS & DISEASES ECONOMY OF LAND, SEED & OTHER SOURCES
PRINCIPLE Plant growth is related to the efficiency with
which increasing radiation is intercepted & converted into useful plant products.
Direct seeded crops often grow slowly through the seedling stage and show poor light interception & much of the light falls on the bare soil which is wasted. Light interception improves directly with leaf canopy cover until a point is reached where mutual shading reduces the functioning efficiency of lower leaves. The ratio of the leaf area to the area of ground covered is known as Leaf Area Index(LAI)
PRINCIPLE –cont. Maximum assimilation usually occurs on LAI
of about 5, although different species differed for it. This is particularly relevant for crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, brussel’s sprout, broccoli etc. which form a dense spreading canopy.
It is always desirable that an optimum LAI should be achieved as quickly as possible.
Transplanted vegetables produce the necessary leaf canopy at a much faster rate than the direct seeded crop and retain this advantage provided there are no post planting checks and crop growth restrictions.
Cost of seed also influences the choice between direct seeding and transplanting
Choosing a vegetable nursery site
1. Environmental factors This refers to natural features of the
land, which may greatly influence the cost of operation and facilitate management of the nursery.
a) Proximity to planting site (main field) are: i) Cost of transporting the seedlings to the
field is minimized. ii) Less risk of loss of seedlings during
transportation, and seedling failure after transplanting.
iii) Reducing the chances of transmitting or redistributing soil-borne pathogens through seedling roots or earth balls over long distances.
Land gradient (steepness of the land) It is desirable to have the nursery on a level ground with
good drainage. Nursery soils Favourable soil conditions (good drainage, absence of
toxicity, fertile, etc.). Water supply A nursery should be located where a reliable, abundant
and inexpensive supply of uncontaminated water is available. Water supply could be from wells, boreholes, natural streams or irrigation channel
Proximity to services Labour supply b) Markets c) Supplies d) Services
Types of nursery facilities
Greenhouses - environment fully controlled
* Nethouse - environment partially modified
* Open field - where climatic conditions are normally favourable for the crops grown.
Media for raising seedlings
Soil ,perlite, vermiculite and peat moss sufficiently firm enough and dense to hold seeds in place
during germination. - sufficiently porous to let excess water drain away - have a high water holding capacity. - free from weed seeds, nematodes and other pathogens. - high cation exchange capacity so that it can provide
nutrients - able to withstand sterilization treatment without being
altered. - not be toxic to plants
Raising of Healthy Nursery Quality Seed Sufficient amount of Organic Matter in
the Nursery Area Length of the nursery bed can be
increased or decreased depending on the land availability
Breadth of the bed should not be 1 m & in no case more than 1.2m to ensure weeding without entering into the nursery bed
Raising of Healthy NurseryNursery Bed
3m X1m X15cm20-25 Kg well rotten FYM + 200g 12:32:16/SSP+15-20g DM-45+20-25 ml Chroropyriphos
DETAILED PROCEDURE Seed treatment with fungicide with
captan/bavistin/Thiram @2-3g/ Kg Sow the seeds in lines 5cm apart & cover
with thin layer of FYM Cover the seeds with dry grass Irrigate the beds twice in summers, both
morning & evening One irrigation sufficient during winters The beds must remain moist but not wet
otherwise “damping off disease of seedlings’’ appears
DETAILED PROCEDURE-cont. Thick sowing & sowing with broadcasting also
leads to damping off After germination remove the dry grass
during day time but cover the beds at night during winter period
If the disease damping off appears in nursery, spray the nursery bed with DM-45 @ 0.25%
For good healthy seedlings, urea spray of 0.3 per cent can be given when plants are 8-10cm tall
After 4-6 weeks, the plants become 10-15 cm tall and are ready for transplanting
DETAILED PROCEDURE-cont. Stop irrigating the nursery beds 3-4 days
before the date of transplanting, so that the plants harden
On the day of transplanting, irrigate the bed, then uproot the seedlings for transplanting
Transplanting should always be done in the afternoon & only the healthy seedlings should be used for transplanting
Before transplanting the uprooted seedlings should be dipped in 0.25% DM-45 & 0.05% bavistin
Fix the plants well & water them daily till their establishment in field
Beds are made, approximately 1 meter wide. They can be as long a desired
A clear walking path between two beds is important to access beds on both sides. Vermicompost and well-decomposed cow-dung are mixed into the beds
The compost and dung are worked into the soil and large, hard chunks of soil are either broken down or removed so that the bed is fine and powdery. Using a stick, furrows are made along the width the of the bed, leaving a gap of approximately 5cm or as wide as four-fingers
Bed preparations in scientific way
Seeds are sprinkled in a straight line into the furrows
After sowing seeds, sprinkle a thin layer of soil and compsot mix on the seeds , A woman brings in the hay that will be used to mulch the beds
Straw is then used to cover the beds (mulch) to keep the seeds warm and allow them to germinate. The straw can be removed as soon as the seeds are seen to sprout.
