Agri - Info

Agri - Info - Rejuvenation of Declined Citrus Orchard

Planting on steep slope without making half-moon terraces which causes soil erosion and leaching of nutrients due to heavy rainfall
Lack of quality planting material
Excessive intercropping with exhaustive crops
Poor orchard management practices
Incidence of insects-pests and diseases i.e. citrus trunk borer and Phytophthora spp.

1. Preparation of half-moon terrace and cleaning of tree basin

2. Periodical removal of water shoots, dry and diseased twigs, lichen, mosses and phenerogamic parasites

3. Nutritional management

FYM @ 30 kg in the month of December along with 1.3 kg urea + 3 kg SSP and 1.2 kg MOP/ tree/year in three split doses i.e. March-April, June-July and Sept-Oct.
Dolomite @ 3 kg/tree once in three year in the month of December
Multiplex, a mixture of micronutrients @ 2.5 ml/litre of water or mixture of zinc sulphate 0.5%, copper sulphate 0.4%, magnesium sulphate 0.5% is sprayed when new flush comes

4. Pest & disease management

Trunk borer (damage 20-30%)

Collection and destruction of trunk borer adults by shaking the branches 2-3 times at 10 days interval in the month of May
Injection of 3 to 5 ml of petrol or monocrotophos in to the bored hole through syringe and plugging the hole with wet soil
Application of Beauveria bassiana (1020 spores/ml of water on the trunk)

Gummosis or foot rot

Root rot

Removal of soil around the trunk and drenching the root with 1% potassium permaganate solution followed by 1% Bordeaux mixture

Scab