Content
Experts recommend planting fruit trees and berry bushes in early spring or autumn. These are two "hot" seasons, when nursery owners have a lot of trouble in connection with the sharply increased demand for planting material. Despite being very busy, Tatyana Askretkova, who has been engaged in nursery growing for more than 23 years, agreed to share her rich experience with seven-day growers and talk about the intricacies of buying and planting fruit seedlings. Here is her story ...
Autumn is a good time to plant fruit
Is it worth overpaying: the optimal age of the seedling
I believe that the most the best age for planting fruit is 1-2 years... These seedlings are optimal for the buyer both in price (they are cheaper) and in survival rate (it is quite high). You can, of course, be guided by both three years and an older age, but in this case it is desirable that the plants be with a closed root system (ZKS). After all, seedlings with an open root system (ACS) after planting and transplanting are sick for a long time. So, while the three-five-year plan with ACS is sick, the one-year-old with ACS will already grow up and give the first harvest. In general, I see no reason to buy adult seedlings.
Seedling with ZKS can be planted throughout the growing season (from April to October, and sometimes longer). Autumn planting should be carried out at least 2-3 weeks before the onset of frost. If you decide to plant in hot summer, it is best to wait for the coldest weather. But if you can provide the plant with proper watering, it can be planted in the heat - no big deal. Once again, I emphasize that such a planting is safe only against the background of subsequent watering.
Plants with ZKS can be planted from April to October
But the planting of fruit
seedlings with ACS should be strictly confined to the dormant period of the plant. This can be either early spring, or a longer period in the fall (from about mid - late September and further, according to the weather).
When buying seedlings with ACS in the autumn, I believe that it is better not to plant them, but to bury them. This recommendation is due to the fact that the plant does not yet have a sufficient correlation between the underground and aboveground parts. It is recommended to dig in fruit seedlings in an inclined position so that they do not die in winter from dehydration.
Unfortunately, there is a global problem of misgrading in our fruit growing, which is associated with the low qualification of agronomic personnel. And, of course, a lot in this matter depends on the gardener himself - you need to be very responsible when choosing a nursery where you purchase planting material. I recommend contacting
to producers of planting material , and not to nurseries that are engaged in outbidding, because only they can guarantee the real grade.
Nurseries that produce their own planting material can guarantee the conformity of the variety
What a good seedling looks like
If you buy a plant with ACS in the fall, it should be sniffed, that is, devoid of leaves. The operation of scrubbing according to the rules is carried out even in the nursery before the digging of these seedlings.
If you are planting a plant with ZKS, then smoothening is not required, since you do not actually transplant the plant, but transfer it without disturbing the root ball. You carefully remove it from the container (sometimes it is even better to cut the container) and, without disturbing the root system, plant it in a prepared hole.
First of all, the plant must look healthy.
Naturally, the acquired plants should not show signs of disease and pests - the seedling should be healthy, at least externally.
Landing
Necessary
prepare the seats well ... In our kennel, we always give a memo with recommendations, which describes in detail how and what to do. It is also posted on the website. But if the nursery does not provide you with such information, then you will have to get it yourself. I recommend referring to specialized literature: the most optimal is textbooks on fruit growing for higher educational institutions.
Planting pits must be prepared in good faith, with the introduction of certain norms of organic and mineral fertilizers. For our zone, where the soils are mostly acidic (these rates differ for different crops), it is also necessary to add dolomite flour or chalk.
When planting, a fruit tree needs a peg
If we are talking specifically about fruit trees, then when buying, you definitely need to ask the seller,
on which rootstock the plant is grafted - since the stock affects both the winter hardiness of the plant, and its durability, and the requirements for fixation (whether or not a stake is needed is very important). In addition, the degree of deepening of the root collar will depend on the type of rootstock. If the plant is on a seed stock, then the root collar does not deepen. If the plant is on a clonal rootstock, on the contrary, it deepens, almost until grafting.
First wintering success
It is important to help overwinter young plants that have just been planted. Necessary
mulch the trunk circle , and wrap the plant itself from rodents with nylon material. You can also cut strips of white non-woven fabric yourself and wrap them around the barrel like bandages. Do this after the leaves fall.
Wrap the seedling completely , all the way to the top, and tight. It is breathable material that is used for this - I will emphasize again. This is protection against rodents, plus protection against winter desiccation. Additionally, the non-woven material can be applied
"Creolin"
... We tried it in our kennel - it really works. The remedy is sold in veterinary pharmacies and is intended for the treatment of animal diseases. And thanks to its strong smell, it also repels mice.
Correct winding of the trunk of a young seedling.
If there
threat of damage to fruit seedlings by hares , only the fence around the perimeter of the site and the nets around the trunks will be saved (they are sold in stores). That is, in addition, an individual fence must be erected around each tree.
Also desirable whitewash trunks in autumn... It is recommended to whitewash young seedlings with slaked lime, and not with ready-made acrylic paint, which is sold in stores. This paint is only suitable for mature plants. Slaked lime will do less harm to the tender bark of young seedlings. It is necessary to whiten as high as possible, and it is even better to cover with lime not only the trunk but also the bases of the skeletal branches.
The tree is ready for winter: the trunk is whitewashed, the trunk circle is mulched.
All the talk about the fact that, due to whitewashing, plants stop breathing and die, have no foundation. All our life we have whitewashed, we will whitewash and we will whitewash. It is necessary for the prevention of sunburn... Although, in principle, barrel winding and whitewashing are interchangeable measures. If you have already wrapped the stem, then whitewashing is not required - then I recommend removing the wrapping in the spring in cloudy weather so that the plants do not suddenly appear in the sun.
In the spring, when the shelter was removed, you need to immediately spend
formative pruning. This is an individual question. It is impossible to give a single recommendation for pruning for all fruits, it depends not only on the type of plant, but also on its age.
And a few more important tips
Sometimes plants are sold with winter grafting - you can distinguish them by the film that remains at the grafting site. We recommend removing this film in late autumn or early spring - the main thing is not to forget to do this, so that a constriction does not form on the trunk later.
Do not forget to remove the film from the vaccination site. In addition, there may be tags with the name of the variety hanging on the plants - gardeners also forget to remove them. As a result, all the same constrictions. And when selling, the label should be on each plant - this is an important condition that will help you identify the variety.
The organization of the production of high-quality planting material plays a significant role in the implementation of the program for the radical improvement of the quality of reforestation and protective afforestation.
For its cultivation, a wide network of permanent and temporary nurseries has been created in the country. Now there are more than 6 thousand of them, the total area is about 53 thousand hectares, there are 2800 permanent ones (47 thousand hectares, or 89%), growing the bulk of the planting material. A permanent irrigation network has been created in 800 nurseries on 17 thousand hectares (36% of the area).
