Although there exists a number of books providing procedural details on scientific husbandry of the various fruit crops grown in India, separate titles covering elaborate discussions on the principles of fruit culture befitting to this country are inadequate. While considering the gap, the present text has fundamental aspects on the principles of fruit culture, which are orchard irrigation and soil management practices, the pertinence of which to gain expertise on fruit crop husbandry needs no emphasis. The title has aimed at presenting the subject in a clearly understandable from to meet the requirements of the post graduate and the advanced level of under graduate students of horticulture in India for preparing them to take up studies on the husbandry of fruit crops in a critical manner, besides providing practical informations to the fruit growing personnels in this country. Contents Part I: Orchard Irrigation; Chapter 1: Importance of Orchard Irrigation; Chapter 2: Factors Affecting Irrigation Requirement of Fruit Crops, Plant factor, Soil condition, Rainfall, Atmospheric condition, Topography, Cultural aspect; Chapter 3: Determining Irrigation Requirement, By determining moisture content of soil, By determining moisture content of leaves, By conducting irrigational trials, From personal experiences; Chapter 4: Surface Irrigation System, Flooding, Check or bed method, Furrow method, Border method, Basin method, Ring method, Combine methods, Drip (surface-drip) method, Perforated pitcher (surface-drip) method, Pipe method, Soil sloping (contour) method; Chapter 5: Sub-surface Irrigation System, Straight trench method, Cross trench method, Circular trench method, Perforated pipeline method, Trench drip method, Buried (concealed) drip method; Chapter 6: Overhead Irrigation System; Chapter 7: Precautions of Irrigation, Drainage, Quality of water, Water contact at tree bases, Injury to roots, Irrigation during pruning, Stages of growth, Rootstock, Irrigation in dry soil, Regulating flow of irrigation water, Wastage of water, Use of drained water, Time of irrigation. Part II: Orchard Soil Management Practices; Chapter 1: Concepts of Orchard Soil Management, Basic principles, Systems of management; Chapter 2: Management Without Growing any Extra Plant (Clean Culture), Clean culture by ploughing, Clean culture by application of weedicides, Clean culture by mud-plastering; Chapter 3: Management by Growing Economically Important Plants (Crop Culture), Growing secondary fruit crops (fillers), Growing other secondary crops of economic importance (inter-cropping); Chapter 4: Management by Growing Soil-conserving Plants (Cover-cropping); Chapter 5: Management by Growing Grasses (Sod-culture); Chapter 6: Management by Green Manuring; Chapter 7: Management by Soil Coverage (Mulching); Appendix I: Botanical Names of Plants Referred to in the Text; Appendix II: Irrigational Particulars; Appendix III: Conversion Factors.

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