TRAINING OF FRUIT PLANTS A PRESENTATION BY MR. ALLAH DAD KHAN FORMER DG AGRICULTURE EXTENSION KP PROVINCE

Training of Fruit Plants Definition: Training can therefore be defined as ‘an operation done to a plant by which it is made to develop an frame work or structure land this is spreading on pergola with or without pruning of plant pears and training is usually done when the plant / shrubs vines are young. It is necessary to pay sufficient attention for training of plants during the first few years of planting. During this period, the pre planned frame work as decided by the grower should be allowed to develop. The main points to be kept in view while training the fruit these are:

Objects of Training: 1. To admit adequate sun light and air to the center of the tree and to expose maximum leaf area to the sun. 2. To limit the growth and spread of the tree so that various cultural operation such as spaying and harvesting are performed at minimum cost. 3. To build the frame work and arrangement of scaffold branches. 4. To build the structure of the tree is such heights at which the trees are less exposed for sunscald and wind damage.

Decision For Head of plant Before attachment to train of any tree, one should decide the height of the head or crown. Depending upon the height of the crown from ground level, the plants can be grouped in two: a) High Head and b) Low Head

a) High Head: In this case, the main branches are encouraged about one meter or higher up from the ground level. In case of these plants, cultural operations with animal or mechanically drawn implements can be carried out easily. In the tropical climate, the high headed trees are unsuitable as they are prone to sunscalted and wind damage

b) Low Head: Main branches forming the foundation frame work of the tree are encouraged on the trunk at a height of 1 meter from the ground level. The low headed trees are now becoming common all over the world as they come into bearing comparatively earlier, are able to resist stormy winds more effectively and spraying and harvesting expense are reduced.

How to Train the Plants : The formation of the main frame work of the tree is most important part of training. Usually two to four main branches are encouraged at almost the same height. These should be allowed be rise from different direction, at some distance from one another as to from a balanced head. These branches are called scaffold branches. The frame work is greatly strengthen if the branches are spaced at 15 cm apart vertically on the main tarn. If two or more branches of equal size are allowed to arise from one place, they from a bad crotch ehicjh is after prone to spilt stem except a few like pomegranate custard apple, fig, etc. which are better trained to two of three stems.

1. Central Leader: This system of training is adopted such types of trees which have a pronounced apical dominance. Here the main trunk grows undisturbed. On account of vigorous and rapid growth of the main trunk the tree develops a close center and grows to great heights. The side branches remain more on less shaped and consequently they would be lower in vigour and productivity. Since the plants would be very tall, the spraying and harvesting operation become difficult and costly e.g. pear and soma varieties of apple. This is not encouraged now.

2. Open Center: In this system, the main stem is allowed to grow only up to a certain height by heading within a year of planting and all the subsequent vegetative growth promoted by lateral branches. This results in a low head and as such the bulk of crop is bome closer to the ground. In contrast to the central later system, open center system all’s to sunshine to be equality distubuted to all the branches. The open center trained trees are more fruitful resides greatly facilitate the operation like spraying, thinning and harvesting however, the branches from weak croteches since the branches arise very close to one another almost from the same point. So there is a certain amount of risk of splitting of the branches when there is a heaver of fruit on the trees. in areas of highlight intensity, such trees suffer from sever sunscalted injuries, e.g Pear, Apple etc.

3. Modified Leader System: This system stands intermediate between the central leader and the open center, combining the advantages of both the system. It is developed first by training the tree to the leader type allowing the central stem to grow unsharpened for first four to five years. The main branches are allowed to arise on the main stem at reasonable intervals. After the required number of branches has arisen the main stem is cut off. The top laterals will take the place of the main stem. The result in a fairly strong and moderately spreading type of tress. E.g. Pear, Apple, Walnuts, etc.