In recent years, the tendency to enlargement of nurseries, the creation of highly mechanized basic nurseries, has intensified, where the use of modern agricultural technology is facilitated and the maximum number of plants per unit area is obtained. As a result, about 1200 nurseries occupy 15 hectares and more, 500 of them - over 25 hectares, while the average area of permanent nurseries is 17 hectares. At the same time, a developed network of medium-sized and small nurseries, as well as temporary ones, remains. The latter play an auxiliary role and are located in areas of low concentration of silvicultural areas and insufficient development of transport routes.
Up to 6 billion seedlings and seedlings are grown in nurseries annually, including the last 450-480 million, which meets the needs of forestry and agriculture. The assortment of wood species is 70% coniferous (50% pine and 30% deciduous). In addition, 50-70 million seedlings and seedlings of fruit and berry plants are grown, which are sold to the local population, are widely used when laying strips along roads, plantings on ravines and ravines; 600-700 million seedlings and seedlings are allocated annually to create anti-erosion plantations and forest shelter belts;
Most of the planting material is grown outdoors. The construction of greenhouses with plastic sheeting is also being developed. Already at present, 250-300 million seedlings are obtained per 100 hectares of such greenhouses. The cultivation of planting material with closed roots (PMZK) is developing: 13 million pcs. ... only in 1988. Over the past 10 years, about 31 thousand hectares of forest crops have been planted with the use of PMZK.
The construction of forest nurseries is carried out according to standard and individual projects developed by Soyuzgiproleskhoz. When designing, geodetic, soil, geological and hydraulic engineering surveys are carried out. The Institute has developed a number of standard projects of permanent forest nurseries ranging from 5 to 100 hectares for various forest growing conditions: 100 hectares with irrigation, branches of green cuttings and greenhouses for the mixed forest zone; 50 hectares with irrigation for the steppe zone of Western Siberia; 30 hectares with irrigation for the middle taiga subzone of the coniferous forest zone; 30 hectares with irrigation for the cultivation of selective planting material intended for the establishment of forest seed plantations in the forest zone; 30 hectares with irrigation for areas of the forest-steppe zone subject to water and wind erosion; 5, 10 and 15 hectares for the mixed forest zone; 10 hectares for the subzone of the middle taiga zone of coniferous forests.
Typical designs should be applied taking into account the specific conditions of the area and the required range of breeds. The site is chosen on the basis of soil, hydrological, transport routes and terrain conditions, the area and location of the forestry fund, the prospects for the development of logging. The presence of natural reservoirs for the organization of irrigation, the ability to connect to utilities, and the fulfillment of requirements for compliance with environmental and sanitary standards are of great importance. For the organization of basic nurseries, it is advisable to use areas with sufficiently fertile, well-drained sandy loam and light loamy soils. The terrain should be flat with a slope of no more than 2-3 °.The exposure of the slope is desirable with an orientation to the south and west in the forest zone, to the north and northeast in arid regions.
Currently, in the zone of coniferous forests, nurseries are mostly located on heavy loamy soils, characterized by increased density, low porosity and air supply. As a result, their biological activity, the processes of nitrification and absorption of nutrients by the roots of plants are slowed down, the root systems experience strong mechanical resistance. All this leads to a slowdown in the growth of planting material and a decrease in its yield.
One of the ways to purposefully change the physical and chemical properties of heavy loamy soils is sanding. Research of the Department of Forest Plantations of the MLTI in the nurseries of the Nelidovsky timber industry enterprise (Kalinin region) and Shchelkovsky forestry enterprise (Moscow region) showed that sanding optimizes the mechanical composition of loamy soils, creates favorable water, air, heat and nutritional regimes in the arable horizon. The conditions for the vital activity of beneficial microorganisms are improved, their microbiological activity increases up to 4-5 times. The growth of planting material and the accumulation of phytomass are significantly increased. For example, sanding of soddy-podzolic heavy loamy soils (content of physical clay 40-45%) in the Nelidovsky nursery led to an increase in height and increase in height of 3-year-old spruce seedlings by 1.8, and phytomass by 3 times. Based on the research results, a scale of sand doses has been developed, which ensures the optimization of the mechanical composition. To use it, you need to know the initial mechanical composition of the soil, as well as the content of physical clay in it and in the sand. Sanding should be combined with the use of organic fertilizers. If large doses of sand are required, it should be applied in two or even three doses.
The structure of the nursery areas, the ratio of its producing and auxiliary parts are determined in accordance with the species composition of the planting material, its types and cultivation technologies. For more rational use of land, the auxiliary part should not exceed 1/4 of the total area. The depth of groundwater for sandy soils should be at least 1, sandy loam 2.5, loamy 3 m. The best in terms of mechanical composition are sandy loam and loamy with a humus content of at least 2%, the pH value for the upper horizon is 5.6-5.7 fresh in moisture.
When organizing a nursery, the method of soil cultivation is of great importance. On clearings, when uprooting stumps, the upper humus layer is left in place. After thorough combing out of the roots, deep plowing is carried out and the territory is necessarily planning with a bulldozer and a grader. There should be no depressions and depressions on the territory, which will avoid getting wet and squeezing out the seedlings; the flat surface ensures high quality of the subsequent operation of the mechanisms when leaving, sowing seeds, applying mineral fertilizers. If excessive moisture is present, dehumidification measures are required. The main tillage is carried out according to the early or black fallow system. The latter is used when there is a strong infestation with perennial weeds, in addition, herbicides are applied in combination with mechanical treatment, which makes it possible to achieve almost complete release (90% or more) from weeds.
To increase soil fertility, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied, and green manure pairs are used with sowing of lupine, pea-oat mixtures and other legumes. Peat, peat and other composts are used as organic fertilizers. The composition and amount of mineral fertilizers are established depending on the condition of the soil according to the results of a survey of agrochemical laboratories.
Successful cultivation of seedlings is ensured by a set of works: pre-sowing preparation of seeds, tillage, maintaining in it a sufficient amount of available nutrients, loose structure and moisture. Organizational and agrotechnical measures include land reclamation, fertilization, the use of crop rotations, the system of basic, pre-sowing and inter-row tillage; conducting regular control of weeds, pests and plant diseases.
High quality seeds must meet current government and industry standards. Before sowing, they are subjected to stratification, soaking, hydrothermal treatment, snowing, scarification and other types of impact; to exclude infection with diseases and pests, they are etched with special chemicals. Such treatment provides an increase in seed germination and growth energy of seedlings. When snowing, pine and spruce seeds are pre-soaked for a day in water at room temperature and kept under snow for one or two months. This method, by increasing the germination of seeds, allows you to reduce the seeding rate by 20-30%, and this, in turn, - to reduce the cost of seedlings by 10-15%.
