Horticulture Dept issues Advisory for Valley Orchardists
SRINAGAR: The Horticulture Department Kashmir on Tuesday issued an advisory for the Valley orchardists in order to prevent any damage to the fruit trees due to heavy rains and snowfall.
The advisory was issued following the snow forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Srinagar for the first week of November.
“In case of any such precipitation, Unharvested fruit should be immediately harvested and stored properly for packaging and subsequent sale as has already been published in previous advisory on October 16,” the advisory reads.
The department has advised to start and expedite the pruning of fruit trees in order to lower the load of fruit trees and reduce the size of out-spreading branches which are more prone to snow damage.
“Shake trees to remove snow immediately from the branches after snowfall to prevent their bending and subsequent damage,” it reads, adding that if the fruit trees are tilted, reduce the canopy load by pruning, and provide proper support.
“If the trees get partially uprooted, slowly pull back the trees to the original position after support/staking to the main trunk to prevent further fall/ movement,” the advisory reads.
The orchardists have been advised to give the damaged branches an oblique cut 2-3 inches below the broken point and apply Bordeaux mixture/Chaubatia paste on the cut surface in case the top portion of the tree breaks.
“If any scaffold branch breaks and bark is still intact, after heavy pruning, bring the branch to the original position by tying with a rope and/or bolting or using nails. Ensure that the union remains tight and apply Bordeaux/Chaubatia paste on the cut surface,” it reads.
The advisory states that if the main trunk splits into two or three parts, it can be treated the same way.
“If roots get exposed, cover the roots back with soil to avoid desiccation and damage,” it reads.
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