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| AGRICULTURE TRIBUNE | Monday, March 10, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
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Field trial success rate need not be low Thin out the peaches TREE TALK
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Field trial success rate need not be low Technology developed by farm scientists is meaningless
unless it reaches its ultimate user, the farmer. Before it finally
reaches the farmer, a technology has to pass through several tests and
trials. It has to be tested at farmers’ fields. The same principal
applies on crop varieties too. Extension workers and scientists
frequently face problems in conducting trials on farmers’ fields,
like failure of trials, non-availability of complete and reliable data
and distortion of experimental conditions, etc. Obtaining yield data
on a field, particularly in case of vegetable crops, which are picked
several times instead of being harvested once, is even more difficult.
It is so because farmers often mix the yields of different treatments
and replications. Thus, it is difficult—though not impossible—to
monitor trials on farmers’ fields as compared to research farms.
Pitfalls
Communication gap: Farmers rarely inform the field
scientists about the field operations, i.e., when they irrigate the
field, or sow or harvest the crop. They proceed according to their own
convenience. Thus it is the person conducting the trial who should
approach the farmer from time to time. It is observed that to monitor
properly a trial in a vegetable like tomato, a field has to be visited
15-20 times. Ignorance: Occasionally, trials fail when farmers
are not fully aware of the practices to be followed in growing a
particular crop, as the crop may be new to them. Trial conditions:
At times, farmers going by their own "ideas" or out of
ignorance apply certain inputs, thus altering the conditions of trial,
like addition of fertiliser in fertiliser trials. In a particular
nematological trial, a farmer applied an extra fertiliser dose in ‘Molya’
disease infested patches in a wheat field in spite of having been
instructed not to do so, thus forfeiting the objectives of the
trial. Pest and disease attack: Insect pests, diseases and
nematodes also become the cause of failure of a trial. Therefore,
these should be controlled in time by adopting appropriate protection
measures. Weed infestation: In several cases farmers plough in
their crop due to severe weed problems. Proper weed management
practices should be conveyed (except in weed management trials) to
avoid such situations. Natural calamities: Unfavourable
weather conditions and other calamities like heavy rain, flood,
drought, or hailstorm may also cause a trial to fail, and these
factors are beyond control. Farmers’ limitations: Farmers
have their own limitations too. They face several problems in raising
crops: financial, labour, unavailability of inputs, shortage of
electricity, machinery failure, etc. All these may be contributing
factors in the failure of trials.
Selecting farmers The
most important step in conducting an adaptive research or
demonstration trial is to select a suitable farmer. The ideal
candidate should meet the following criteria: Location: To
keep an eye on the farm activities such as ploughing, sowing,
irrigation, application of pesticides, harvesting, etc., the field
should be located close to the place of working of the scientists
concerned. It should preferably be connected by a pucca road so that
it can be visited easily. Cooperative: A trial can be
completed successfully only if the farmer is cooperative enough and
follows the suggested practices and technology sincerely. Interest:
For trial on a particular variety or new technology, the farmer
concerned should be responsive and really interested in its adoption.
It should not be imposed on him. Knowledge: A trial should be
given to a farmer who already has a good knowledge about that
particular crop. This will help in proper care and maintenance of the
trial. On the contrary, if a crop is new to a farmer, it is likely
that he might commit some mistake and follow a wrong agronomical
practice at any stage. Easily approachable: The farmer should
be easily available at his farm or home. Some farmers are involved in
other activities and many a times are not available for required
discussion, questions or timely actions for the trial.
Overcoming
hurdles Better communication: It can be achieved by
frequent visits to the trial farm. Scientists should follow the ‘do
it yourself’ approach and carry out all operations like layout,
sowing, data and yield collection in their presence. They should not
rely on the farmer for these things. Be clear: Before laying
out a trial, clearly explain to the farmer the purpose of the trial,
its advantages, inputs to be given and those used by the farmer, and
the practices to be followed as well as not to be followed. Incentive:
A farmer may not accept a trial if he is given only suggestions
and no inputs. So provide at least some, if not all, inputs for the
trial. Meet expectations: A farmer expects from an
agriculturist not only information on the scientist’s field of work,
but also on various other aspects of crop production. Therefore, an
agricultural scientist/ extension worker should have knowledge of all
crops grown by the farmer. If a scientist says "I do not
know," or is unable to satisfy a farmer, he may loose
credibility. If there is confusion about anything, do not bluff the
farmer, but try to solve the problem by consulting other experts.