Exposure of seeds to microelements and a number of biologically active substances also promotes the acceleration of germination and growth of plants, increases their resistance to adverse weather conditions. Pre-sowing seed treatment due to its high efficiency must be applied without fail.
The time of sowing seeds depends on the location of the nursery, soil and climatic conditions, as well as weather in the spring. The best seed germination, seedling survival and plant growth are achieved with the earliest possible sowing, especially on soils of light texture. Well-rooted seedlings in the first year of life are distinguished by more active growth in the second and subsequent years. Positive results can be obtained on light, well-drained soils during autumn (immediately before the onset of persistent cold weather) sowing. To protect against disease damage, seeds must be treated with fungicides. Mulching crops also protects seeds from disease and protects them from extreme temperature fluctuations in winter. In spring, crops shulched with peat or sawdust do not give premature shoots, which excludes damage when cold weather returns.
Sowing is carried out, as a rule, with special forestry seeders or agricultural ones adapted for these purposes. It is very important to avoid mechanical damage to the seeds. To achieve full germination of viable plants and to provide favorable conditions for plant growth, the seeds must be planted evenly at a given depth, placed along the bottom of the groove and covered with soil. To create conditions for the use of mechanisms without damaging crops and seedlings, it is necessary to strictly maintain the straightness of the lines, the width and number of grooves. On loamy soils, crops are mulched with peat, sawdust and other materials with a layer of 1-2 cm.
Within 10 days after the emergence of mass shoots, a technical acceptance is carried out in order to assess the quality of crops. Their quality and condition are recognized as good if the number of seedlings is equal to or greater than the planned output of standard seedlings with uniform distribution and no damage. If their number exceeds 90% of the planned yield of seedlings, the state of the crops is recognized as satisfactory, if from 90 to 25% - unsatisfactory and then overseeding is performed, if less than 25% - the crops are assessed as dead and written off within a month after technical acceptance.
To obtain high-quality planting material, timely feeding and watering of plants, agrotechnical care in accordance with technological requirements are required.Agrotechnical care is aimed at maintaining the soil in a state favorable for the growth of seedlings and seedlings, removing weeds, which contributes to the formation of a well-developed compact root system. Mechanical and chemical maintenance is carried out in a planned manner, provided for by regulatory and technological documents; in the event of a significant deterioration in conditions, increased growth of weeds, the development of pests and diseases, forced ones are also used.
When carrying out mechanical maintenance, it is necessary to strictly observe the depth of soil cultivation, to exclude damage to the root system and aerial parts of plants. To increase the safety of seedlings and seedlings, they are shaded from the sun's rays, covered with mulching materials in autumn, which protects them from the formation of a soil crust, squeezing and winter drying.
The successful development of the root system in a limited soil layer is facilitated by cutting the roots of growing seedlings. With the timely implementation of this operation, their survival rate during transplantation increases and, consequently, the growth of crops is accelerated. Pruning is carried out in the spring, as soon as the soil condition allows for tractor work. In the summer, a preliminary abundant watering is required. The roots are cut once (pivotal along with lateral or only the last) at the beginning of the third or fourth year of plant life with the passage of knives at a depth of 8-10 cm and 5-7 cm from the axis of the sowing line, twice - at the same time, but with an increase distances, respectively, up to 12-15 and 10-12 cm. The condition of the working organs of the root cutter should ensure a smooth cut, without splitting and milling. Simultaneously with cutting the roots, the soil is rolled up.
In nurseries, regular supervision of the development of harmful insects and diseases of the planting material, as well as timely preventive and exterminatory control measures, is necessary. For these purposes, along with the high-quality implementation of agrotechnical methods, the treatment of soil, seeds and plants with pesticides is required in the terms and doses provided for by the instructions and recommendations.
Active growth of planting material is ensured if the soil moisture is close to the field moisture capacity. With a lack of moisture, the process of photosynthesis slows down, the absorption of nutrients worsens, and if the weather is dry for a long time, the death of plants is possible. The guaranteed receipt of high-quality planting material can be ensured by the organization of irrigation not only in areas with an arid climate, but also practically throughout the country. In order for it to give a high effect, the main thing here is reliable regulation of the water supply in a short time, without negative impact on the soil (erosion and exposure of the root system, soil compaction and uneven dispersion leading to the formation of puddles). A properly organized irrigation system must constantly create an optimal regime of atmospheric and soil (in the zone of the active root system) moisture. In forest nurseries, sprinkler irrigation has found the greatest application, carried out by mobile (all units and equipment are moved), semi-stationary (only sprinkler installation and distribution pipelines) and stationary systems. The main condition for the effective operation of the former is the availability of easily assembled and quick-detachable pipelines made of thin-walled steel, aluminum and polyethylene pipes, and the other two, in addition to the listed ones, are made of asbestos-cement and cement for the main and distribution pipelines.
Machines and installations are equipped with short-, medium- and long-range devices. The design of sprinkler systems depends on climatic and soil conditions, but in all cases it should ensure the most efficient and economical use of water, and of such quality that the soil and air are not salted or polluted.It is necessary to use only one that will provide the required intensity and uniform distribution of rain, drop size, maximum mechanization of work. The permissible rain intensity (the ratio of the precipitation layer to the duration of irrigation) on light soils is 0.5-0.8, on medium soils - 0.2-0.3, on heavy soils - 0.1-0.2 mm / min, as increasing the slope, it must be reduced. The droplet size depends on the amount of water pressure (N, m wc) and the inner diameter of the nozzle (d, mm). The ratio H: d should vary from 2400 to 2600 during the period of swelling and germination of seeds, the emergence and acceleration of seedlings, from 2000 to 2200 when watering seedlings of the first year, from 1700 to 1800 - of the second year and older, and seedlings; if a finely dispersed composition of the jet is required, its value should be greater than 3000.
When using short-jet sprinklers, the entire area is irrigated with continuous rain, but the correspondence between the intensity of rain and the water absorption capacity of the soil is not always ensured. A great effect is achieved when the machines are moving with medium-jet devices or with the rotary movement of the devices on the installations and fittings of irrigation pipelines.
Domestic irrigation machines and installations, as well as imported ones, are used. Let's note briefly - medium-jet installations KI-5, "Raduga", "Rosa-2", "Rosa-3", DDA-100M, DDA-100MA, wide-scope medium-jet sprinklers with water intake from DTSN-70 canals, etc. ...
