Horticulture and Vegetable Production
What this domain covers
Horticulture and Vegetable Production covers nursery raising, transplanting, orchard management, protected cultivation and post-harvest handling. Haryana grows potato, tomato, onion, cauliflower, okra and peas, and fruits such as kinnow, guava, mango, ber and aonla. The exam tests practical operations rather than only crop names.
Core rules and concepts
- Raise vegetable seedlings in raised nursery beds or pro-trays with well-drained, sterilized media. Treat seed with Trichoderma or a recommended fungicide to reduce damping-off.
- Harden seedlings for 5–7 days before transplanting by reducing water and exposing them gradually to sun.
- Transplant in the evening or on a cloudy day to reduce wilting; irrigate immediately after planting.
- Spacing controls light, airflow and disease. Tomato is commonly planted at about 60 cm × 45 cm; closer spacing increases humidity and fruit rot.
- Fruit trees need training and pruning for canopy shape and light penetration. Remove dead wood and water sprouts; avoid heavy pruning before frost.
- Drip irrigation with fertigation saves water and fertilizer in vegetables and orchards. Mulching reduces evaporation and weed growth.
- Harvest at the correct maturity stage and grade produce; bruising lowers market price.
Worked example
A farmer transplants 35-day-old tomato seedlings in the afternoon and irrigates the next morning. Reasoning: older seedlings and delayed irrigation increase transplant shock and mortality. The correct practice is to use 25–30-day-old, hardened seedlings, transplant in the evening, and give light irrigation immediately. Deep planting should be avoided because it encourages stem rot.
Traps that cost marks
Do not transplant seedlings without hardening. Do not use overhead irrigation on tomato during fruit development if it can be avoided; it spreads foliar disease. Do not confuse training with pruning.