Odisha CHSE +2 Vocational Horticulture cheat sheet

Horticulture = cultivation of garden crops; four pillars: pomology (fruits), olericulture (vegetables), floriculture (flowers), and post-harvest/landscape horticulture.

Branches of horticultural crops by life cycle: annual (tomato, marigold), biennial (onion, cabbage, carrot), perennial (mango, coconut, rose).

Photosynthesis summary: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6O2; occurs in chloroplasts, light reactions in thylakoid, Calvin cycle in stroma.

C3 plants (rice, tomato, mango) fix CO2 via RuBP carboxylase; C4 plants (maize, sugarcane, amaranthus) use PEP carboxylase and have low photorespiration.

Transpiration pull drives water ascent through xylem; stomata open when guard cells are turgid (K+ influx) and close under water stress or high CO2.

Plant hormone functions: auxin - rooting and apical dominance; gibberellin - stem elongation and bolting; cytokinin - cell division; ethylene - ripening and abscission; ABA - stress closure of stomata.

Seed germination needs water, oxygen, suitable temperature and (for many species) light; epigeal = cotyledons above soil (bean), hypogeal = cotyledons remain below (pea, mango).

Climatic zones of Odisha: coastal humid (Balasore, Puri), central plateau (Khurda, Cuttack), and western highland (Koraput, Kalahandi) - crop choice follows rainfall and temperature.

Mango (Mangifera indica, Anacardiaceae) is propagated by veneer grafting or stone grafting; flowering triggered by cool, dry weather; 'Alphonso', 'Banganapalli', 'Langra', 'Amrapali' are commercial cultivars.

Banana (Musa spp.) is a monocarpic herb propagated by suckers or tissue culture; bunch emerges 9–12 months after planting; 'Grand Naine', 'Robusta', 'Rasthali' are common.

Citrus (sweet orange, mandarin, lime) is propagated by T-budding or air layering; avoids Phytophthora foot rot by using resistant rootstock like rough lemon or trifoliate.

Papaya (Carica papaya) is dioecious or gynodioecious; plant 1 male per 10 females or use gynodioecious 'Pusa Delicious'/'Red Lady' for stable yield; harvest 9–11 months after transplanting.

Guava (Psidium guajava) flowers on current season's growth; pruning after harvest and bahar treatment (withholding water) can regulate flowering; 'Sardar' (L-49) and 'Allahabad Safeda' are leading cultivars.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is a monocot palm; tall × dwarf hybrids give early bearing; seedlings transplanted at 7.5 × 7.5 m in coastal Odisha; button shedding reduced by irrigation and K application.

Orchard layout systems: square (most common), rectangular, quincunx (fills centre with filler trees), hexagonal and contour (for slopes); plant density = area / (spacing)².

Training and pruning: central leader for apple/pear, open centre for mango and guava, trellis for grape; pruning removes dead wood and regulates canopy light.

Vegetable groups: solanaceous (tomato, brinjal, chilli), cucurbits (cucumber, bitter gourd, pumpkin), cole crops (cabbage, cauliflower), bulb crops (onion, garlic), leafy (amaranthus, spinach).

Tomato: nursery 25–30 days, transplant 60 × 45 cm, staking with two stems; fruit set improved by 2,4-D or NAA spray at 10–20 ppm in cool weather.

Brinjal and chilli are transplanted after 4–5 weeks; chilli requires 60 × 45 cm spacing; thrips and mites are major pests in dry weather.

Protected cultivation: naturally ventilated polyhouse (fan-pad or ridge-and-furrow), shade nets (35–75%), insect-proof net houses; used for high-value crops like coloured capsicum, gerbera, strawberry.

Greenhouse temperature control: ventilation + shade net for cooling; fogging or pad cooling lowers temperature 5–8 °C below ambient; heating rarely needed in coastal Odisha.

Drip irrigation with fertigation in polyhouse saves 40–60% water and improves fertilizer use efficiency; EC of nutrient solution typically 1.5–2.5 dS/m for tomato.

Crop rotation in vegetables: avoid successive solanaceous crops (shared pests like bacterial wilt, fruit borer); follow cereal or legume rotation.

Kitchen garden and rooftop vegetable production use container media (soil: sand: FYM = 1:1:1) with 25–30 cm pots for tomato, chilli, and leafy greens.