Among the promising methods of irrigation should be called fine-dispersed (aerosol) sprinkling, synchronous impulse sprinkling with a set of KSID-10, subsoil irrigation, irrigation with automated systems.
Fine-dispersed sprinkling creates a water mist of small drops (50-150 microns) of water, which moisturizes the air and the surface of plants, protects them from frost and sunburn. Its advantages are the prevention of soil moisture loss, the exclusion of soil salinization and its washout, the formation of a crust. A particularly great effect is achieved in the stages of seed germination and seedling rooting. It is carried out by the installations OP-450 and DDA-100MA with a pre-converted farm.
With impulse sprinkling with the KSID-10 kit, the optimum soil and air humidity is achieved by supplying a certain amount of water at set intervals. Like finely dispersed, it can significantly reduce water consumption compared to conventional methods.
Automated irrigation systems are becoming more widespread. For the automatic irrigation of small nurseries, an automated sprinkler installation VNPO "Raduga" has been developed.
Subsurface irrigation is carried out from pipelines with small-diameter holes laid at a depth of 0.4–0.6 m. Consequently, additional land plots are not required, soil washout and erosion are excluded, and a crust does not form. The negative point is the significant costs.
Increasing the efficiency of growing planting material in forest nurseries implies a decrease in the unit costs of all resources used - seeds, fertilizers and chemicals, as well as labor costs for soil cultivation, care, etc. mechanization, timeliness and quality of agricultural techniques; rational use of land is of particular importance. The results of comparing this indicator for a number of nurseries show that it can differ several times. For example, in the Petrovsky nursery of the Rostov Experimental Timber Processing Plant (Yaroslavl Region), the production cost of growing 1,000 pine seedlings was 2.24, 2.74 for spruce and 6.38 rubles for larch, in the nursery of the Zagorsky forestry enterprise - 7.41, respectively; 7.83 and 22.87 rubles, and Ryazansky - 16.5; 20.89 and 30.47 rubles.
The high efficiency of production in the Petrovsky nursery is achieved due to the intensive use of the territory, machines and mechanisms. It was founded in 1965 and is a school of excellence in the cultivation of planting material. Now annually up to 23 million seedlings (15) and seedlings (7.5) of forest trees and shrubs (mainly spruce) are obtained, others - 0.5 million. conditions, the result is a high yield of standard planting material per hectare.
At present, nurseries that are on an independent balance sheet operate on a cost-accounting basis, where a larger share is occupied by the cultivation of planting material for ornamental and fruit species, as well as the production of agricultural products. Examples are the Ivanteevsky forest selection experimental demonstration nursery and the Ozherelyevsky fruit nursery, many in the republics of Central Asia. Only a small number of forest nurseries specializing in forest species operate on a partial self-supporting basis, mainly financing is provided from operating funds.
Growing planting material in greenhouses has significant advantages over open ground. The study of various methods and extensive production experience since the beginning of the 60s have confirmed the high efficiency of the use of greenhouses. Sowing seeds can be started at least two weeks earlier than in open ground, the duration of plant growth is significantly increased, and due to the creation of optimal temperature conditions and moisture, its activity is also increased. As a result, standard seedlings are obtained in just one growing season (moreover, their yield from 1 hectare of area is 4-5 times more), the consumption of seeds is significantly reduced, since due to the optimal indicators of humidity and temperature, as well as the use of a prepared substrate, the germination period is reduced by 3 Five times.
Greenhouses, mainly with polyethylene cover, are characterized by various types and designs, floor forms and materials used. In the initial period, mainly small-sized mobile greenhouses were built on mineral soils, but now stationary block and tunnel types with special substrates prepared on the basis of milled peat are becoming more widespread. In stationary ones, along with providing favorable conditions for the growth and development of seedlings, it is possible to use automated artificial climate systems, as well as comprehensive mechanization and automation of all production processes and operations. This is how the issues of an automated lighting system, temperature control, timely and dosed watering with top dressing were resolved. Selected components for the preparation of the substrate.
In the future, photoselective, hydrophilic and heat-retaining films that provide a favorable regime in greenhouses will find application as coatings. For example, photoselective polyethylene film of SNK brand transforms the solar spectrum into the most favorable for photosynthesis, provides a uniform daily variation of air temperature and accelerates the accumulation of phytomass; hydrophilic grade 108-82 provides moisture condensation on the inner surface of the coating in the form of a continuous water layer, which prevents hot drops from falling on plants. The use of heat-retaining films for seasonal greenhouses allows in some cases to reduce heat consumption by 30% and to do without additional heating. A considerable reserve in improving the use of the greenhouse area is the use of special containers with specially prepared substrate, placed on racks. In this case, up to five seedling growing cycles can be provided in one year.
For greenhouses, mainly low-decomposed high-moor peat is used as a substrate, which has a combination of various properties that provide a favorable water-air regime. Due to its high acidity and relatively low content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in a form available to plants, liming and fertilization are required. A substrate prepared on the basis of peat can contain relatively large amounts of fertilizers without adversely affecting plants, and only a small part of them becomes inaccessible to plants.
The preparation of the substrate is a very laborious operation, especially the thorough mixing of the components. I must say that this operation is carried out in the best way in special agricultural mixers and mixers designed by LenNIILH. Other methods are also used. In one of them, mixing occurs when double loading and unloading vehicles, spreading and leveling in place; with the other - right in the greenhouse: first, peat is leveled, then fertilizers are scattered from above (RUSH-08) and mixed using the FPSh-1.3 cutter. Lime and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used as starting and main fertilizers, nitrogen fertilizers are used as top dressing. In order to reduce the cost of growing planting material and the consumption of fertilizers, research is underway to clarify their doses, replace single complex ones, and expand the use of dressings. You can also reduce costs by increasing the duration of use of the substrate. True, in this case, due to the deterioration of its porosity, the moisture capacity decreases, but already preliminary data indicate the presence of such a possibility, and without reducing the germination of seeds. An indispensable condition for preventing seedlings from falling off is the treatment of the old substrate with fungicides.
At present, developments and experiments are continuing to determine the optimal microclimate regimes in greenhouses for individual phases of seedling development, rational sowing schemes and seeding rates for coniferous seeds, and increasing the duration of using the substrate without replacement. Research is aimed at using all the possibilities for creating optimal moisture and temperature conditions not only for the seasonal cycle of plant development, but also for individual phases: seed germination, needles deployment, linear stem growth, and apical bud initiation (formation). On the basis of the separation of phases, the optimal sums of temperatures during the day and the limits of the daily average should be established, which will increase the energy of growth.
