Site selection for orchard

1. Climate

• The climate is an important factor which determines the plant growth and development
• The important climatic factors are temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity, etc. selection of fruit crops suitable to particular agro climatic region should be kept in mind while establishing the fruit orchard
• The fruits suitable for different agro climatic regions are listed below:

a. Tropical fruits:

• mango, papaya, banana, pineapple, sapota, cashew nut, coconut, arecanut, groundnut and melons

b. Sub-tropical fruits:

• guava, grape, litchi, citrus, date palm, pomegranate and low chilling cultivars of peach, pear, etc. c. Temperate fruits: • apple, pear peach ,plum, blackberry, strawberry, apricot, walnut, etc

2. Soil

• Soil having P H 6-7, good fertility, 3m depth( no stones or rocks up to 3 m) and uniform sub soil texture is considered good for orchard establishment
• Shallow soil with rocky substrate should be avoided for fruit production
• Soil should be free from water logging condition ,water logging condition is highly harmful to peach papaya and citrus but coconut can sustain water logging condition to some extent
• Soil moisture condition is another major consideration for the growth of the plants
• In sandy soil water holding capacity is very poor, the applied water moves away from the root zone of the plant very quickly

3. Location and site

• The orcharding in already established fruit belt should be preferred. In established area the government aids, subsidies etc. become easily available to the growers. All the technical inputs, skilled labor, specific equipment etc. can be easily approached /hired/procured in such areas
• The orchard produce is highly perishable in nature. Quick disposal of the produce is necessary to prevent losses. For this the site should be well connected by road or other means of transportation. The market should be in the vicinity of orcharding site. It reduces transportation cost

• Sharing of enterprises with local growers will be helpful for growing horticultural crops in particular locality
• Besides, other facilities like marketing and storage of products, orchard management materials, plant requirement(mechanical),etc. will be easily available.
• The orchard crops being intensely cared, the availability of work force should be properly understood
• The orcharding should not be located in hot spot areas (pest/disease prone area) which makes the plant vulnerable to pest or disease
• The selected site should be away from industrial establishment. The wastes and emissions of industrial origin badly affect the growth and production of the orchard
• The site should not be a wind or flood prone area

4. Perennial source of irrigation:

• Plant can’t exist without water
• A perennial source of irrigation is necessary near the orchard is a prerequisite, before establishing the orchard
• Sources of water may be a canal, a well, a shallow or deep tube well, which should be established before planting
• Installation of drip irrigation may be highly scientific method from the efficiency point of view
• Water plays vital role in photosynthesis and other plant metabolic processes
• Thus water is basic need for plant that makes perennial irrigation an essential requirement for orchard management