NURSERY

Nursery preparation techniques

eeds are sown in well-prepared, raised nursery beds. For raising seedlings for one hectare about six cents of nursery area is required. Raised beds of dimensions 7.5 x 1.2 x 0.1 m are prepared. They are covered with a layer of farmyard manure and sand in equal proportion. Addition of farmyard manure should be @ 4 kg/m2. During the summer and rainy season there may be heavy incidence of damping off. Field solarisation and seed treatment are helpful in minimising disease infection.

Neem cake and groundnut cake (@ 2 kg/cent) can also be added to enrich nursery soil. The soil can be disinfected further by cultivating it well and then covering it with a clear plastic sheet so that it gets heated up thoroughly under the mid-day sun. This technique can be used for varieties that are highly susceptible to disease. Dusting of wood ash on seedlings in the nursery acts as an insect repellent and protects the young plants from pest and disease attacks. It also serves as a good source of mineral nutrients.

Soil solarisation of nursery plots by covering them with transparent polythene sheets of 200 guage for about 5-6 weeks, along with seed treatment techniques, have been standardized. If the temperature is high (<30--), then the beds are covered by green + black sheets, about 1 m above the ground with suitable support. This reduces the intensity of the radiation hitting the ground surface and reduces seedling mortality. Agro-nets are used especially for control of insects which spread viral disease.

Updated on : Dec 2014