Gradually, the use of seedlings in forestry production is expanding, which guarantees a high safety of forest crops, reduces the number of necessary agrotechnical maintenance, and significantly increases the efficiency of reforestation work. The share of planting crops with spruce seedlings, for example, in the Latvian SSR and the Estonian SSR is 100%, in the Lithuanian SSR and the Byelorussian SSR - more than 80, Leningrad LHPO - 85, Pskov LHTPO - 88 and Moscow - 87%. In 1987, the volume of production of forest plantations by seedlings amounted to 122 thousand hectares in the country as a whole, including 112 thousand hectares under the system of the USSR State Forestry Committee.
Growing seedlings in nurseries goes in two directions. One of them provides for the preschooling of seedlings with the use of school planters (EMI-5, SSH-3/5, the orientation towards the use of tools with an automated feed is very promising). This method is especially widespread in conditions with heavy and medium-textured soils. The yield of seedlings per hectare is from 180 to 450 thousand. The second direction is the cultivation of seedlings (or enlarged seedlings) without re-schooling. The technology is based on the use of a spot seeder and the obligatory root pruning of seedlings of the second and third years of cultivation.It requires a high culture of production, as well as a carefully prepared substrate. The yield of plants per hectare can reach 600-700 mln.
Spot sowing (sowing with an address) provides savings in seed, the formation of favorable environmental conditions for plant growth, the best placement of them over the area, the ability to obtain large-sized seedlings due to additional agricultural techniques. It can be carried out with special single-grain planters and using a seed carrier. The seeders offered in our country and abroad are different in design and the principle of operation of the seeding devices; provide sowing with an address of only 75%, are difficult to operate and maintain. Seed carriers have different structures and are made in the form of cords, nets, ribbons, plates, mats, etc .; promising polymer water-soluble in the form of a film (polyethylene) with seeds embedded in it. The use of water-soluble carriers makes it possible to carry out 100% sowing with an address and thereby reduce the rate of seed consumption, create favorable environmental conditions, increase soil germination, enhance the biological energy of seeds for harmonious growth and development of seedlings.
Water-soluble seed carriers recommended by MLTI, made from cellulose ethers, are completely non-toxic, dissolve quickly in a humid environment, have acidity favorable for seed germination and seedling growth (pH 4.5-5.5), good technical data (thickness 25-30 microns ), tensile strength 40-50 MPa. With the appropriate selection of the filler, it is possible to obtain good indicators not only in the exact placement of seeds, but also in the yield of seedlings.
The cultivation of PMZK is one of the promising areas for improving the quality and efficiency of reforestation. In the opinion of foresters, with its use, the laying of forest cultures should be carried out on 1/3 of the areas planned for planting. Its advantages have been proven in areas with excessive moisture and an arid climate, as well as in protective and mountain forestry. In addition to the above, an important advantage lies in the possibility of extending silvicultural work for the entire warm season, and this provides access to places difficult for transport means, a decrease in the need for labor in the spring, the possibility of creating long-term silvicultural teams, the development of advanced forms of organization and payment. labor, rental and self-supporting relations. The high degree of industrialization of work in the nursery, the guaranteed safety of the PMZK during transportation, increase the attractiveness of labor, allow the creation of mobile, technically armed specialized teams.
Our country uses equipment for the production of planting material "Briquette" and "Brick"; in the Lithuanian SSR, 17% of the total amount of planting material is grown using locally produced equipment.
A pilot line with a capacity of up to 5 million PMZK per year operates at the Kalsnava VOC. In 1988 alone, 2.1 million seedlings were produced, of which 1.7 million were sold to forestry enterprises.
In total, 12 flow-mechanized lines for the production of large-sized seedlings in rolls or packages were put into operation in the RSFSR, the Kazakh SSR and the Ukrainian SSR.
With considerable achievements, further improvement of technology is still required in the direction of increasing productivity and reducing the labor intensity of work in the nursery, transporting planting material and creating forest crops. LenNIILKh, for example, has created a flow-mechanized line LKS-100, which has passed state tests and is recommended for production. The line and the complex of machines for it provide a high level of mechanization with elements of automation of work from transportation, loading, unloading and preparation of the substrate to the transportation of seedlings to silvicultural areas.The technological process includes preparation of the substrate, filling the cells of block containers with it, sowing seeds into cells and mulching, delivery of containers to the greenhouse. Replaceable capacity - up to 100 thousand and more cells. The technological equipment is as follows: peat sifting and substrate preparation unit; installation SM-0,15 for sorting and calibration of coniferous seeds; equipment for filling the cells of block containers with a substrate with a given density, sowing and mulching seeds; storage container. The substrate is formed in the cells of block containers with a volume of 100 to 800 cm3. Containers made of expanded polystyrene and high-pressure polyethylene with a cell volume of 300 and 435 cm3, respectively, have been developed and are being manufactured. A package (21 containers) is delivered from the storage bin on a specially equipped tractor T-16M to the greenhouse with an automatic ventilation system "microclimate" and a mobile unit DPT-2.5 for irrigation.
The technology of growing seedlings of PMZK provides for placing containers in greenhouses on stands 10 cm high from the ground, treating the substrate with simazine, applying additional fertilizing, weeding, protecting seedlings from fungal diseases. In the second year, the seedlings are taken out of the greenhouses and grown on an open ground. Before being sent to the silvicultural area, they are treated with synthetic pyrethroids, placed in cardboard boxes and delivered by an OPK-3 tractor container carrier or an automobile (based on KamAZ-150) designed by NPO Silava. The first of them is loaded with up to 5 thousand PMZK, the second - 150 thousand. The safety of plants is ensured for a long time, which makes it possible to increase the radius of service to 100 km and more.
LenNIILKh and Soyuzgiproleskhoz carried out experimental checks on 86 plots of crops established by PMZK in the Pskov and Leningrad regions, which showed a high survival rate and safety of crops. The cost of growing 1 thousand PMZK is 40-45 rubles, which practically does not exceed the cost of seedlings with open roots of the same quality class. At the same time, the reserves for reducing the cost of growing PMZK are far from exhausted and with their mass production, the cost of creating crops will not exceed that when using conventional planting material. Wide international experience fully confirms this. In our country, the limiting factors are the insufficient level of organization of the cultivation of PMZK and the low qualification of workers.
To solve the problem of improving the structure of nursery farming in combination with the development of the base of selective seed production in the country, a network of regional centers is being created, where the cultivation of seeds with improved hereditary properties and planting material will be concentrated on the basis of mechanization and automation. The creation of sustainable financial independence of the centers will be facilitated by the cultivation of seedlings of ornamental and fruit and berry species for local consumers and the population, as well as seedlings of agricultural crops.
