Nursery Management

DR RIDIP CHOUDHURY
FIELD OFFICER, RBRO
AGIA
 NURSERY
Nurseries are established for raising various types
of planting materials
 Seedling stumps
 Budded stumps
 Advanced planting materials like poly bag plants or Root
Trainer plants
Advantages of nursery
• Raising plants easier
• Cheaper
• Selection of vigorous and uniform plants
GOOD QUALITY PLANTING MATERIALS

 High yield
 Better growth
 Uniformity
 NURSERY ESTABLISHMENT
• Two types of nurseries viz. seedling nursery and
bud wood nursery are required for producing
rubber budded stumps
• Seedling nursery is raised for rootstock seedlings
• Buds required for bud grafting are obtained from
the budwood nursery
• Generally budded stumps are transplanted to
polythene bags and allowed to grow up to a
desired level in polybag nursery
SEEDLING NURSERY
 Selection of Site
• Good accessibility for supervision and transport
of materials
• Preferably flat. Gentle sloping or undulating land
also is suitable with adequate soil conservation
measures.
• Deep and well drained loamy soil
• Good soil depth of at least 75cms
• Shade free open space is preferable
 Selection of Site….(contd.)

• Sandy soils not suitable due to leaching of

nutrients and poor retention of moisture
• Too much clayey soil not suitable due to poor
drainage
• Water logged areas should be avoided
 GERMINATION BED
(Rubber seeds are first germinated in germination beds and
then transplanted in nursery beds)
 Seed fall-season – July- September
 Seeds are viable only for a short period
 Immediately after getting the seeds it should be sown for
germination
 Better to take germination bed near the nursery
 Good Quality of seeds
Clear marks
Weight
Colour
Rubber seeds
seeds weigh 4-6 gm
possess a hard brown coat having
characteristic mottlings
seeds of seedling trees and clones
vary in size ,shape and seed coat
markings
seeds contain oily endosperm
37% of seed is shell and 63% kernal
oil content of air dried kernal is 47%
 Well drained area with moderate shade

 Digging depth - 45 cm

 Bed size : Width- 90 cm and convenient length

 Height- 10-15 cm

 Spread sand above the bed to a thickness of

5 cm thickness to act as a medium for germination
 Sowing seeds in germination bed
 Washed seeds, spread in single layer & gently
pressed
 Better to keep flat portion in contact with the soil
 Covered with gunny bag / coir mat to prevent
moisture loss
 Irrigation- early morning and late in the evening
 Germination - 6-7 days after sowing
 Germinated seeds collected in a bucket containing
water
 Discard seeds not germinated within 2/ 3 weeks
Washing of seeds
Germination bed
Sprinkling water
Sprouted seeds
Picking up germinated seeds
Preparation of land and Nursery
beds
• Clear the Land
• Deep digging soil to a depth 60 to 75 cms
• Remove roots, stumps, stones, etc.
• Beds should be 90 cms to 120 cms wide and of
convenient length
• In level land raised beds are made with foot path
of about 45cms between the beds
• In undulating lands beds are prepared along with
contours
Preparation of land and Nursery beds…
(contd.)
• Mix 25 kg compost or well-rotten cattle manure and
3.5 kg rock phosphate in every 100 sq.m. of nursery
beds
• Rock phosphate required in every 3 years

• Application of 545 kg Urea,1390kg Rock Phosphate,

165 kg MOP per hectare after 6-8 weeks from
planting is recommended

• Avoid cattle manure/compost in organic rich soil

during the first year
 Seedling Nursery for Budded Stumps
Planting of germinated seeds
• Rows are first marked on either end of bed with row
markers
• Spacing marked long cord or rope is stretched along the
length of the bed and germinated seeds are planted at each
mark

• Germinated seeds should be planted carefully with radicle

pointing downwards and covered with soil
Hole size-3cm
Root length – less than 2cm
Seedling Nursery for Budded Stumps
Spacing
Varies according to the type of planting materials to
be raised

Seedling stumps/Brown budded stumps -30 x 30 cm

Green budded stumps - - 23 x 23 cm
• One hectare of nursery land can accommodate around
75000 seedlings.

• With periodic thinning and 80% budding success, about

50000 budded stumps will be available for planting.

