Nursery management in fruits and vegetables

Nursery is the place where plants are grown with the aim to propagate it after required age in designated area. The objective of the nursery starts with what crops to grow and its marketability.

Nursery is involved in the process of propagation, growing and selling the plants. Plants can include varieties of plants, including seedlings and grafts for the fruit trees.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Plant nursery with transparent canopy in Oxley, Queensland, Australia (Source: Commons)[/caption]

Sexual and asexual propagation techniques of horticultural crops

Vegetative propagation

The plants can reproduce asexually by its certain part developing into new plant, this process of propagation is called vegetative propagation. The loss of cells in the plants means losing the proper orientation which later develops in the requires organs. In many cases, the vegetative propagation is used by plants to develop propagules to survive adverse conditions.

Stems in the form of corm, tuber in potato, rhizome; Leaves in the form of offset, bulb in onions include the natural means of propagation. Similarly, runners and stolons grow horizontally so as to produce roots.

Sexual Propagation

Seeds developed from fertilized ovules, surrounded by outer seed coat are contained with embryonic forms of stem and roots. In the favourable conditions according to species, the dormancy is broken and germination occurs.

Artificial Methods

Cuttings (stem, root, leaf) are specially cut from the plants can produce new plant.

Tissue Culture is another method where a part of plant tissue are carefully grown in sterile medium in controlled environment.

Grafting involves the scion and stock from two different plant.

Nursery types and its use in horticultural crop production including hi-tech nurseries

Nursery on the basis on the types of plant propagation include: Retail nurseries, wholesale nurseries, private nurseries, mail order

Nursery on the basis of plants grown include Fruit Plant Nurseries, Vegetable Nurseries, Ornamental Plant nurseries, Medicinal Plant Nurseries, Hi-tech nurseries

Hi-tech nurseries

For commercial purposes, tissue cultured plant materials are required for whose production sophisticated methods and technologies are implemented. Hi-tech are termed in the way because they can automatically manipulate physical and any environmental conditions required for the young plants.

Use of rootstocks in horticulture

Care and management of plants in nursery

~ Irrigation Management: Drip and Overhead irrigation system are used. Drip irrigation uses less than 60 to 70% less water compares to overhead irrigation system.

~ Pest Management

~ Weed Control

~ Fertilisation

Resources

• TNAU agritech portal


• Basics of Horticulture; authors: Sharon Pastor Simson, Martha C. Straus; edition: 2010