Large mechanized nurseries and greenhouse-nursery complexes with comprehensive mechanization of production processes, including sorting of planting material, should become the main base of the nursery economy. There should also be the necessary workshops, premises for storing sorted planting material, warehouses, greenhouses and other farms, as well as objects of selective seed production. They should first of all introduce the achievements of agricultural technology and the best technologies, apply rational crop rotations, fertilizers, herbicides and arboricides, growth substances.
To retain highly qualified specialists and workers, it is necessary to provide all opportunities for their professional and cultural growth, to pay the most serious attention to creating working and living conditions at the modern level.
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Gardening Vyacheslav Levenets
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2015-04-09 
Saplings
Many aspiring farmers and hobby gardeners want to develop intensive orchards but face problems, mainly of a financial nature. Virus-free planting material is expensive, of course, it would be more rational to grow it yourself in order to save money.
However, novice gardeners do not have enough knowledge, practical experience, which allows them to act confidently and get good results. I am often asked questions about nursery, so I decided to summarize them and briefly outline the technology for growing annual seedlings in this article.
To grow modern seedlings for an intensive garden with a minimum cost, it is necessary to organize a closed technological cycle for their production. This will require:
- Establish virus-free mother plants of clonal rootstocks (M-9, P-60, etc.) of fruit crops selected for cultivation;
- Plant a virus-free uterine-cuttings garden with modern varieties.
These are the two main components of the closed cycle technology, which significantly reduce the cost of growing seedlings. The acquisition of virus-free material for the mother plants of clonal rootstocks and for a varietal mother-cuttings garden requires minimal costs, which cannot be dispensed with.
Laying the mother plant of dwarf clonal rootstocks
In the area set aside for the mother plant, I dig a trench 30 cm deep and plant the acquired stock at a distance of 25–33 cm from each other. To facilitate the horizontal bending of the seedling to the ground in the future, I plant the plants at an angle of 45 °. I choose the width of the row spacing in the area with mechanized processing taking into account the parameters of the technical means used. For manual processing, it should be 1 m.
Fig. 1. Bookmark the mother liquor
When planting, I do not fill the trench to the top, but leave a groove 10 cm deep - for better root formation of the future stock and saving mulching sawdust. I plant the stock in the mother plant in the fall and mulch, protecting it from freezing temperatures, or in early spring, with the beginning of field work. Care for the mother liquor during the growing season consists in regular weed control, weekly watering, as well as chemical protection from pests and diseases.
I carry out horizontal laying of mother plants at the end of August or at the beginning of September. Before that, it is necessary to cut off all the shoots (leaving hemp 0.5-1 cm high), as well as the tops of the plants. At the base of the plants, from the side of the bend, you need to rake off the earth so as not to break the fragile wood, bend the trees, lay them horizontally and attach them to the soil with brackets. To avoid freezing of seedlings, it is necessary to cover the mother plant with any mulching material for the winter.
I open the mother plant in early spring, when the threat of frost to -10 ° C has passed. These work must be done very carefully so as not to damage the kidneys. It is advisable to open the mother plants as early as possible, while the buds are in a dormant state, and apply mineral fertilizers - nitroammofosk with the addition of 30% calcium nitrate, scattering them over the entire area of plant nutrition.
The first hilling with mulch in the mother liquor during the growing season is done after the shoots regrowth up to 20-25 cm. If regrowth is uneven, you need to wait until weaker shoots grow up so as not to fall asleep. As a rule, shoots grow more actively near the base of the mother plant.
As the shoots grow, it is necessary to huddle until the mound of mulch reaches 25 cm in height and 60–70 cm in width at the base. If the plants are undernourished, they should be sprayed several times with 1% urea solution.
I disconnect the cuttings of clonal rootstocks from mother plants in late autumn, at the end of November, so that the young roots that have grown in mulch have time to mature.To do this, I rake off the mulch on both sides with a hoe, cut off the rooted layers with a pruner, leaving hemp about 1 cm long on the mother plants.
In the first three years, it is not recommended to break out the layers on the stocks M-9 and P-60, since the destruction of dormant buds at the base of the shoots sharply reduces the productivity of the mother plant. In a mother liquor older than three years, breaking out layers is permissible.
After detaching the rooted layers, I sort them. I winter graft on rootstocks with a thickness of 4 mm and more. A rootstock of a smaller thickness is immediately planted in a school for growing (distance in a row when planting - 2 cm) and mulch. The next year, by the fall, they have time to form a very good root system, due to which elite seedlings are obtained.
Fig. 2. First garter
I cut the rootstocks thicker than 4 mm to 50 cm, tie them into bundles of 50 pieces, put the roots in a clay mash, sprinkle them with wet sawdust, cover them with foil on top and store them in the basement.
There should be no vegetables in the basement where rootstocks and seedlings are stored, as they release ethylene, which damages the buds and root system of plants.
The laying of the mother-cuttings garden and the mother plants of clonal rootstocks coincides in time and is carried out simultaneously in the same year with highly productive technological and promising varieties, according to the scheme 0.8-1 X 2-2.5 m. In the future, in order not to increase the area of the uterine-cuttings garden, other new varieties can be grafted into the crown.
Grafting with uterine cuttings on clonal rootstocks
For grafting, use only cuttings from the uterine-cuttings garden from seedlings or a young, not yet fertile garden, from a fertile one - it is not recommended.
I inoculate seedlings of pome crops with winter grafting, stone fruits - by budding. Why is that?
Firstly, I do the vaccination in February, when there is no urgent work in the garden and fruit nursery, in comfortable conditions, in a warm room.
Secondly, during the winter I manage to acquire the missing gene pool of new varieties that interest me.
Of course, oculants are more powerful and higher than seedlings from winter grafting, but I believe that this indicator is losing its relevance today. Excessively strong trees are good for sale, and from the point of view of subsequent survival in the garden, seedlings of moderate sizes are preferable.
Fig. 3. Pear rootstock mother plant BA-29
Oculants have a more powerful root system and give intensive vegetative growth, therefore, are less productive. In a seedling obtained from winter grafting, the "return" after planting in the garden will be higher. Such seedlings look weak, they are more difficult to sell on the market, but they work better for the harvest, for the production of fruits, and not for growing wood.
Best time for winter vaccination - the middle of winter, when the rootstock and scion are in a state of deep dormancy. The stock has been stored in the basement in wet sawdust since autumn. I harvest the cuttings until frost, in early December, and store them in the basement, like the stock. Considering that in our region there was no case of freezing of annual shoots, I prepare them from the uterine-cuttings garden immediately before grafting. I tie the cuttings of each variety into bunches, attach a label with the name of the variety to each.