Also, extend help in his personal problems. Such small efforts and
guidance can be of immense help to a farmer. This attitude can help in
developing intimacy with the farmer. |
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Thin out the peaches Under natural conditions most fruit varieties tend to set more fruit than desirable. Such over-fruiting leads to limb breakage and inferior fruit. Fruit growers should allow their trees to bear only as large a crop as would not adversely affect tree health and produce quality fruit. This can be achieved by crop regulation—the removal of some part of the fruit crop from the trees before its maturity. The major thinning practices for peach are dormant pruning, flower and fruit thinning Dormant pruning: Normally peach trees bear fruit on one-year old branches. Therefore, regular dormant pruning during January is essential. In young fruit bearing peach trees 40 per cent thinning of the fruit-bearing shoots annually is desirable. In old fruit-bearing trees, in addition to the 40 per cent thinning of ‘fruitful’ shoots, some heading back of old and lengthy branches is also done. This maintains tree vigour and reduces the total crop load, increasing the marketable yield. Hand thinning: This is the most appropriate method. It is simply pulling or picking off immature fruit from the shoots about one month before harvesting. This period coincides with or is just before pit or stone hardening stage. In general, this is in third to fourth week of March for the Shan-i-Punjab and second and third week of March for Partap cultivars of peach. In this operation, first shake the branches gently, which will result in dropping-off of weak fruit. The remaining fruit should be thinned so as to a leave a gap of 10-15 cm in between. However, the small, misshapen or diseased fruits should always be removed. The timing of thinning is directly related to the size of the fruit because the earlier it is thinned the greater the benefit. Although thinning decreases the yield, it is compensated by an increase in fruit weight and price. Y.R.Chanana, G.S.Kaundal and J.S.Kanwar
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TREE TALK Gulmohur is an important ornamental tree that stays in
flower longer than most other tree species in its usual habitat. It is
raised as a flowering tree for beautification along highways, railway
tracks, canal banks, housing lanes, estate boundaries, walks, and
compounds of new colonies, and residential areas. Its scientific name
is Poinciana regia. Some scientists call it Delonix elata also. The
Family is Leguminosae (Caesalpinioideae). Legend has it that the tree
is named gulmohur because its flower looks like gul (rose) and the
leaf spread appears like the feathers of a mor (peacock). Other
popular names of the species are flamboyant, gulmor, royal peacock
flower, Pentecost tree, Holy Ghost tree, etc. In Indian languages and
dialects it is called doddarat, nagandhi, katikaya, alasipopu, malayaa,
Krishan choora, etc. Since the tree blooms profusely in large corymbs,
like a ball of fire, it is also called the ‘flame of forest’. Gulmohur
is a native of the Madagascar and Mauritius islands. There it grows
naturally. It is now found allover Asia — rather over all parts of
the world — from seacoast to a height of about 1000 m, having
favourable environment obtainable in tropical, subtropical and
temperate regions. It does comparatively better in warm and damp
locales.
Phenology A fast growing species, flowering
commences as early as 3 to 4 years of age. The tree matures in about
40 years, by when it attains a height of about 10 to 15 m. Its bole is
cylindrical with numerous branches spreading evenly in all directions.
Experienced gardeners train its canopy such that the crown attains an
umbrella like shape—some times measuring 5 to 10 m in diameter. The
leaf of gulmohur is compound. A large number of leaflets arise from
the mid-rib. A complete leaf measures nearly 30-50 cm x 15-25 cm. It
is nearly evergreen, though its foliage is partly shed from December
to January. New sprouts appear during April / May. In between the tree
gets beautiful inflorescence, pink to mauve in colour. Blooming starts
during February/ March and stays till July/ August. The genus
Poinciana has sibling varieties too. These also bear similar flowers,
but in different shades—from orange to scarlet red. A peculiarity
of the gulmohur flower is that one of its petals is larger and also
showier in colour than the rest. The prominent petal can be white or
yellow with scarlet streaks. The fruit of gulmohur is a kind of pod,
green immediately on appearing and turns brown while ripening. These
remain on the tree for long, even till fresh fruiting starts.
The
wood Gulmohur wood is white and soft. It weighs nearly 14-16 kg
per cubic foot and is easy to work, but is seldom used as such because
it lacks durability. It is generally used as firewood when the plant
dies and dries. The main utility of the tree, thus, is only
ornamentation.
Regeneration Gulmohur regenerates itself
well from the seeds falling under mature mother trees. However, people
interested in cultivating it as an avenue tree, especially
professional nursery growers, raise stock of seedlings in nursery
beds. The seed is obtained during November/ December by chaffing the
pods from mature mother trees. These are then soaked in warm water for
about 24 hours and sown in nursery beds, directly or in polythene
bags. The seed may also be sown directly in the field in pits filled
with manured earth. Seeds germinate in 4 to 7 days. The transplanting
is generally done when the seedling is one year old. Interestingly,
gulmohur can also be raised from cuttings. In fact, cuttings are
considered more suitable for three reasons: 1) the stock being of a
bigger size, the new plant establishes easily and early; 2) the plant
attains good stature fast and also starts flowering early; 3) the
flowers borne by the new plant are of the same colour as those of the
mother plant. The best season for transplanting is monsoon. This is a
highly recommended tree for greenery and beautification of the
landscape wherever vacant space is available. |
