Orange Cultivation

Orange is a fruit widely grown in the tropical and subtropical regions. As of now, it is one of the most popular fruit trees cultivated. You can earn huge profits if you properly follow the farming steps. In orange cultivation, about 20% of the fruits are sold in the fruit market. Rest all are used in various preparations. The orange flavor is very popular worldwide after vanilla and chocolate. Growing your own orange farm can prove to be a very profitable business. The lifespan of orange trees is also very long, so if you cultivate them properly, you can reap benefits for a long time.

Did you know that the first orange was brought in America by Christopher Columbus in the year 1493!! This fruit, rich in Vitamin-C is the most popular juice consumed in America. It is also the fourth most popular fruit in the world. Orange farming is less sophisticated than other fruit farming as you can grow more than one plant from a single orange seed.

How to Cultivate Orange Crop

Cultivating a crop involves several steps right from the proper soil conditions required for the marketing of the fruits harvested.

Soil Conditions for Orange Farming

Orange trees best cultivated in rich soil. You can use sandy soil with high drainage capacity to cultivate the trees. The ph of the soil needs to be in the range of 6.0-7.5. You should avoid using clay or wet soils to cultivate orange trees.

Ideal Climate For Orange Farming

Oranges are a fruit of tropical and sub-tropical climate. You need to provide a hot summer and mild winter condition to grow the plants. To get sweet fruits, a hotter climate is essential. Generally, a temperature between 55-100 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal to grow orange crops. Freezing temperature is hazardous to the growth of orange trees.

Propagation Techniques for Orange Farming

You can propagate orange trees in a variety of ways. Though you can propagate oranges from seeds, T-budding is the best way for their propagation. You must do the budding procedure during the end of January or beginning of February. The seedlings are transplanted after the onset of monsoon.

Orange Cultivation:

To prepare the land for orange cultivation, you need to do proper plowing and leveling. If you are a resident of hilly areas, you can do terrace farming to cultivate oranges. Orange trees are susceptible to waterlogging conditions, so you need to be sure to make proper drainage channels so that the water does not stay for long.

Spacing Between Orange Plants

To plant the sapling, you need to dig out square pits on the field. The dimensions of the pits should be 50cm*50cm*50cm. Proper spacing is necessary for good growth of the trees. The ideal spacing is 6m*6m which you should use for each plant.

Irrigation Methods for Orange Farming

In the first year of growing orange crops, you need to water the plants at frequent intervals. The quality of water also affects the growth of plants and fruit yield. Use water containing minimum levels of salt. You can use drip irrigation techniques to reduce fruit drop. You need to irrigate the plants at an interval of 10-15 days during the winter season.

Fertilisation Methods for Orange Farming

To give proper nutrition to the plants, you need to prepare the soil mixed with organic manure as well as fertilizers. In the first year of orange cropping, you should use NPK in the ratio of 150:50:25. Apart from these, you also have to use foliar spraying method to provide the essential micronutrients (copper, iron, molybdenum, boron, and manganese) to the trees.

Weed Control of Orange Crop Farming

To check weed growth in your orange crop, mulching is the best method. Apply an 8cm thick layer of paddy husk or dry leaf mulch to control weed growth. Use mulching to reduce the frequency of irrigation.

You need to use herbicide sprays such as Diuron or Simazine to control the growth of dicot and monocot weeds in your field.

Intercropping in Orange Cultivation

Intercropping can be economical and promotes good growth of your crops. Leguminous crops such as beans, peas, soybean, and nuts can be used for intercropping. However, it is advised that you must wait for a minimum of four years before you start to intercrop orange with other crops.

Pruning of Orange Farming

The trees bearing fruit hardly need any pruning in orange crops. However, to promote good growth, you need to remove twigs closer to the base trunk of a tree. You must also remove dead leaves, twigs, and branches at regular intervals.

Disease and Pest Management of Orange Trees

The most common diseases affecting orange trees are gummosis, twig blight and root and collar rot. To check the infections, you can use sprays containing Bavistin, Ridomil or Benomyl.

The common pests attacking your orange crop could be aphids, flies, mites and mealy bugs. To destroy them, use appropriate insecticides such as phosphamidon, monocrotophos or dimethoate.

Flowering in Orange Trees

Orange trees usually blossom three times in a year in the months of February, June, and October.

Harvesting of Orange Crop

Usually, your orange trees would be ready for harvesting in 240-280 days. You should harvest the fruits when they attain proper size, color, and smell. You need to avoid harvesting oranges in rainy season or in winters. Harvest the fruits using proper harvesting tools like clippers or shears.

Post-harvest Management of Oranges

After harvesting your fruits, you need to grade the fruits based on their color and size. You need to sort out the fruits before storing them in freezers at a temperature of 8-10 degree Celsius and a relative humidity of 90-95 percent. After post-harvest treatment with Bavistin, you need to wash and dry the fruits. Finally, you can pack the fruits and transport them for marketing.

Yield of Orange Trees

Your orange trees will start giving fruits after five years. Fruits can be as low as 50 fruits per tree. After gaining full maturity, in the 8th year, you can expect a yield of 500-600 fruits per tree.

Marketing of Orange Fruits

Marketing of fresh fruits is essential to gain good profits. The fruits are usually packed in wooden boxes and wrapped in newspapers for marketing. Having a good marketing channel is also essential to ensure growing profits. Oranges have high market demand, so it is important to make sure that the fruits are properly sent to the market.

Orange Farming – Conclusion

Cultivating fruit crops is a very profitable business if done in a proper way. People all over the world are consuming more fruits than before. Cultivating orange can give you huge profits as the yield is very high. Orange, among other fruits, has a very high demand in the market, both local and international. So, you can consider orange cropping to do good business.

source  :https://www.knowfarming.com/orange-farming

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