Before vaccination I bring the stock and cuttings into a warm room. Then I wash them thoroughly and soak them in the water in which they are during and after vaccinations, for a total of at least a day. This technique has a positive effect on the process of callus formation and helps to improve the survival rate of grafted plants.
I inoculate in the way of improved copulation using a rootstock with a thickness of 4 mm and more. To do this, on the scion and rootstock, I make oblique cuts 2.5–3 cm long. I cut the tongue one third from the edge of the oblique cuts. Then I connect the stock and the scion so that the cambial layers coincide (in the worst case, the coincidence should be on one side) and tie the grafting site with tape.
In order for the cambial layers to coincide on both sides, it is necessary to select the thickness of the rootstock and scion of the same diameter. To make it easier to choose the diameters, I cut the cuttings of the same variety with two or three buds of different thicknesses and lay them out on the table, then I arbitrarily take a stock of any diameter and select the thickness of the scion. Therefore, I do not sort the stock by fractions before storing it.
In bundles, tied by 50 pieces, there is a stock of different diameters. This speeds up the selection of rootstock and cuttings by diameter during grafting, thus increasing labor productivity. This is my practice, I find this method convenient, although I suppose that it can be challenged by other practitioners.
Inoculation height from the base of the clonal rootstock 40–45 cm, taking into account the planting of the seedling to a depth of 20 cm.
After vaccination I grease the top cut of the grafted cutting of one variety with garden varnish, and attach a label with the name of the variety to each seedling. The labels are made of food grade aluminum, which is easy to write on with a ballpoint pen, does not rust and is durable. I fasten such labels with copper wire to the stock, below the grafting.
Then I tie all the grafted seedlings of the same variety into a bunch, dip the roots in a clay mash and put them in a plastic bag. If the size of the bag allows, I put several bunches of different varieties, I tie all the bunches below the inoculation site so as not to damage. Packaged vaccinations are placed for stratification in a warm room (temperature 24-25 ° C). After 5 days, I put them in the basement, put them in a vertical position, and so they are stored until the beginning of spring work.
I plant grafts in the nursery in early spring according to the scheme 0.2-0.25 × 1m. I manually dig a trench 20 cm deep. I put the grafted seedlings on the side of the trench, measuring the required distance, and half-fill it with earth.
I take the seedlings with one hand by the rootstock and lift them, setting them vertically. It is impossible to take the scion part so as not to damage the vaccine. After installing all the plants in the row, I fill the trench with a shovel and very carefully, so as not to damage the young roots of the stock, I tamp the earth along the row.
All work is done under the cord.
Caring for plants in a fruit nursery during the growing season consists in regular watering, feeding, weeding from weeds, loosening the formed crust, systematic removal of the rootstock under the grafts.
Growing and selling seedlings
A standard seedling cannot be grown without installing an individual support. Supports can be used bamboo, wood, metal. In my nursery, the supports are made of wire with a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 175 cm. At 20–25 cm in length, the support is buried in the ground, and I tie the growing seedling guide to the rest of the part.
When shoots 20–25 cm long grow on the scion part, I set up the supports and make the first, main garter.
To do this, first remove all shoots below the graft, if any. First of all, I tie the stock below the graft to the support, then the graft in the place below the young shoot of the future guide. Then, if necessary, I tie up the escape of the selected conductor on its matured part. And only after the completion of the garter, I break out the rest, "extra" shoots of the cultivar.
Thus, after the first garter, only one shoot remains - the "guide", the seedling is leveled at the base. After that, I remove the label and screw it to the top of the support. In the future, as the seedling grows 30–40 cm, I tie it to a support throughout the growing season. In July, after the intensive growth of plants on grafting, I cut the scotch tape to prevent constrictions.
Watering and feeding can be combined. In hot weather, I water it once a week. If there is a need to feed the plants, before watering, I sprinkle nitrogen fertilizer along the row, preferably urea, since it does not acidify the soil.
In mid-August, I finish watering and feeding in order to stop the growth of plants in a timely manner and enable the seedling wood to ripen, that is, to prepare it for winter. It is advisable to carry out the last dressing with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. After each watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil, simultaneously destroying weeds, as a result of which there is no need to apply herbicides.
Protective measures against diseases and pests in the nursery must be carried out very carefully, at the same time as the agrotechnical processing of the garden.
I start selling seedlings in October directly from the nursery and, if the weather is favorable, I continue until the end of November. After the first frost, I dig out non-standard seedlings, tie them into bunches and put them for storage in the basement as described above.
In the spring I plant them in the next field of the nursery for growing. I cut some of them for re-growth, some, mainly with a well-ripened upper bud, I grow without pruning. I apply a differentiated approach to each plant.
Unsold seedlings (I have about 15% of the total number prepared for sale) in the second half of November I dig up and store in the basement all winter, and in the spring I sell them.
I do not bring my products to trade fairs or markets. A huge drawback, which many sellers in the markets sin, is the unprofessional storage of plants during sale. There are no labels with the names of varieties, the seedlings are injured, overdried.
Another thing is when the gardener independently chooses the seedlings of the varieties he needs right in the nursery, controlling the quality of each plant. With this method of selling the planting material, the trees receive minimal stress, and healthy seedlings are a guarantee of the stability of future yields.
How to plant a purchased seedling correctly?
In a hole prepared and filled with organic and mineral fertilizers, I plant the seedling so that the graft is 20 cm above the soil surface for low and medium-sized varieties, and 25 cm for vigorous ones.
After planting, I install a support, to which I tie the seedling in two places so that it does not sway with the wind, as this undermines the young roots that have taken root.
In our region, the best planting time is autumn. Since the root system works all year round, the seedling manages to take root and starts growing faster before the growing season. For the winter, I mulch the seedlings, wrap the trunks with sacking or paper. It is not recommended to cut off such seedlings or pick flowers (10% of seedlings have flower buds in the nursery).
Fig. 4. 3-year intensive garden
Formation in the first year of the growing season is that all branches formed above the trunk (80-110 cm) must be diverted horizontally from the conductor. This can be done in any way (clothespin, brace, weight, etc.).
In the second year of life, young trees bloom and begin to work for the harvest. I use the pruner only if a competing conductor appears, which grows at an acute angle and does not lend itself to bending.
In conclusion, I would like to note that growing seedlings is a creative and painstaking business, all technological operations, as links in one chain, are equally important. It is difficult to grow varietal planting material, but if you love the land and love to work on it, work is not a burden. I wish all gardeners good harvests!
Vyacheslav Levenets (Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine)
The value and structure of nurseries
The cultivation of high-quality planting material in the required quantity and range serves as the basis for the intensification of fruit growing, since the seedlings largely determine the species and varietal composition, durability and productivity of the laid industrial gardens.In our country, seedlings are grown in state nurseries and fruit growing farms or in specialized departments of fruit state farms and collective farms.
