Horticulture (Fruit, Vegetable, Floriculture and Orchard Management)
Horticulture in this exam covers fruit orchards, vegetable production and floriculture, with special attention to arid-zone crops suited to Rajasthan.
Crops and nursery work
- Fruits: ber, aonla, pomegranate, guava, citrus, date palm, mango.
- Vegetables: tomato, chilli, brinjal, okra, cucurbits, onion, pea.
- Flowers: rose, marigold, chrysanthemum, gaillardia; loose flowers for garlands, cut flowers for bouquets.
- Nursery: raised beds, fine seed, pricking out, hardening before transplanting.
Orchard layout and plant count
Square, rectangular, quincunx (filler in the centre), hexagonal/triangular and contour systems. Training shapes the plant; pruning removes unwanted growth. Propagation uses grafting (wedge, veneer) or budding (T-bud, patch); the rootstock gives vigour, hardiness or disease resistance. Pomegranate bahar treatment uses pruning plus water stress to shift harvest to a paying market window.
Worked example
A 1 ha block at 5 m × 5 m square planting. Area per plant = 25 m²; 1 ha = 10 000 m², so plants = 10 000 ÷ 25 = 400. If a filler is added in the centre of every square (quincunx), filler plants = 400, giving 800 plants until the fillers are removed.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing training with pruning; forgetting that the quincunx filler doubles the initial count; using the triangular formula for a square layout; transplanting without hardening; ignoring pollinizer rows in orchards.