High Density Planting of Fruits

 

High Density Planting

Variables	High Density Planting	Conventional Planting	Remarks
Sapling	·         No internal production ·         Lengthy procedure for SPS certificate ·         Cost around NRs. 1000 per sapling	·         Cost NRs. 100 per sapling ·         Comparably easy availability
Orchard Establishment	·         NRs. 38 lakhs per hectare for apple ·         Higher cost incurred for staking and drip installment	·         NRs. 4 lakhs per hectare for apple ·         Lower cost of establishment	950 times higher in HDP of apple
Tree density	·         More than 445 per hectare ·         In apple 3333 plants per hectare (Agro Manang)	·         300 plants/ha	Planting density can be increased up to 5000 per hectare based on management practices.
Variable Cost	·         NRs. 3 lakhs Per hectare for apple ·         More cost in fertilizers, plant protection and bio regulators	·         NRs. 2.5 lakhs per hectare for apple ·         More cost in harvesting and training pruning	No significant difference
Time to harvest	·         From second year	·         After 3-4 years
Break Even Point	·         6-7 years	·         10-12 years
Productivity	·         Fourth Year Productivity Golden delicious (17), Fuji (13.8) and Gala (12) can reach up to 30-40 Mt/ha on optimum Production	·         8 Mt/ha

Status of HDP of fruits in Nepal

·         Apple- successful in Manang, Mustang, Jumla and Solukhumbu

·         Banana, Acid lime and papaya- established in terai and inner terai

·         Experiments on mandarin orange, sweet orange and acid lime- in NCRP, Dhankuta

·         Experiments on Mango (Amrapali and Malika) - in RARC, Khajura

Yield Increment per hectare in HDP 

Crop	Spacing	Plant density/ha	Yield  (Mt/ha)	% Increase in yield as compared to conventional
Mango (Amrapali)	2.5 m x 2.5 m	1600	19	250
Mandarin (Kinnow)	6 m x 3 m	555	177	200
Banana	1.4 m x 1.4 m	4444	145	250
Pineapple	25 cm x 35 cm x 90 cm	64000	90	200
Guava	1 m x 2 m	5000	50	250

 

Challenges

v  Poor availability of dwarfing rootstocks

v  Inadequate standardization of POP for HD production technology

v  Requirement of more technical knowhow and skills for effective canopy management

v  Higher initial establishment cost

v  Less life span of fruit orchards

v  Conducive for pest and disease: Heavy competition for space, nutrients and water; buildup of high humidity, reduced cross ventilation,

v  Growth retardants may reduce the size and quality of fruit

v  Poor anchorage of rootstock in the sloppy, un-irrigated and low fertility

Opportunities

v  Potential areas and natural resources

v  Reduced gestation period- higher early return on investment

v  Higher yield efficiency per unit area with better export quality fruits

v  Easier to manage intercultural, plant protection and harvesting operations

v  Enables mechanization

v  Import substitution especially in apple, citrus, guava and mango

v  Employment creation and income generation

v  One of the most innovative technologies to achieve higher production per unit area both in woody perennial and short duration fruit crops

Way Forward

—  Subsidies for establishment of High Density orchards (nursery plants, trellis support, drip irrigation, fertigation, fencing)

—  Introduction of genetic resources of major fruits suitable for HDP 

—  Establishment of tissue culture laboratories at various Farms/Stations and mass multiplication techniques for dwarfing rootstocks

—  Human Resource Development