A modern industrial nursery with a relatively small area is rather complex in structure. It has special broodstock and nursery plantations and crop rotations; on its territory there is a complex of industrial buildings and technological facilities: warehouses for storing seeds, refrigerators and cellars for storing cuttings and stratification of seeds, specialized rooms for winter grafting, near-plots for temporary and winter storage. seedlings, premises for sale, packaging and shipment of planting material, etc. (Fig. 11). The main components of the fruit nursery are as follows.
1. The division of uterine plantings includes: a) a uterine-rootstock (seed) garden, in which seeds are obtained for the preparation of rootstocks; b) mother plant of vegetatively propagated rootstocks; c) uterine-varietal garden, which provides the nursery with cuttings for grafting; d) uterine berry plantations, in which healthy planting material is obtained for laying marketable plantations (strawberry whiskers, raspberry root suckers) and schools of berry seedlings (layering, lignified and green cuttings of gooseberries, currants and other fruit plants); e) a mother-seed garden of forest and ornamental plants for obtaining seeds, cuttings and cuttings of these species.
2. The breeding section consists of a breeding section for seed stocks and a breeding section for clonal stocks, berries, fruit, forest and ornamental plants.
3. The department of growing (forming) seedlings includes a school of seedlings of grafted and rooted woody fruit plants, a school of seedlings of berry plants and a school of seedlings of forest and ornamental plants.
Nursery organization
All components of the nursery must be sized to ensure the normal operation of adjacent departments and the mandatory fulfillment of planned targets for the production of seedlings of fruit, berry and ornamental plants. The size of the next fields in the growing, or formation, and reproduction department is set taking into account the planned target for the gross output of seedlings and from 1 hectare. The sizes of the main components are determined by calculation or by approximate standards (Table 6).
If possible, industrial nurseries are located in the center of the service area, near highways, railways, etc. They should have good access roads.
When organizing a nursery, leveled irrigated areas with slight slopes (up to 3-5 °) are selected. Plots and soils suitable for an intensive garden in a given soil-climatic zone can also be used for organizing a nursery. The soils should be well cultivated, of medium texture, with a favorable thermal and water-air regime. The school of seedlings and berries, as well as uterine plantings of clonal rootstocks and berries are placed in the best areas. In areas of insufficient moisture and drought, they are irrigated first. Areas with a very rugged relief, with microdepressions, with a close standing groundwater (at least 2.5 m for mother gardens and 1.5 m for other branches), with infertile, very light or heavy, saline soils are unsuitable for nurseries.
When establishing the total area for a fruit nursery, in addition to the area for main crops, economic and industrial buildings, it is necessary to provide an area for catch crops in crop rotations, as well as for laying protective plantings and organizing a road network. The size of the catch crop area depends on the crop rotation pattern.For the establishment of protective plantings and roads, the area of uterine-seed plantations is increased by 15-20%, and for crop rotation the area of the seedling school, the school of berry-growing and the school of seedlings - by 20-25%.
After the place for the nursery has been selected and all its parts have been placed, the entire area is divided into quarters, around which protective plantings of tall and rapidly growing forest species are planted and roads are laid. In broodstock and seed plantations, the size of the quarters is the same as in ordinary orchards, in the seedling school and the berry school - 3-8 hectares, and in the fields of formation - 8-12 hectares. The most expedient is the rectangular shape of the quarters with the aspect ratio 1: 2 - 1: 3. This form enables more efficient use of tractors and machines. The blocks have their long side across the direction of the most harmful winds, and in erosion-hazardous areas - across the slopes, which can sharply reduce soil erosion (soil cultivation is carried out across the slopes).
Each nursery has a "Nursery Book", which reflects all technological operations and the movement of planting material by branches, individual fields and areas of the nursery, it records the alternation of fields in crop rotation and the release of seedlings. The Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR issues a patent to the nursery, or a passport of the established form, for the right to produce and sell healthy planting material for horticultural crops.
Crop rotations in the nursery
Long-term permanent cultivation of the same crops in one place leads to a one-sided depletion of the soil, deterioration of its agrochemical and physical properties, to the accumulation of weeds, pests and diseases specific to each crop or group of crops with close biological characteristics, as a result of which growth worsens and decreases plant productivity.
For example, strawberries absorb a large amount of nitrogen and potassium from the soil, currants - phosphorus, potassium, calcium. Woody fruit plants have little demand for phosphorus. The apple tree is strongly affected in the nursery by root crayfish, strawberries, in permanent cultivation, by gray rot, nematodes, etc. Specific pests and pathogens remain in the soil for 2-4 years. Therefore, seedlings and seedlings of fruit and berry species should be re-grown in the same place no earlier than after 3-4 years, and strawberries - after 4-5 years.
Brood plantations and nursery fields should be spatially isolated from commercial plantations and production plantations in order to avoid contamination of planting material with pests and diseases. These disadvantages are eliminated by crop rotations.
In addition, crop rotations contribute to the planned management of the economy, determine the strict rotation of crops for a long period, which allows a clear system of agrotechnical measures, prepares the soil in advance, uses fertilizers most effectively, etc.
In fruit growing, crop rotations are widely used in nurseries and in the cultivation of strawberries. In nurseries, as a rule, two crop rotations are introduced: in the seedling school and in the seedling school.
When growing a large number of currant and gooseberry seedlings, a third crop rotation is often introduced - at the school of berry growers.
When developing a crop rotation structure, local soil and climatic conditions, biological characteristics of plants, plans for the development of fruit growing and other sectors of the economy, organizational and economic capabilities of the economy, etc., are taken into account (Table 7). For each crop rotation, appropriate zonal fertilization and tillage systems are developed.
Growing healthy planting material
The system for the production of healthy, virus-free planting material for fruit, berries and grapes, recommended by the USSR Ministry of Agriculture, includes the following measures.
one.In experimental production farms of scientific institutions and educational and experimental farms of higher agricultural educational institutions, the original mother plants of zoned and promising varieties of fruit, berry crops, grapes and rootstocks are isolated and they are rehabilitated from dangerous diseases and pests.
2. In the same farms, elite planting material is grown, free from dangerous pests and diseases, including viral ones. Elite saplings are laid on uterine plantings in fruit-growing farms.
3. Nursery farms on the basis of established elite mother plantations grow healthy pure-grade planting material to provide healthy seedlings to state farms, collective farms and the population.
Compliance with these measures, as well as the use of correct crop rotations, allows you to grow healthy seedlings, free from dangerous diseases.
