This document discusses nursery management techniques for raising vegetable seedlings. It begins by grouping vegetables into those that are direct sown versus transplanted. Advantages of nursery growing are then outlined, including providing favorable growing conditions and avoiding weather issues. Principles around optimizing plant growth through rapid leaf canopy development are covered. Factors to consider when choosing a nursery site like environmental conditions and infrastructure access are also summarized. The document provides details on media, facilities, and procedures for raising healthy seedlings of various vegetable crops in nurseries.

1. NURSERY
MANAGEMENT
PRACHI
T.O. FTC, SUNDER NAGAR

4. GROUPS OF VEGETABLES BASED
ON PLANTING TECHNIQUES

DIRECT SOWN
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Peas, Beans, root Crops & cucurbits
TRANSPLANTED
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Tomato, Brinjal, Chillies, Capsicum, Onion, Cole
Crops, lettuce etc.

5. ADVANTAGES OF NURSERY GROWING
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EASY & CONVENIENT TO LOOK AFTER THE
TENDER & YOUNG SEEDLINGS IN SMALL &
COMPACT AREA
PROVIDES FAVOURABLE CONDITIONS FOR
GROWTH
HELPS IN AVOIDING A PART OF UNFAVOURABLE
WEATHER CONDITION
HELPS IN GETTING AN EARLY CROP
NURSERY PLANTS CAN BE EASILY PROTECTED
AGAINST INSECT PESTS & DISEASES
ECONOMY OF LAND, SEED & OTHER SOURCES

6. PRINCIPLE
Plant growth is related to the efficiency with
which increasing radiation is intercepted &
converted into useful plant products.
Direct seeded crops often grow slowly through
the seedling stage and show poor light
interception & much of the light falls on the bare
soil which is wasted. Light interception improves
directly with leaf canopy cover until a point is
reached where mutual shading reduces the
functioning efficiency of lower leaves. The ratio
of the leaf area to the area of ground covered is
known as Leaf Area Index(LAI)
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7. PRINCIPLE –cont.
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Maximum assimilation usually occurs on LAI of
about 5, although different species differed for
it. This is particularly relevant for crops such as
cabbage, cauliflower, brussel’s sprout, broccoli
etc. which form a dense spreading canopy.
It is always desirable that an optimum LAI
should be achieved as quickly as possible.
Transplanted vegetables produce the necessary
leaf canopy at a much faster rate than the
direct seeded crop and retain this advantage
provided there are no post planting checks and
crop growth restrictions.

8. 
Cost of seed also influences the
choice between direct seeding and
transplanting

9. Choosing a vegetable nursery
site
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1. Environmental factors
This refers to natural features of the land,
which may greatly influence the cost of
operation and facilitate management of the
nursery.

10. 
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a) Proximity to planting site (main field)
are:
i) Cost of transporting the seedlings to
the field is minimized.
ii) Less risk of loss of seedlings during
transportation, and seedling failure
after transplanting.
iii) Reducing the chances of
transmitting or redistributing soil-borne
pathogens through seedling roots or
earth balls over long distances.

11. 
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Land gradient (steepness of the land)
It is desirable to have the nursery on a level
ground with good drainage.
Nursery soils
Favourable soil conditions (good drainage,
absence of toxicity, fertile, etc.).
Water supply
A nursery should be located where a reliable,
abundant and inexpensive supply of
uncontaminated water is available. Water
supply could be from wells, boreholes, natural
streams or irrigation channel

12. 
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Proximity to services
Labour supply
b) Markets
c) Supplies
d) Services

13. Types of nursery facilities
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Greenhouses - environment fully
controlled
* Nethouse - environment partially
modified
* Open field - where climatic conditions
are normally favourable for the crops
grown.

14. Media for raising seedlings
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Soil ,perlite, vermiculite and peat moss
sufficiently firm enough and dense to hold
seeds in place during germination.
- sufficiently porous to let excess water drain
away
- have a high water holding capacity.
- free from weed seeds, nematodes and
other pathogens.
- high cation exchange capacity so that it can
provide nutrients
- able to withstand sterilization treatment

15. Raising of Healthy Nursery
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Quality Seed
Sufficient amount of Organic Matter in the
Nursery Area
Length of the nursery bed can be increased
or decreased depending on the land
availability
Breadth of the bed should not be 1 m & in no
case more than 1.2m to ensure weeding
without entering into the nursery bed

16. Raising of Healthy Nursery
Nursery Bed
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3m X1m X15cm
20-25 Kg well rotten FYM + 200g
12:32:16/SSP+15-20g DM-45+20-25 ml
Chroropyriphos

17. DETAILED PROCEDURE
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Seed treatment with fungicide with
captan/bavistin/Thiram @2-3g/ Kg
Sow the seeds in lines 5cm apart & cover with
thin layer of FYM
Cover the seeds with dry grass
Irrigate the beds twice in summers, both
morning & evening
One irrigation sufficient during winters
The beds must remain moist but not wet
otherwise “damping off disease of seedlings’’
appears

18. DETAILED PROCEDURE-cont.
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Thick sowing & sowing with broadcasting also
leads to damping off
After germination remove the dry grass during
day time but cover the beds at night during
winter period
If the disease damping off appears in nursery,
spray the nursery bed with DM-45 @ 0.25%
For good healthy seedlings, urea spray of 0.3
per cent can be given when plants are 8-10cm
tall
After 4-6 weeks, the plants become 10-15 cm
tall and are ready for transplanting

