Plant management science

Nikilsha k LA9312 9/6/2013

Q.1.What are the basic considerations while planning and developing a nursery on site where landscape work shall commence in another three months and the project is intended to be completed in 2 years with 6 months maintenance period.

1. SITE SELECTION Producing environments in which young trees can thrive. choosing a favourable spot for nursery is usually needed in order to: a. overcome problems and minimise losses during propagation ,grow young trees with suitable root systems; and b. produce enough good planting stock at the right time for planting. How to choose a good site The tree nursery needs to be near to an adequate supply of water though not liable to flooding; and preferably also: a. b. c. d. not on a very steep slope nor completely flat land on soil that is suitable ,and near a supply of good topsoil reasonably sheltered and accessible for supplies ,and also to the expected planting site.

Water supplies A. Sufficient amounts reliably available, even during dry weather when water use may be at its maximum; B. Reasonably clean, without having much: 1. salt or toxic chemicals dissolved in it; or 2. fine soil particles, such as clay and silt, suspended in it; and C. Free or cheap, because paying for mains water can be very expensive when large numbers of young trees are going to be watered frequently. Traces of salt can sometimes be blown inland by strong winds, or left during exceptionally high tides, and it is best to avoid sites where this could happen. Salty water from the sea or tidal estuaries is suitable only for trees like mangroves. However, these species need nurseries only if the natural stands have been largely removed, or when other genetic origins or species are to be planted. What if all the available land is steep Try to find a site which: 1. is not on loose soil or where a stream might wash some away; 2. is well protected by surrounding trees; and 3. can be reached easily. Successful tree nurseries can still be produced that have a series of narrow terraced beds and standing areas for containers The chief problems of a plain site could be: a. poor drainage, so that the soil is sometimes waterlogged; and b. the risk of more serious damage from flooding.

Suggested alterations : 1. building up the height of seed beds and standing areas for potted plants; 2. digging drainage channels and 3. making low walls to hold back flood water. Building and roofing materials, basic furniture and extra tools may also be needed. What other soils to be avoided if possible a. Very stony soils (C 23), as a lot of effort would be needed to make them suitable. b. Very heavy soils, with a lot of clay in them, which would make nursery work much more difficult; c. Extremely acid or alkaline soils, with very low or with high pH which would need special treatment to grow all but a few tolerant species; d. Highly degraded land, requiring a lot of soil improvement for seed beds and e. Very exposed sites, needing a lot of shade and shelter while still remaining liable to storm damage Besides water the main items generally include: 1. supplies of topsoil, sand, old sawdust and other materials for making potting mixes and sometimes soil and roots from older trees as inoculum 2. containers and basic tools 3. poles, shading and fencing materials What else is important about the site? 1. 2. 3. 4. Protection from climatic extremes Convenience for carrying out regular watering and and The size needed for the number of young trees to be grown, allowing for the possibility of future expansion; and The shape of the area chosen for the nursery in relation to planning an efficient internal layout

2. SIZE, SHAPE AND LAYOUT size suitable size for the tree nursery depends firstly on how many young trees are going to be grown, and by what methods For instance, when: A. cuttings are to be rooted, space would be needed for poly-propagators for rooting and for weaning (Manual 1); B. seeds are to be sown, this might be done in: 1. seed trays under cover; 2. seed beds on the ground; or 3. directly in containers. the type of planting stock also a factor to be considered for area calculation The amount of space needed will vary quite a lot, depending on the set of species being grown, and whether the young trees will be planted as: a. b. c. d. container-grown plants; root-pruned soil blocks; striplings or stumps; or bare-rooted plants.

Shape A piece of ground that: 1. will allow east-west alignment of the beds, to allow more even light to the young trees, but is not more than three times as long as it is broad; 2. has more or less straight margins; and 3. will allow entry at a convenient point in the internal layout.

Layout a well-planned arrangement of the different parts helps to achieve a smooth flow of materials into, work done in, and young trees going out of the nursery. So, having worked out how much space is needed for each part, advantages of proper layout 1. the growing areas could be better protected 2. parts with better soil or drainage (C 23) could be used for beds rather than for roads or buildings; and 3. less damage to the young trees is likely to occur if there is room to walk between them, and if any taps for hoses are carefully positioned.

3.DESIGN Requirements In a small, temporary nursery , there might only be growing areas and paths. In a larger, permanent nursery, there could be: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. the growing areas themselves; paths, drains, hedges and shade trees; a covered working area, storage shed, office and washroom; storage space for stocks of materials; and an access road, together with turning, loading and parking space.

