Wind break: A Necessity for OrchardCrops
Rows
of tall trees planted close together around the orchard, are essential to
resists velocity of wind, which causes severe ill effect to the orchard like
moisture evaporation, soil erosion and damage of the crops. They are called
wind breaks.
The
wind breaks are trees planted around the orchard and plantations to protect the
main crop from the severity of damaging wind. Since wind breaks are very
effective in reducing the wind velocity and minimizing the damage to the fruit
trees hence they are most important for areas where strong wind prevails.
They are commonly planted in rows around the edges of fields.
If designed properly, windbreaks around a home can reduce the cost of heating
and cooling and save energy. Windbreaks are also planted to help keep snow from
drifting onto roadways or yards.
When the wind encounters a porous obstacle such
as a windbreak or shelter-belt there is reduction in the wind velocity in the lee ward direction and the wind from the wind ward direction piles up, so that it will flow above the barrier there by reducing the damage to the orchard.
A wind break ordinarily has its maximum
effectiveness for a distance about four times as greater as its height. The most
effective wind break is a double row of tall trees alternatively place on the
boarder of the orchard. There should be at least as much as spacing between the
wind breaks and the first rows of the fruit trees as that of the fruit trees.
It
is preferable to dig a trench of 90 cm deep at a distance of 3 m from the wind
breaks in the orchard and prune or cut all the roots exposed. After pruning the
pit should be filled up. This may be repeated in every 3-4 years in order to
avoid the competition between the wind breaks and fruit trees for moisture and nutrition.
Examples
of plant used as wind break: Casuarina, Erythrina
indica, Cassia, Polyalthia longifolia
etc.
Characters of a good wind break:
1. The following are the
characters of a good wind break plant:
2. It should be fast or
quick growing.
3. It must be erect, tall
and mechanically strong.
4. It must be easily
propagated.
5. It should have the capacity for easy
establishment.
6. It must be dense (dense
canopy) to offer maximum resistance to wind velocity.
7. It must be hardy, frost
and drought resistance.
8. It must have the
ability to acclimatize in diverse climactic conditions.
9. It should not harbour
different pests and diseases.
10. It must have economic
value like fruit, fodder, timber, fuel etc.