Belonging to the botanical family Rutaceae, the sweet orange Cultivation (Citrus sinensis) is one of the largest growing citrus species in the world. In India, farmers grow healthy fruit commercially on a large scale in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Mizoram. Sweet orange is one such fruit that provides ample amounts of vitamin C. Usually, people eat its fruit and drink its juice.
The fruit offers health benefits with high vitamin C, potassium, and a range of nutritious antioxidants and minerals. Apart from taking its peel and juice as fresh, healthy fruit, we can extensively use it in making other medicines. Other than this, it helps prevent high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney stones, stroke and asthma.
The operation of sweet orange cultivation needs equipment that should be trustworthy for every Indian farmer. Therefore, we suggest the Massey 6028 tractor, which is the best for Indian farmers and is often used in farming. Along with this, the Sonalika tractor is also the best.
Sweet Orange Cultivation Process
Here we are defining the complete procedure to describe it.
Soil
To cultivate sweet orange, loamy, well-drained soil with a stable texture up to 2-3 m from the soil is ideal. Equally, farmers can grow the sweet orange in heavy soils only if it has good drainage capacity; However, it usually yields lower yields than the former. Ensure that the soil’s pH level is within the range of 6.5-7.5 to maximize yield.
Climate
A tropical to semi-tropical climate with annual rainfall 600 mm to 700 mm is best suited for cultivators to grow high-quality sweet oranges demanded in the market. In addition, the temperature for sweet orange should be within the range of 30-40 degrees for best results.
Preparation of Lands
For land preparation in orange plantations, the land needs to be well ploughed and levelled. Then, farmers can plant in hilly areas on terraces against slopes. And high-density planting is possible on such land as more air space is available than on flat land.
Planting Time and Spacing
The ideal planting period is July to December. When planting, be sure to keep the bud joint above soil level. Water plants regularly and support them with a stick to avoid wind damage. Maintain a distance of 6 m x 6 m between each plant.
Manures and Fertilizers per Plant
Farmers need to apply the nitrogen supplements in equal proportions in March and October. Although they should introduce Farmyard manure, other fertilizers include phosphorus and potassium once more in October.
Ensure that they apply all the fertilizers in a circular belt, maintaining a distance of 120 cm from the base (trunk) of the tree. Next, consider using deep watering equipment to apply the fertilizer to a depth of 25 cm. Both techniques are most desired to help expand, and dispersed plant roots receive their essential nutrients equally. In addition, it accelerates plant growth and produces the highest yield.
To protect plants from mineral deficiency which is widely experienced, Zinc Sulphate @ 0.5%, Magnesium @ 0.5%, Manganese @ 0.05%, Iron @ 0.25%, Boron @ 0.1%, in addition to Molybdenum @ 0.003%. Consider spraying the solution. Additionally, you should nourish each plant with 25 grams of sulphate of zinc, manganese and iron each year to get the best results.
Irrigation
After planting, once every 10 days, consider shallow irrigation. However, avoid overwatering, which causes root rot and mold growth. Irrigate deeply after two irrigation as the roots reach deeper parts of the soil in the meantime, whereas deep irrigation is ideal for direct watering to the roots.
Remember that flowering and fruiting are more critical when plants require more frequent watering and can cause fruit drop irregularly. Avoid watering during monsoon.
Plant Protection
Important insect pests of citrus are Citrus black fly and whitefly, Citrus psylla, Citrus thrips, leaf miner, scale insects, bark eating caterpillar/trunk borer, fruit fly, fruit sucking moth, mites, etc.
1. Leaf miner
Azadirachtin (1%) @ 10 ml/l and second spray after one week of thiamethoxam 0.3 g + dichlorvos 0.5 ml or thiamethoxam 1 ml or NSKE 5% + dichlorovos 0.5 ml or imidacloprid (Confidor) immediately after shoots Spray 0.5 ml or Profenophos 2 ml per liter of water was recommended.
But care should be taken that the same chemical should not be sprayed repeatedly. Removal of water shoots that serve as an off-season source of survival.
2. Citrus Root Nematode
- During nursery transplanting, neem cake, castor cake, or Pongamia cake should be applied at 60-80 kg per 1% area.
- Do not grow solanaceous crops or okra, banana crops in citrus fruit orchards.
- Apply Carbofuran granules @ 130-160 g or Thimet @ 40-80 g per plant basin. After 3 months, apply 15-25 kg neem or castor or Pongamia cake per plant every 6 months, depending on the term of the plant.
- Farmers should select the seeds from a nematode-free nursery.
Pruning and Training
Periodically, remove fallen branches, disease or damaged branches that help to train the plants to grow with maximum vigour. In the primary stage, continue to remove shoots growing up to 50 cm above ground level.
Keep the centre stem open for fruiting with evenly distributed branches. Avoid pruning plants that are in the wet climates and those in the bearing stage. For best results, use Bordeaux paste 1%.
Intercrops
Inter-cropping initiatives can be a money-making effort for the cultivators, especially during the pre-bearing phase of sweet oranges. Consider growing short-lived legumes such as cucumber, along with black gram, green gram, cowpea, beans, Bengal gram, and cluster bean.
Harvesting
In general, all sweet oranges bear fruit after the fourth year. One month before harvesting, spraying potassium nitrate@5-10gm/Ltr of water can improve fruit size and make their skins smoother and richer in juice.
Due to climate advantages, there are two cropping seasons in a year in South India. Harvesting takes place in August-September and the second period in March-May. The estimated average yield is found to be around 16-20 t/acre.
In the procedure of complete guidelines, equipment is also pivotal in farming. Therefore we recommend the Farmtrac 60 tractor for sweet orange farming. Because the Farmtrac 60 price is so affordable for all Indian farmers.
For more information regarding sweet orange cultivation Business and any other cultivation, stay tuned with us.