Growing areas A. Shaded poly-propagators for rooting and weaning cuttings B. Shaded seed beds and a covered area for germinating seeds C. Transplant beds with removable shading for growing root-pruned soil blocks, striplings, stumps or bare-rooted planting stock D. Standing ground for containers, also with removable shade; and perhaps E. Stockplant areas, for producing plenty of suitable shoots for vegetative propagation; F. A shade house or greenhouse to provide special environments for research Bed size: The width should generally be between about 0.8 and 1.2 m, so that weeding, watering, checking and moving plants can be easily done from the two sides; The length should not exceed 15 m, or access may become difficult

4. CONSTRUCTION Setting up the growing areas . Preparation will vary according to the types of growing area chosen. For instance: A. Poly-propagators need to be in a sheltered place where they can be checked frequently B. Seed beds might need to be raised 1020 cm above the level of the paths to give good drainage. They could be started with gravel, continued with a suitable ordinary soil mixed with coarse sand and topped off with a fine seed germination mixture Covered germination areas could be part of the sheltered working area, or in any convenient sheltered spot; C. Transplant beds could be made similarly, but topped off with a thicker layer of a less fine mixture. Alternatively, the nursery topsoil could be used as it is, if suitable Sunken beds are sometimes used in dry areas, to conserve moisture but be careful that the plants do not become waterlogged; D. Standing ground for pots might be put on a part with poorer soil; E. Stockplant areas are best as lines, far enough apart to allow harvesting of cuttings, pruning and weeding, and perhaps interplanted with a soil-improving shrub F. A shade house or a greenhouse needs to be carefully planned, with adequate drainage and good shading, and with some tables or staging for smaller plants .For studies of effects of the environment on tree growth, the ability to control ventilation and perhaps soil temperature might be useful, while for trees with chronic insect problems the house may need to be constructed with mosquito netting. Setting up the shading 1. Decide whether to put up plastic shadecloth over part of the nursery, such as the seed and cutting propagation section and the working area, or to use leaves or mats 2. In the second case, choose between high or low shading; and 3. Allow for the supporting poles when calculating the width of paths and beds. Basic supplies 1. Confirming that the water supply is reliable 2. Getting in a supply of materials and enough tools 3. Starting to build a nursery team by beginning to train any staff and workers in how to carry out the various jobs reliably and well 4. Making up a seed germination mixture and rooting 5. Obtaining suitable seed and arranging where to collect the first shoots for cuttings; 6. Beginning the keeping of records about: a. where the young trees originated b. when particular batches of plants were started and c. daily and weekly propagation checks 5.BASIC TOOLS AND MATERIALS FOR THE NURSERY 1. a spade for digging out materials for potting mixtures , and for preparing beds and level standing ground for young trees in containers; 2. a sieve for removing stones and other large items from soils and composts 3. a funnel for filling or part-filling pots 4. a pickaxe or crowbar for fencing and making access paths 5. a hammer and nails, a saw and a ladder for such jobs as making wooden seed-boxes, fencing and general improvements and maintenance around the nursery.

Q.2. Explain any three methods of plant propagation.

Method A: GRAFTING
Grafting allows the combination of two or more plants. It is the technique of choice when a single genotype does not possess all the required characteristics, such as nematode resistance of a rooting system and/or high yield from the above ground parts (wood, leaves, fruits). It involves the following key terminologies: Scion: the aerial part of a tree that will form the crown of the new plant. This part contains the dormant buds of the tree whose desired characteristics need to be multiplied. Budding: a special form of grafting in which the scion consists of either a single or several buds. It is a more economical form of grafting, as more scions can be produced from a single mother tree. Rootstock: the below-ground or lower part of a tree, sometimes including part of the stem and some branches, that will form the root system of the new plant. This part may also contain dormant buds, which should not be allowed to develop in the new plant since they (suckers) do not have the desired characteristics that need to be multiplied. Vascular cambium: a thin layer of meristematic cells between a trees bark (phloem) and wood (xylem). Meristematic cells are capable of dividing into new cells that may differentiate into new tissues and organs. The principal grafting techniques are: Top-wedge grafting: This is the method most commonly used, as it is simple and usually successful with both seedlings and older trees. It is often used in top working older trees as it can be used with scions considerably thinner than the rootstock. In top working older trees, two small scions are usually inserted at either side of the cleft. In these cases it is important that the scions are cut so that the outside of the wedge is slightly thicker than the inside to allow for the larger circumference.

Figure 1 :Top or wedge graft.

Splice and whip and tongue grafting: A long, slanting cut is made in both scion and rootstock and these are tied together. This method is simple but needs some practice to allow for evenly slanting cuts and for matching scions and rootstocks. When tying-in, care is needed to prevent inadvertently slipping when joining the pieces. It is the technique of choice for material with a very pithy stem. A more secure version of the splice graft is the whip and tongue graft in which a second short vertical cut is made 2/3 from the tip of the cuts in both scion and rootstock. The tongues of both scion and rootstock are then slit into each other and the graft securely tied in. The advantage of this form of grafting is a larger portion of cambial cells to match and an initial good hold of the scion into the rootstock. The method requires soft material and is often used with young plants that have only limited lignification.

Figure 2 :Splice grafting

Figure 3 :Whip and tongue grafting.

Approach grafting: This is a form of grafting particularly suitable for difficult combinations. Both scion and rootstock remain intact plants until a secure graft union has been formed, thus allowing both to use their own vascular system for assimilation and water uptake. The figure below illustrates an approach grafting system.

