Detailed Explanation of Gannan Navel Orange Cultivation Techniques, Scientific Cultivation and Management Methods

What I liked to eat most in the past was rock sugar orange, which I thought had the best taste among oranges. Later, I accidentally ate a Gannan navel orange and was attracted by its rich orange aroma and sweet-and-sour taste. Since then, I have especially liked this kind of orange. Today let's talk about the cultivation techniques of Gannan navel orange.

Cultivation Techniques of Gannan Navel Orange

1 Planting density: rational close planting is advocated. For mountain orchards, the row spacing is 4 m and the plant spacing is 2.5 to 4 m, with 42 to 67 plants per mu; for gentle-slope flat land, the row spacing is 5 m and the plant spacing is 3 to 4 m, with 33 to 44 plants per mu.

2. Digging planting trenches: the planting trench should be centered at 1/3 to 2/5 of the outer side of the terraced field. The planting trench should be more than 1 m wide and more than 0.8 m deep, with steep, straight walls and the same width top and bottom.

3. Backfilling the planting trench: for each meter of planting trench, bury 20 to 30 kg of coarse organic fertilizer such as rice straw, fern, peanut stalks, etc. in 3 to 4 layers. Acidic soil also needs 1 to 1.5 kg of lime added. After filling each layer, use a four-tooth rake to hook the organic matter and shake it slightly so that soil mixes in among the organic matter, striving to mix fertilizer and soil evenly. Finally, the filled soil should be about 20 cm higher than the original ground surface.

4. Making fruit mounds: mark the planting points in the planting trench according to plant spacing, dig holes about 40 cm deep and wide, apply 1 to 2 kg of cake fertilizer, 1 to 1.5 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 10 to 15 kg of livestock manure or barnyard manure into the holes, mix thoroughly with soil, then earth up to make soil mounds. After the fruit mounds have settled and the organic fertilizer has been buried and composted for more than 30 days, planting can begin.

5. Planting time: generally divided into spring planting and autumn planting. Spring planting is planting before the spring shoots of navel orange sprout, and in Gannan it is generally suitable in mid-to-late February. Autumn planting is generally carried out after the autumn shoots of the seedlings mature until early November. In recent years, Gannan has promoted temporary planting in nutrient bags with soil transplantation, so planting is not limited by season, the transplanting period is longer, and the survival rate and orchard establishment rate are high.

Pruning Methods for Gannan Navel Orange

1. Branch group renewal: shorten all weak branch groups on the outer periphery of the canopy, and retain relatively strong or medium branch groups. Retain leafy branches as much as possible so that the tree vigor recovers quickly.

2. Skeleton renewal: for trees with extremely weak vigor and most leaves fallen, saw off the main branches and secondary main branches that do not meet shaping requirements. Shorten all retained lateral branch groups. Timely pinch the newly sprouted shoots to promote branching, so that a new canopy forms quickly.

3. Renewal time: renewal pruning of old trees must be carried out before sprouting in early spring. At the same time, grafting wax should be used to protect the pruning cuts and saw cuts, and the trunk should be whitewashed. After spring sprouting, attention should be paid to protecting and shaping the new shoots.

Pest Control Methods for Gannan Navel Orange

1. To control black spiny whitefly, scale insects, and leaf-roller caterpillars, choose 48% Lorsban emulsifiable concentrate diluted 800 to 1000 times, and spray once more after an interval of 20 days.

2. To control anthracnose and sooty mold, choose 80% Dacotech M—45 wettable powder diluted 600 to 800 times for spraying, and spray once more after an interval of 15 days. Dacotech M-45 has a special effect on sooty mold, and continuous spraying 3 times can effectively remove sooty mold.

3. For red and yellow spider mites, 9.5% Mite-Kill emulsifiable concentrate can be chosen and sprayed at 1500 times dilution. First start with cultivating vigorous tree vigor, appropriately increase nitrogen fertilizer application, and raise the tree's nutritional level. Second, before flowering, pull strong autumn shoots into a drooping or horizontal state so that most flowers face downward when opening, reducing sun-exposed fruit and preventing the occurrence of navel yellow. Third, from early to mid-June to mid-to-late July, combined with fruit preservation, spray 30 to 40 mg/L of “920” solution twice consecutively. From late July to late August, use a 600-times “Yellow Inhibitor” solution to smear and spray the navel part of the fruit, so as to suppress the occurrence and spread of navel yellow disease.

Fertilization Methods for Gannan Navel Orange

1. Apply boron fertilizer to the soil in spring. Boron fertilizer should be broadcast before sprouting. Adult trees are given 10 grams per tree per year, and small trees under 3 years old are given 5 grams per tree per year. The boron fertilizer is required to contain more than 11% pure boron. When broadcasting, add an appropriate amount of sand and mix evenly, then spread it evenly within the tree disk. It is not suitable to mix organic fertilizer with boron fertilizer, because organic fertilizer varies in dryness and wetness, making it difficult to mix the boron fertilizer evenly.

2. Spray boron fertilizer on the leaves during the growing season. Spray 0.1% to 0.2% boron fertilizer on the leaves 2 to 3 times. The first time is carried out in April and May together with flower and fruit preservation, and the second and third times are carried out during the fruit expansion period, that is, from June to August. It is best to spray boric acid, with a boron content of not less than 13%.

3. Correctly identify boron fertilizer. Fake boron fertilizer with seriously insufficient boron content is the main reason causing severe boron deficiency in navel orange trees in our city. Be sure to correctly identify boron fertilizer, and do not use any that does not indicate pure boron content, any that indicates a pure boron content lower than 11%, any without a manufacturer or with an unclear manufacturer address, and any boron fertilizer without a trademark.

Gannan navel orange is best planted in acidic soil and red soil, and must also have sufficient light and rain. The management measures described later must also be done well in order to grow Gannan navel oranges with good taste. I believe that as long as everyone does a series of work well, the yield will be good and the income will be considerable.