19. DETAILED PROCEDURE-cont.
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Stop irrigating the nursery beds 3-4 days before
the date of transplanting, so that the plants
harden
On the day of transplanting, irrigate the bed,
then uproot the seedlings for transplanting
Transplanting should always be done in the
afternoon & only the healthy seedlings should be
used for transplanting
Before transplanting the uprooted seedlings
should be dipped in 0.25% DM-45 & 0.05%
bavistin
Fix the plants well & water them daily till their
establishment in field

20. Beds are made, approximately 1 meter wide. They can be as
long a desired

21. A clear walking path between two beds is important to access beds on
both sides. Vermicompost and well-decomposed cow-dung are mixed
into the beds

22. The compost and dung are worked into the soil and large, hard chunks of
soil are either broken down or removed so that the bed is fine and
powdery. Using a stick, furrows are made along the width the of the bed,
leaving a gap of approximately 5cm or as wide as four-fingers

23. Bed preparations in scientific way

24. Seeds are sprinkled in a straight line into the
furrows

25. After sowing seeds, sprinkle a thin layer of soil and compsot
mix on the seeds , A woman brings in the hay that will be
used to mulch the beds

26. Straw is then used to cover the beds (mulch) to keep the seeds warm
and allow them to germinate. The straw can be removed as soon as the
seeds are seen to sprout.

27. Nursery raising in Cucurbits
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RAISING OF PLANTS
Small polythene bags of 15cm X 10 cm of 100
gauge thickness
Make holes at the base of polythene with
needles
Fill the bags with mixture of soil & FYM
If the soil is sandy, silt can be added & all the
three ingredients can be mixed in equal
proportion
If the soil is clayey some sand can be added

28. Nursery raising in Cucurbits-cont
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RAISING OF PLANTS
Keep the bags in a protected place where they
receive the sunshine & are safe from the
incidence of cold wind & frost
The seed is sown in each bag at 1-1.5cm
depth in the last week of Jan., or first week of
February
Bags should be watered after sowing & kept
moist till all the seeds have germinated

29. Nursery raising in Cucurbits-cont
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TRANSPLANTING
Plants ready for transplanting after 25-30 days
of sowing
The development of first true leaf by the plant
is indicative of their proper stage of
development
With held irrigation 2-3 days before
transplanting
Bags should be placed near the hills/field
where these are to be transplanted

30. Nursery raising in Cucurbits-cont
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TRANSPLANTING
Remove the polythene of seedlings by giving a
cut with the blade.
In the well prepared hill, dig small pit and the
soil ball holding the roots of the seedling is
placed carefully after removing the polythene
bag.

31. Formaline Treatment
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5% soln of 40% commercial
formulation
1:7

32. SOIL SOLARIZATION
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Plough & level the land uniformly
Incorporate FYM & irrigate
Spread transparent polysheet of 25-50 micron
or 100-200 gauge thackness foe 4-6 weeks

33. After 45 days of solarization increase in temperature : 5 cm – 7- 9◦c
: 10 cm – 6 - 7◦c
: 20 cm – 4 -5 ◦c

35. Multicelled plastic plug or pro-trays
nursery raising
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Plastic trays of uniform size with cells of equal size
are fixed in thermocol basin are mostly prefered
The cells shape may be flat, pyramid, round and
hexagonal –all have similar effect but cell size have
a clear cut effect on growth
Deeper celled trays have more faster growth
because of more water and nutrient uptake
compared to shallow celled trays.
Larger cell sizes generally gives larger yields in the
field for longer cycle crops like tomato and
capsicums.

36. •Container used for nursery raising must
have good drainage and be able to hold
soilless media and ease in handling.
Table: recommended size of cell in plastic
trays
Crop
Cell size (inches)
Optimum size for
early production
Tomato, brinjal
1.5-4
3.0
capsicum
1.0-4
2.0
chilli
1.0-3
2.0
cucumber
1.5-4
2.0
Cole crops
1. -3
2-3.0

37. Optimum temperature ranges
for germination of seeds
Crops
Germination Appr. Days
(0 C)
to
emergence
Growing
temp.
during day
(0 C)
Growing
temp.
during night
(0 C)
Tomato,
brinjal
21-24
3-4
18-21
12-18
Capsicum
&chilli
26-28
4-6
18-21
12-18
Cole crops
18-24
2-3
10-18
8-14
Cucurbits
24-30
2-3
21-24
12-18
Onion
18-24
3-4
16-18
8-15
For healthy seedlings growth one seed per cell is sufficient, however, if
some more seeds are sown then one seedling may be retained per cell
after thinning and the thinned seedlings can be gap filled in where there is
no seed germination

38. Rooting media for raising seedlings
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Mostly artificial soil-less media is used for
raising seedlings
Cocopeat
Vermiculite
Perlite
Mix above in the ratio of 3:1:1 before filling
in the plug trays.
Media containing coarse textured peat
provide better drainage and aeration
promoting better root development of
transplant.

39. Cocopeat: it is prepared from the waste of
coconut husk. It has good porosity, improved
drainage and air movement. It is free from infestation
of any pest.
Perlite: it is light rock material and is heat
expanded aluminium silicate rock.its role is to improve
aeration and drainage.
 Vermiculite: It is heat expanded mica. It is light in
wt. and has minerals (Ca & Mg) for enriching the mix.
It is neutral in reaction.

40. Advantages of soil-less media
Uniformity of mix
 Ease of handlings
 Versatility
 Sterility: free of diseases
 Good drainage and moisture retention
 Convenience of use
# After sowing the seeds a thick layer of
vermiculite is given to cover the seeds for
better germination as this media has good
water holding capacity.
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41. Slides of raising seedlings
Healthy seedlings in
trays
Tomato seedlings

42. Scientific nursery raising
technology