Figure 4: Approach grafting

Method B: BUDDING
T-budding: Most forms of budding should be done when the bark slips off easily from both scion and rootstock, which is at a time of high metabolic activity. T-budding is most commonly used in the propagation of citrus. It is generally limited to small nursery stock of between 6-25 mm diameter, which are actively growing, so that the bark slips easily from the wood.

Figure 5: T-budding.

Patch budding: This is a method widely used for tropical trees with thick bark, such as the rubber tree. It can be used on stock plants as big as 10 cm in diameter. A rectangular piece of bark is cut out of the rootstock, usually with a special double-bladed knife. A matching piece of bark, including a bud, is cut from the budwood and matched into the prepared rootstock.

Figure 6: Patch budding

Method B: LAYERING
Layering is similar to cuttings, with the advantage that the propagules are detached from the mother plant only after roots have formed. It is therefore a method that can provide rooting success with difficult-to-root species. Its multiplication rate is lower than with cuttings, but it can yield larger individual plants. The most common layering techniques for agroforestry trees include, air layering, simple layering and stooling. In tropical fruit propagation, air layering is the most important technique. Air layering or marcotting: Air layering or marcotting can be done with almost any woody plant and is an excellent method to propagate small numbers of individual trees. It involves the girdling of a relatively young shoot, thus leading to an accumulation of rooting promoting plant hormones at the cut, without hindering water and nutrient supply to the tip. The shoots should be young and vigorous yet woody enough to withstand the treatment; best is the previous seasons growth. A cut is made at a convenient place on the shoot. The ideal length of the shoot above the marcot is between 20 and 60 cm so as to avoid large rooted shoots that may have establishment difficulties. A complete ring of bark of about 1-5 cm is removed by making two encircling cuts and removal of the intermediate ring. It is important that a large enough ring is removed to prevent callus from closing the wound, yet excessive damage to the shoot should be avoided. Cutting into the wood should also be avoided as it may interrupt the water supply and also increases the risk of breakage of the shoot. Root promoting substances, such as slurry of auxin powder can be applied and mixed with a fungicide if necessary. Two handfuls of a suitable rooting substrate are then applied around the wound. This is then tied into plastic and wrapped in aluminum foil to preserve moisture and prevent overheating. A suitable rooting substrate should be light in weight, porous to allow sufficient oxygen around the wound but yet with a high water holding capacity. Moss, coconut (coir) fibre, sawdust, vermiculite or mixtures of soil with any of these substrates have proved to be suitable. A little soil from under established trees can be added to the substrate to help in the rooting process, especially for species that require microsymbionts. In order to improve the survival rate of the rooted marcot, leaves are trimmed or completely removed and the shoot partially severed a few days before harvesting. At harvest, the marcot should be immediately placed into a container with water and then potted up, using an appropriate light, but nutritious potting medium, and placed under shade, preferably under humid conditions, such as in a polypropagator. Species that are commonly propagated by air layering include mango, Ficus spp., Citrus auriculiformis and Persea americana. It is a method that is most appropriate for humid environments but if care is taken, it can also be successful in drier climates.

Figure 7: Air layering or marcotting

Simple layering: Simple layering is usually done with many-stemmed shrubs that produce long and soft shoots after coppicing. Plants are coppiced at the end of the dormant season and the developing young shoots are bent down and pegged into the ground about 15 to 20 cm below the tip, thus forming a U. During the season, the shoots grow and will produce roots where they are pegged down. To improve on the rooting success, the shoots can be wounded, or auxins applied. The stems are usually allowed to grow for one to two seasons before cutting the rooted stem off and planting it under shade. For this method to be successful it is important that the substrate used for layering is kept moist, but not waterlogged at all times and that soil-borne diseases are avoided. Below is an illustration of simple layering technique.

Figure 8: simple layering

Stooling or mound layering: Stooling, or mound layering is done with plants that have been severely cut back (to between 2.5-5 cm above soil level) and that have the natural vigour to produce many strong coppice shoots. New shoots developing are continuously covered with moist soil, sawdust or other light substrate to about half their height. If they are covered too high, leaves may be covered leading to weakening of the shoot. At the end of the season, roots will have formed at the base of the shoots, which can then be cut off and planted as separate plants. Also with this method, the substrate has to be kept moist and free of pathogens to establish a stool bed, seedlings should be planted in rows wide enough to allow sufficient space for the mound or stool. 1-1.5 m apart has proved sufficient (Garner et al. 1976). They are allowed to establish for one growing season and then cut back to between 2-5 cm above ground to initiate the development of vigorous coppice shoots for rooting. It has been shown that girdling the newly developing shoots by forcing them to grow through a wire mesh can enhance the rooting success. Depending on the species, a 0.5 cm square mesh can be placed over the stump before the shoots develop. The shoots are then forced to grow through the mesh and are girdled as they thicken.

Figure 9 : Containerized layering.

REFERENCE : QUESTION 1
Planning a tree nursery, http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/ad228e/AD228E03.htm

ACCESSED ON :06/09/2013

QUESTION 2 http://teca.fao.org/read/7794 ,
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ACCESSED ON :06/09/2013