Nursery raising in Cucurbits RAISING OF PLANTS Small polythene bags of 15cm X 10 cm of
100 gauge thickness Make holes at the base of polythene with
needles Fill the bags with mixture of soil & FYM If the soil is sandy, silt can be added & all
the three ingredients can be mixed in equal proportion
If the soil is clayey some sand can be added
Nursery raising in Cucurbits-cont
RAISING OF PLANTS Keep the bags in a protected place
where they receive the sunshine & are safe from the incidence of cold wind & frost
The seed is sown in each bag at 1-1.5cm depth in the last week of Jan., or first week of February
Bags should be watered after sowing & kept moist till all the seeds have germinated
Nursery raising in Cucurbits-cont
TRANSPLANTING Plants ready for transplanting after 25-
30 days of sowing The development of first true leaf by the
plant is indicative of their proper stage of development
With held irrigation 2-3 days before transplanting
Bags should be placed near the hills/field where these are to be transplanted
Nursery raising in Cucurbits-cont
TRANSPLANTING Remove the polythene of seedlings by
giving a cut with the blade. In the well prepared hill, dig small pit
and the soil ball holding the roots of the seedling is placed carefully after removing the polythene bag.
Formaline Treatment
5% soln of 40% commercial formulation
1:7
Plough & level the land uniformly Incorporate FYM & irrigate Spread transparent polysheet of 25-50
micron or 100-200 gauge thackness foe 4-6 weeks
SOIL SOLARIZATION
After 45 days of solarization increase in temperature : 5 cm – 7- 9◦c : 10 cm – 6 - 7◦c : 20 cm – 4 -5 ◦c
Multicelled plastic plug or pro-trays nursery raising Plastic trays of uniform size with cells of equal size
are fixed in thermocol basin are mostly prefered The cells shape may be flat, pyramid, round and
hexagonal –all have similar effect but cell size have a clear cut effect on growth
Deeper celled trays have more faster growth because of more water and nutrient uptake compared to shallow celled trays.
Larger cell sizes generally gives larger yields in the field for longer cycle crops like tomato and capsicums.
•Container used for nursery raising must have good drainage and be able to hold soilless media and ease in handling.Table: recommended size of cell in plastic trays
Crop Cell size (inches) Optimum size for early production
Tomato, brinjal 1.5-4 3.0
capsicum 1.0-4 2.0
chilli 1.0-3 2.0
cucumber 1.5-4 2.0
Cole crops 1. -3 2-3.0
Optimum temperature ranges for germination of seeds Crops Germinatio
n (0 C)Appr. Days to emergence
Growing temp. during day (0 C)
Growing temp. during night (0 C)
Tomato, brinjal
21-24 3-4 18-21 12-18
Capsicum &chilli
26-28 4-6 18-21 12-18
Cole crops 18-24 2-3 10-18 8-14
Cucurbits 24-30 2-3 21-24 12-18
Onion 18-24 3-4 16-18 8-15For healthy seedlings growth one seed per cell is sufficient, however, if some more seeds are sown then one seedling may be retained per cell after thinning and the thinned seedlings can be gap filled in where there is no seed germination
Rooting media for raising seedlings Mostly artificial soil-less media is used
for raising seedlings Cocopeat Vermiculite Perlite Mix above in the ratio of 3:1:1 before
filling in the plug trays. Media containing coarse textured peat
provide better drainage and aeration promoting better root development of transplant.
Cocopeat: it is prepared from the waste of coconut husk. It has good porosity, improved drainage and air movement. It is free from infestation of any pest.
Perlite: it is light rock material and is heat expanded aluminium silicate rock.its role is to improve aeration and drainage.
Vermiculite: It is heat expanded mica. It is light in wt. and has minerals (Ca & Mg) for enriching the mix. It is neutral in reaction.
Advantages of soil-less media
Uniformity of mix Ease of handlings Versatility Sterility: free of diseases Good drainage and moisture retention Convenience of use# After sowing the seeds a thick layer of
vermiculite is given to cover the seeds for better germination as this media has good water holding capacity.
Slides of raising seedlingsHealthy seedlings in trays Tomato seedlings
Scientific nursery raising technology
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