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UPMSP Vocational Plant Nursery study materials
UPMSP Vocational Plant Nursery study resources

UPMSP Vocational Plant Nursery: Nursery Structures, Tools and Equipment

UPMSP Vocational Plant Nursery · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Nursery Structures, Tools and Equipment

This domain tests the structures that modify light, temperature and humidity, and the hand tools and equipment used in propagation and maintenance. Expect questions on shade percentage, ventilation and tool hygiene.

Structures

  • A shade net house controls light and heat. A 35–50% shade net is used for hardening and acclimatization; 50–75% is used for soft cuttings and shade-loving foliage.
  • A polyhouse or greenhouse protects plants from rain and pests; it needs ventilation, insect-proof mesh (often 40–50 mesh) and a double door or vestibule.
  • A mist chamber maintains high humidity for cuttings; a cold frame or hot bed is used for protected germination; root trainers produce deep-rooted forest seedlings.
  • A windbreak reduces desiccation and mechanical damage on the windward side.

Tools and equipment

  • Hand tools include the khurpi, spade, hoe, rake, pruning secateurs, pruning saw, grafting knife and budding knife. Equipment includes sprayers, wheelbarrows, pH and EC meters, thermometers and irrigation timers.
  • Keep blades sharp and clean; disinfect knives and secateurs between plants to avoid spreading pathogens. Calibrate sprayers before use.

Worked example

Ambient light is 80,000 lux. A 50% shade net transmits 80,000 × 0.50 = 40,000 lux; a 75% net transmits 80,000 × 0.25 = 20,000 lux. Newly potted hardened plants that need moderate light should go under the 50% net, while soft cuttings that cannot tolerate strong light should go under the 75% net. The reasoning is that shade percentage is the amount of light blocked, so transmitted light = ambient × (1 − shade fraction).

Traps that cost marks

Using 75% shade for sun-loving seedlings; closing a polyhouse without ventilation; using a blunt grafting knife; failing to disinfect tools; confusing shade percentage with transmitted light.

Key points

  • Shade percentage is light blocked, not light transmitted.
  • 35–50% shade for hardening; 50–75% for soft cuttings.
  • Polyhouses need ventilation and insect-proof mesh.
  • Sharpen and disinfect tools between plants.