• Only healthy and vigorously growing plants should be

allowed to grow in the nursery
 Seedling Nursery for Budded Stumps
General Maintenance
• Thinning out 3 to 4 weeks after the first round of
manuring
• Weeding 3 rounds- first 2 rounds just before the
1st and 2nd manuring respectively and 3rd round
just before budding. Pre-emergent herbicide like
Diuron @ 2.5kg in 700 L/ha. It prevents weed
growth for 6-7 weeks
• Mulching after 2nd manuring . Mulching should
be done soon after rainy season to conserve soil
moisture
• Irrigation during dry period

• For plant protection spraying of 1% Bordeaux

mixture is used to prevent wet season disease

• Mancozeb 0.2% is sprayed to control leaf spot

dieseases.
 Bud wood Nursery
Buds required for budgrafting are collected from
budwwod, obtained from plants raised specifically for this
purpose

Brown budwood nurseries are two types:

Brown budwwod nursery and
Green budwood nursery
 Bud wood Nursery
 Land preparation- digging depth 45-60 cm
 Basal dressing - 150 kg rock phosphate/ ha
 Spacing - Green bud wood nursery- 1m x 1m or
 90 x 90 cm
 Brown bud wood nursery- 90 x 60 cm
Fertilizer application
Irrigation

Mulching

Weeding
 Bud wood Nursery
Production
 1st year – only one shoot is allowed to grow
 2nd year– Two or three shoots are allowed to grow
 3rd year- 3-4 shoots are allowed to develop on a
plant
Straight growing budwood shoot without lateral
branches is used for budding
Budwood in the nursery should be cut back leaving
15cm every year to allow for regeneration of fresh
budwood
Bud wood nursery
 Bud wood Nursery
 For brown budding budwood is cut into pieces of one meter
length.

 Buds found in the axils of fallen leaves are utilized for

brown budding.

 15-20 buds are available from one meter of budwood.

 Green buds found above the scale leaves of the shoots are
used for green budding
 LABELING AND PACKING

• If there are budwood of many clones , it should

be labeled immediately after removal from the
plant. The cut ends are dipped in molten paraffin
wax. Budwood should be utilized as soon as it is
collected. For local transport, budwood can be
covered with banana sheath.
 Bud wood Nursery
NURSERIES FOR GREEN BUD STICKS
• Green bud sticks are obtained from already existing budwood
nursery or establishing a separate nursery. Green sticks are
obtained by cutting growing stem 6-8 weeks before budgrafting.
At this stage they will have a whorl of leaves at the top.
• In a separate nursery planting nursery, planting distance of 1.2m
x 1.2m is recommended. First cut back is done at a height of 75
cm. The strongest 2-3 vigorous shoots can be retained. When the
shoots are grown, on pruning more shoots are obtained. By
repeating the process a bush with branches can be established.
• Green bud sticks should be collected early in the morning. If they
are to be transported to far places, they must be packed in moist
saw dust.
 Budding
• The principle involved in budding is the replacement of
the shoot system of a seedling plant with that of a
superior plant.

• A patch of the bark of a seedling plant is replaced by a

patch of bark with a dormant bud taken from a superior
plant .

• When the plant is cut off above the budded portion, the
dormant bud develops into the new shoot exhibiting the
characteristics of the superior plant.
 BUDDING

Depending on colour and age of the buds as well

as the age of the stock plants used, three types of
buddings are mainly practiced in rubber. These
are:
Brown budding : Older buds having brown
colour are used
Green & Young budding: Tender green buds are
utilized
Brown budwood

Green budwood
BUDDING

BUDDING TECHNIQUE IN RUBBER

A sharp knife with 3 inches long

blade, polythene tape (bandaging
material) and cotton waste for
cleaning are the tools reserved
for budding.
BUDDING
BROWN BUDDING IN RUBBER
• Developed in 1916 in Indonesia by Van Helton.

• Carried out by grafting brown coloured buds taken

from budwood of one year old growth onto stock plants
of 10 months or more growth.

• Seedlings with a girth of about 7.5 cm at the base can be

used as root stock for brown budding.
BUDDING
GRAFTING PROCEDURE (Brown budding)
Clean the basal region of the stock plant.
Make 2 parallel vertical cuts 5 cm in
length and 1.5 cm apart, 2 cm above the
ground level with the sharp budding knife.
Horizontal cuts are made connecting the
lower and upper end of these cuts.
Cut should be deep enough to reach the
wood.
A little time is given for the latex to ooze
out.
When the flow of the latex ceases, it is
wiped off.
BUDDING

For preparing the bud patch two parallel

vertical cuts of 5 cm length are made on the
two sides of the bud, 1.5 cm apart. Then 2
horizontal cuts are made connecting the
lower and upper end of these cut.
A little time is given for the latex to ooze out .
During this time, incisions are made around
the neighboring buds of same budwood.
When the oozing of latex is stopped it is
wiped off.
Remove bud patch from the budwood.
The core of the bud should be visible as a
slight projection.
Trim the four sides without bending the
bark.
BUDDING
• Peel the cut panel on the stock plant and
keep the bud patch on the budding
panel gently.
• It should be placed in such a way that
the bud is above the leaf scar.
• Tie with polythene film starting from
the bottom and move upwards in a close
spiral. 2.5 x 45 cm with 300 gauge
polythene is found to be good.
Bandaging should be tight enough to
keep the cambium tissue of budding
panel and bud patch in intimate contact.
BUDDING
Examination for success
Cambium of stock and bud patch get united within 21 days from
grafting. Remove the polythene tape from the bud grafted region.
Scrap lightly with a knife above or below the bud. If the bark is
green initial budding success can be ascertained
Examine the bud patch 10 days after the 1st examination. If the
bark is still green then the budgrafting is successful.
The plants are uprooted, stumped and transplanted as budded
stumps in the filled polybags.
 GREEN BUDDING
• Developed by H. R. Hurov in 1960 in Indonesia

• Rootstocks – 2-8 months old.