Classification: loose flowers (marigold, jasmine, chrysanthemum, rose), cut flowers (gerbera, carnation, rose, gladiolus), and ornamental foliage plants.

Marigold (Tagetes erecta, African; T. patula, French) propagated by seed; pinching at 20–25 days increases branching and flower number.

Jasmine (Jasminum sambac) propagated by semi-hardwood cuttings or layering; flowering peaks in summer; 'Gundumalli' and 'Mysore Mallige' are popular.

Chrysanthemum is a short-day plant; flowering controlled by black cloth (short days) or night lighting (long days) for year-round production.

Gerbera and carnation are grown in polyhouse with raised beds and drip; harvest at tight bud stage for distant markets; vase life extended by citric acid + 8-HQC.

Gladiolus corms: plant at 20 × 15 cm, 5–8 cm deep; spikes harvested when 1–2 florets open; cormels used for multiplication.

Rose pruning: 45° cut above outward-facing bud; remove weak, criss-cross and dead shoots; roses need 6+ hours of direct sun.

Landscape elements: lawn (Bermuda grass, Korean grass), hedge, edge, topiary, carpet bed, pergola, water garden - used in garden design and public landscaping.

Sexual propagation: seeds - used where variability acceptable; advantages: seedling vigour, long life, cheap; disadvantages: slow, variable, no clonal uniformity.

Asexual (vegetative) propagation: cuttings (stem, leaf, root), layering (air, mound, trench), grafting (approach, cleft, veneer, epicotyl), budding (T, patch), and micropropagation.

Cutting success depends on auxin (IBA 1000–5000 ppm), juvenility, humidity, and media (sand + cocopeat); misting reduces transpiration.

Air layering (gootee) in litchi, guava, citrus: 1–2 cm ring of bark removed, IBA applied, moist sphagnum or soil wrap, roots in 4–8 weeks.

Grafting: rootstock provides soil adaptation and disease resistance; scion provides cultivar; cambial layers must align; union sealed with wax or tape.

Nursery raising: raised beds 1 m wide, 15 cm high; solarization of nursery soil reduces soil-borne pathogens; 40–50% shade net for tender seedlings.

Seed treatment: hot water (52 °C for 20 min) for bacterial pathogens; Trichoderma viride or Pseudomonas fluorescens for soil-borne fungi; Rhizobium for legumes.

Nursery accreditation: seedlings must be true-to-type, disease-free, with certified tags; record keeping of mother plants is mandatory for quality planting material.

Soil pH affects nutrient availability: most horticultural crops prefer pH 6.0–7.0; citrus tolerates 5.5–6.5; blueberry needs 4.5–5.5; alkaline soils cause Fe and Zn deficiency.

Essential nutrients: macro - N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S; micro - Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, Mo, Cl, Ni; deficiency symptoms include chlorosis (N, Fe, Mg), necrosis (K, Ca), and stunting (P, Zn).

Recommended dose (general): FYM 20–25 t/ha plus NPK based on soil test; fertigation splits N and K into weekly doses for high-value crops.

Soil test interpretation: low (<280 kg/ha available N), medium (280–560), high (>560); P and K classified by Olsen/Bray and ammonium acetate extraction.

Irrigation scheduling: drip at 4–6 L/h per emitter, 1–2 h/day; critical stages - flowering, fruit set, fruit development; avoid water stress during these stages.

Water quality: EC <1 dS/m safe for most crops; 1–2 dS/m needs leaching; >3 dS/m unsuitable without drainage and salt-tolerant crops.

Organic matter management: vermicompost (1.5–2% N), FYM (0.5% N), green manure (sunhemp, dhaincha) improves structure, water holding and microbial activity.

Mulching reduces evaporation 30–50%, suppresses weeds, and moderates soil temperature; plastic mulch (25–50 micron) is common in vegetable and flower beds.

IPM principles: monitoring, economic threshold level (ETL), cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical control - chemical is the last resort.

Major mango pests/diseases: hopper, mealybug, fruit fly (Bactrocera), anthracnose (Colletotrichum), powdery mildew (Oidium); control with pruning, sanitation, and need-based sprays.

Banana: Panama wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. cubense) - use resistant varieties and clean suckers; bunchy top virus spread by banana aphid - remove infected plants.

Tomato/brinjal: fruit borer (Helicoverpa armigera) - pheromone traps, NPV, Bt; bacterial wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) - crop rotation, resistant varieties, raised beds.

