जीर्ण उद्यान का कायाकल्‍प करके उत्पादकता में सुधार

Fruit tree start decline with their yield and also decline of tree starts with sparse appearance, yellowing and different type foliage symptoms, undergrowth and sickly appearance, dried-up top growth with small and less number of fruits.

The branches of trees start to die from the top to downwards, ultimately resulted poor quality fruits (rough surface, thick skin and less juice). Such type of decline may be seen in whole orchards, on in a single tree or patches.

The fruit growers do not adopt the proper management practices in terms of plant protection, manuring, irrigation, mulching, pruning etc. and the orchards become sick.

In general, canopy of fruit crops has irregular shape. Trees of irregular shape and size are difficult to deal with and even culminate into poor yield in the subsequent years as the lower branches of canopy gradually turns inert and infertile as well.

The technology also helps in maintaining the manageable tree height with open architecture and canopy of healthy shoots with outwardly growth facilitating penetration and utilization of light.

Crowding and encroachment of trees with subsequent inefficient light utilization, is an obvious problem with older orchards, if trees are not well managed. The internal bearing capacity of trees also decreases with time, due to overshadowing of internal bearing wood.

What is Senility?

Senility is a stage of the plant in which after a long span of continuous fruiting, the ability of the branches or limbs and or whole tree to produce vigorous and efficient twigs having capacity to bear the fruit is reduced.

Characteristics of senile orchards

• Predominance of long unfruitful branches and tip bearing habit
• Reduction in the ability of a particular branch to produce vigorous and efficient twigs which can bear fruits
• Overcrowding of branches in the inner part of the canopy leading to restricted sunlight penetration
• Heavy incidence of pest and disease
• Drastic reduction in fruit yield, size and appearance

Rejuvenation process

Rejuvenation is the process of pruning and after pruning management of the plants to make them productive by utilizing the existing root system for support and absorption and existing limb / branch system to rebuilt the productive canopy.

India is a leading fruit producing country. Fruit production in the country is an age old enterprise. A large acreage is under systematic fruit plantation. The low average productivity of orchards in India is attributed to prevalence of senile orchards. Hence, rejuvenation is required to improve the productivity of senile orchards

Principle of rejuvenation

• Trees have latent buds on their limbs and branches which are activated to put forth new sprouts which ultimately form the canopy and fruiting area of the plant.
• Improvement in root:shoot ratio

Considerations for rejuvenation

1. Age of the plant
2. Ability of the species to coppice
3. Frame of the tree
4. Time and severity of rejuvenation
5. Post rejuvenation care
6. Transformation of rejuvenated juvenile shoots into productive one
7. Top working to change the variety

Advantages of rejuvenation

• Utilization of existing root system
• Lowering the fruiting area which can be conveniently managed
• Creation of extra space for intercropping in the orchard
• Availability of large amount of pruned wood which can provide additional income
• Enhancing the productivity of plant

Conclusion

Rejuvenation has been found successful in mango, litchi, citrus and aonla. It is responding in the trees having strong shoot renewal and coppicing capacity.  Efforts should be made to improve productivity of other fruit and plantation crops having similar growth habit. In crops where young shoots have economic importance, rejuvenation practice should also be tried to improve their productivity

Authors

Ankit Kumar Pandey¹ and Sakshi Shatri²

¹Department of Fruit & Fruit Technology

Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour, Bhagalpur 813210 (Bihar)

²Department of Agricultural Extension,

Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, C. G, India,-492 001

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