Mixed high density orcharding in dry lands.
Patil V. S., Sulikeri G. S.
Author Affiliation: Division of Horticulture, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad - 580 005, India.
Farming Systems 11 : 39-41
Abstract : The performance of a mixed high density orchard at Dharwad, India, is described. In 1975, a germplasm bank of 30 different mango cultivars/hybrids grafted on local seedlings was established at a 12 × 12 m spacing on a red gravelly soil with a slope of 1.1%. The following year, sapota cv. Cricket Ball and guava cv. Sardar trees were planted as intercrops to give a final spacing of 6 m between plants. Data are presented on yields and canopy spread of the 3 species (aged 16, 15 and 15 years old, respectively), and the canopy spread of 40-year-old mango trees growing in an adjacent plot at a 12 × 12 spacing. Actual areas covered/plant for 40- and 16-year-old mango trees were 67.3 and 23.2 m², respectively. Yields (fruits/tree) for mango, sapota and guava grown in the high density orchard were 400, 600 and 500, respectively, compared with 600, 1000 and 600 for trees grown under the normal spacing as single crops.