1) Proper site selection, soil conditions, irrigation/drainage, and layout planning are essential for establishing successful orchards. 2) Key considerations for layout include planting systems like square, rectangular, hexagonal, and contour patterns to facilitate cultivation and maximize plant density. 3) Irrigation sources should be at a higher level than plants and drainage channels installed to allow for efficient water management depending on the planting method used.

1. PRINCIPLES OF ORCHARD ESTABLISHMENT
CONTENTS:
Various aspects like - Site selection, soil condition, Irrigation and drainage
orchard road, building, etc.
 Lay out (different planting systems) – square, rectangular, triangular,
hexagonal, quincunx, contour, HDP etc.
• Dr. (Mrs.) Lipsa Prit Bhusan
• Assistant Professor (Horticulture)
• SOA, GIETU

2.  Orchard is a long-term investment and
needs lot of planning and expertise. Being the
fruit plants are perennial in nature, any
mistake at initial stage will be very difficult to
be rectified in future.
 While planning and planting a new
orchard, one should give utmost attention and
care to various aspects like:
A piece of
enclosed land
planted with
fruit trees

3. Selection of location and site – should be preferred in already established fruit
belt, must connected to transport system for quick disposal of produce, labour
availability, not to select in disease/pest prone areas, should be away from
industrial establishment, not be in wind or flood prone area
Nature of soil and subsoil – fertile, deep, well drained, preferably neutral, good
water holding capacity, if necessary soil amendment may be done.
Roads/Paths – should approach to every corner, wider main road is essential for
easy transportation of machineries, each unit should connect with sub-roads.
Irrigation and drainage – should be planned according to method of planting,
Irrigation source to be at higher level for easy practice, drainage channel should
be prepared at side of main or sub-road.

4. Building – there should be watching shade, farm house, store house, labour
quarter etc. At least 10% area should be devoted for this.
Planning of suitable planting –is essential to protect the orchard from
animals, can be done by using fencing thorny plants or barbed-wire, brick
wall. Hedge planting may be done as fencing, but it require regular training
and pruning. Wind break – planting tall trees alternated with dwarf plants. It
deflects wind velocity. Prevent dropping of flowers and fruits, generally
planted in N-W site of orchard. For planting of fruit crop proper spacing
should be maintain. Purchase the plants from reliable nurseries.

6. Layout plan
The marking of position of the plant in the field is called ―layout”.
A sketch planning should be prepared carefully before actual plantation.
Systems of planting:
1. Square system- most commonly
used method and easy to layout in
the field.
plant to plant and row to row distance
is the same.
Plants are at the right angle to each
other, every unit of four plants forming a
square.
Adequate space for inter-cultivation

7. 2. Rectangular system - the plot is divided into rectangles instead of
squares and trees are planted at the four corners of the rectangle in straight
rows running at right angles. Like square system, this system also facilitates
the interculture in two directions.
The only difference is that in this system more plants can be
accommodated in the row keeping more space between the rows.

8. 3. Hexagonal system - trees are planted in the corners of equilateral
triangles. Six trees thus form a hexagon.
The 7th tree is planted in the centre and called septule.
A little difficult for execution but accommodates 15% more plants .
Cultivation of land between the tree rows is possible in three directions
with this system.
This system is generally followed where the land is costly and very
fertile with ample provision of irrigation water.

10. 4. Quincunx system - exactly like
the square system but one additional
tree is planted in the centre of each
square.
The number of plants per unit more
than the square system.
Fruit trees can be planted as fillers in
the permanent trees provides an
additional income to the grower in the
early life of the orchard.
The filler trees are uprooted when the
main orchard trees start commercial
fruiting

11. 5. Contour system - usually followed
in the hilly areas with high slopes.
Trees are well planted in lines following
the contour of the soil.
Irrigation and cultivation are then
practiced only across the slope of the land
as this practice reduces the chances of
soil erosion.
Layout is done first by establishing the
base line at the lowest level and then
marking for the trees should be done from
the base to the top.

12. 6. Triangular system - In this system, trees are planted as in the square
system but the plants in the 2nd, 4th, 6th and such other alternate rows are
planted midway between the 1st, 3rd, 5th and such other alternative rows.
This system results 9 % fewer plants than square and rectangular system.

14. Advantages – best utilization of land and resource, quality production, increase
yield per unit area, easy inter-culture, plant protection and harvesting.
Disadvantages – less life span, difficult to manage canopy and require high
level of technical know-how.
Componets of HDP – use of dwarf scion, adopting dwarf rootstock and
inerstock, effective training & pruning, use of PGR, suitable crop management
practice.
•Meadow orcharding system has its origin from Israel.
•It consist of planting trees at ultra-low spacing.
•The plant is cut regularly at a height close to ground.
•Commercially practice in guava orchard