Citrus: citrus greening (HLB, Candidatus Liberibacter) transmitted by citrus psyllid; management includes disease-free planting material and vector control.

Safe pesticide use: read label, wear PPE, observe pre-harvest interval (PHI), rotate modes of action to delay resistance, never mix incompatible products.

Biological control agents: Trichoderma viride/harzianum (soil fungi), Pseudomonas fluorescens (bacteria), Bacillus thuringiensis (caterpillars), NPV (Helicoverpa), Trichogramma (egg parasitoid).

Rodent and bird management in orchards: poison baits with bromadiolone, mechanical traps, and bird scarers; follow safety guidelines for non-target species.

Maturity indices: mango - shoulder development and specific gravity; banana - angularity and pulp/peel ratio; tomato - colour break; guava - skin colour change.

Respiration rate classes: climacteric (mango, banana, tomato) ripen after harvest with ethylene burst; non-climacteric (citrus, grape, pineapple) do not ripen further.

Ethylene (100–150 ppm) used for ripening banana and mango; 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) blocks ethylene receptors and extends storage life.

Cooling methods: room cooling, forced-air cooling, hydrocooling (leafy vegetables), vacuum cooling (flowers); storage at 10–13 °C for banana, 12–15 °C for mango, 0–2 °C for apple.

Processing: jam (65% TSS, 0.5–1% acid, pectin), jelly (clear, 65% TSS), squash (25% juice, 45% TSS), RTS (10–12% juice, 10–12% TSS), pickle (salt/vinegar preservation).

Drying and dehydration: sun drying for chillies, onion; cabinet drying for mango slices; freeze drying for high-value fruit powders.

Packaging: CFB boxes with ventilation for mango, perforated polybags for leafy vegetables, shrink wrap for individual fruit; avoid overstacking to prevent bruising.

FSSAI standards apply to processed products; label must show ingredients, net weight, batch number, date of manufacture, and best-before date.

Enterprise selection criteria: market demand, local resource availability, capital, technical skill, and risk tolerance; high-value crops and protected cultivation give higher returns per unit area.

Cost-benefit analysis: gross income − total cost = net return; benefit-cost ratio (BCR) >1 indicates profitability; payback period = investment / annual net return.

Marketing channels: producer → local trader → wholesaler → retailer → consumer; direct marketing (farm gate, farmers' market, e-NAM) reduces intermediaries and improves price realisation.

Odisha government schemes: Odisha Horticulture Development Programme, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), and Odisha Livelihoods Mission support nurseries, protected cultivation and post-harvest infrastructure.

Extension methods: individual (farm visit, telephone), group (demonstration, field day, farmer field school), mass (radio, TV, print, social media); demonstrations are most effective for technology adoption.

Cooperative and FPO (Farmer Producer Organisation) models improve bargaining power, collective grading, and access to credit and markets.

Value addition increases shelf life and income: examples include mango pickle and squash, tomato ketchup, guava jelly, and dried flowers for handicrafts.

Record keeping and traceability: farm records of inputs, labour, harvest and sales support loan applications, certifications (organic, GAP) and price negotiation.

Seed testing: germination percentage = (number of normal seedlings / total seeds sown) × 100; purity and moisture tests follow ISTA procedures.

Soil sampling: collect from 0–15 cm depth at 10–15 spots per field, mix thoroughly, quarter to 500 g, air-dry, label with GPS/location and date.

Grafting practical: select scion and rootstock of matching diameter, make clean slant cuts, align cambium, wrap tightly, keep in shade for 2–3 weeks.

Pruning and training: remove dead, diseased, criss-cross branches; use sharp, sterilised secateurs; make cuts flush with the branch collar.

Pesticide sprayer calibration: measure output per nozzle, calculate spray volume per hectare, and adjust to deliver the recommended dose; calibrate before every season.

Tissue culture lab: explant sterilisation with 0.1% HgCl2 or 70% ethanol; media with MS salts, sucrose, agar; maintain aseptic conditions in laminar flow.

Pest and disease diagnosis: examine symptoms (leaf spots, wilting, mosaic), collect samples in labelled bags, and use extension lab or plant clinic for confirmation.

Post-harvest handling practical: harvest in cool hours, sort and grade, pre-cool, pack in ventilated containers, and maintain cold chain to reduce losses.