Orange is cultivated for its citrus fruit. Orange is a juicy fruit which is cultivated in India after mango and banana. Oranges are mainly used for food. It can be eaten by peeling or extracting the juice. Orange juice is very beneficial. Its juice provides coolness by removing fatigue and stress of the body. This fruit is also beneficial in many diseases. Jams and jellies are prepared by using their juice. Orange has a dry climate, due to which its plants do not need much rain to grow, and the fruits need heat to ripen.
How to Cultivate Oranges?
If you want to cultivate orange, then you must get all the information related to its cultivation. Here you are being given complete information related to the cultivation of oranges.
Selection of Suitable Land & Climate for Cultivation of Oranges
The land should not be waterlogged in its cultivation. The orange plant gives a good yield in light loamy soil. 6.5 to 8 P.H. Orange plants have a hot and dry climate, which needs very little rain. In winter, its plants are affected by cold, and winter frost is harmful to agriculture. Its fruits ripen well in the sun. Initially, 20 to 25 degrees temperature is appropriate during transplanting, and a 30 degrees temperature is required for plant development. In winter, orange plants can tolerate a minimum temperature of 10 degrees and a maximum of 35 degrees.
Orange Field Preparation
Once planted, the orange plant gives fruit production for many years. Therefore, in the beginning, the old crop residues are removed by deep ploughing of the field. After this, apply the cultivator and get it ploughed diagonally. After ploughing, level the field with a pat. After this, prepare the pits in a row at a distance of 15 to 18 feet in the flat field. These pits should be one meter wide and deep in size. When the pits are ready, fill the soil mixed with cow dung in these pits, and give deep irrigation. After that, cover them with the casserole. To accomplish the whole process, you should prefer a robust tractor that can be easily operated. So, there is some popular tractor which you can choose, like the Mahindra tractor, Swaraj tractor, Massey Ferguson tractor and many more.
Preparing Orange Seedlings
The planting of orange plants is done by preparing their seedlings in the nursery. For this, orange seeds are mixed with ash and dried in the beginning. After drying the seeds, they fill the soil in polythene bags and plant them in the nursery. Two to three seeds should grown in a bag. These seeds germinate in two to three weeks.
Destroy and remove weak plants from these germinated seeds, and keep healthy plants only. After this, when the plant becomes two feet tall, then using the technical medium for planting seedlings, prepare the grafted plants.
Apart from this, if farmers want, they can also buy saplings from nurseries registered by the government. This will save time for the farmer brothers, and the yield will also be available soon. Purchased plants should be one to two years old and absolutely healthy.
Irrigation of Orange Plants
Orange plants need more irrigation in the beginning. Water the orange plants once a week in summer and once a month in winter. A fully grown plant has to be given 4 to 5 irrigations in a year so that the fruits and flowers can come to the plants on time.
Planting Method and Time
Prepare orange plants and plant them in the pits prepared in the field. For this, a small mattress is made from the hoof in the prepared pits. After this, the plants are removed from the polythene in these pits and planted, and the plants are covered with soil.
Weed Control in Orange Crop
Weeding is done to protect the orange crop from weeds. The first weeding of the crop is done about 20 to 25 days after transplanting. After this, whenever a weed is seen in the crop, then weed it. By hoeing, the roots of the plants get an adequate amount of air, and the plant also starts developing properly. Apart from this, if the vacant land is seen between the plants, then plough it. So that weeds do not take birth in the field.
Orange Plant Care
The orange crop also needs care. To take care of the plants, the plants planted in the field must be protected from strong sunlight and winter frost. Apart from this, when the plant starts giving fruits, then after plucking the fruits, cut and remove all the dry branches, as well as cut and separate the diseased branches. So that it is easy for the new branches to be born and the yield can also be higher.
Harvesting Yield and Benefits of Orange Fruit
Orange fruits are ready for harvesting in the month of January to March. While harvesting, you should prefer up-to-date farm machinery or if you cannot buy a new tractor, so you can check the used tractor price online. Here you can buy a suitable tractor in budget.
When the colour of the fruits appears attractive and yellow, then cut them along with the stalk. This can keep the fruit fresh for a long time. The orange fruits are plucked and wiped with a wet cloth to clean them and then dried in a shady place. After this, fill them with dry grass in a ventilated box. These boxes are packed and sent to sold in the market. The yield of oranges can be more or less depending on the care of the plants.