• In Indian conditions 5-6 months old seedlings are better.

• Vigorous seedlings 2.5 cm girth & brown bark upto 15

cm height are used as stock seedlings.

• Scion shoot- scale buds from bud shoots of 6-8 weeks

are used.
GREEN BUDDING: Grafting procedure
Clean the base of the root stocks
Make two vertical incisions 5 cm long and 1 cm apart at above 2 cm above
ground level.
Make a horizontal cut to join the lower ends.
Few minutes are allowed for cessation of latex flow
Remove the bud patch with a section of the wood and carefully separate the
bark from the wood without bending the bark.
GREEN BUDDING: Grafting procedure
Insert the budpatch inside the bark flap which is cut off leaving 1
cm at the top.
Tie the budpatch in position with a strip of transparent polythene.
25 cm x 2 cm with 200 g polythene is found to be suitable for
green budding
 GREEN BUDDING

Examination for success

Examine the bud patch three weeks from grafting. If

the bud patch is green in colour, bud grafting is a
success. After 10 days the plants can be uprooted,
stumped and transplanted as budded stumps in the
polybags.
Preparation and transportation of budded
stumps
• Cut the root stock at the length of 7.5 cm above the
budpatch
• Slanting cut opposite to the bud union.
• Pruned at a length of 30-35 cm and laterals to a length of
5 cm.
• Cut ends of the stem is sealed with molten paraffin wax.
• The budpatch can be protected by covering with a small
piece of banana sheath or folded rubber leaf.

For short distance transportation they are tied into

bundles and covered with a layer of grass or leaves. For
long distance they are packed in boxes with wet sawdust
in alternate layers.
Typical brown budded
stump
 Young Budding
• A kind of green budding on very young plants
less than two months old.
• Stock raised in small bags of 33x15 cms
• Intensive nursing like foliar application of
fertilizers and fungicides twice weekly and soil
application of fertilizers weekly
• Green budded when 7 to 8weeks old
• Four weeks after budding stock is cut back
leaving a snag of 20 to 25 cm long`
Polybag nursery
Polybag nursery
Size of poly bags
2-3 whorl plants - 55x 25 cm –400 gauge 8-10 kg soil
6-7 whorl plants – 65 x 35 cm -500 gauge 23 kg soil
Holes are provided in the lower half of the bag to facilitate
drainage of excess water

Soil used for filling the bag

Ideal soil: Clay loam soil with good structure and friability

Top soil : Fertile top soil collected after removing the

surface vegetation and leaf litter is better for filling the bag
Polybag nursery
Soil filling:
While filling, the bag should be gently tapped to ensure
compact filling of soil without leaving air space
Filled up to about 2cm below the brim
Rock phosphate mixed with top layer of soil
Small bags –25 g
Large bags -75 g
Filled bags placed in trenches (better method) or on the
ground supported with wooden poles
Depth of trench Small bags –20 cm
Large bags - 30cm
Bags are placed in pairs with a foot path of 75 cm in between
Polybag nursery
Planting budded stumps in polybags

 Length of taproot- 30-35

leave 15 cm above the base of polybag

No air gap between tap root and soil

Dipping in cow dung slurry and drying in shade has been

found to enhance root development
POLYBAG NURSERY

Fertilizer application
10-10-4-1.5 NPKMg mixture at monthly intervals
( 1st month 10g and increase gradually to 30g in 4 th
month)
Partial shading –7-8 feet above
Pest and disease control
 ROOT TRAINER PLANTS
The latest innovation in advanced planting material
• Root trainer plants are not a new cultivar, but a modern
propagation technique being
adopted to generate advanced
plating material of rubber

• Budded stumps grown in

re-usable poly propylene
cups. Coir pith, a waste
material of coir industry
is used as the planting
medium
 ROOT TRAINER PLANTS
• Root trainer plants show early establishment in the soil

• Advanced planting materials raised in polybags are having

some drawbacks like possibility for coiling of tape root, spiral
growth of lateral roots

• In root trainer tap root coiling was prevented by subjecting

the tap root to natural air pruning and the lateral root
production is enhanced by the artificial stress provided during
hardening process
Root trainer plants arranged in stand
ROOTS ARE ALLOWED GROW INTO SOIL
UNTIL THE DESIRED GROWTH
IS ATTAINED BY HE PLANTS
 ROOT TRAINER PLANTS ARE SUSPENDED IN AIR FOR HARDENING
When two to three whorls of leaves are mature the cups are
suspended in air for hardening
Root development in a six
months old Root Trainer plant
Thank you