Question

What are plantation crops? Briefly explain the process of rubber cultivation.

Answer 1

Plantations are large tracts of land or estates used for cultivation of a single agricultural crop like tea, coffee, rubber or spices. A plantation is usually a monoculture over a large area and does not include naturally occurring plants.

Process: It is done generally in newly cleared forest areas. The cleared land is ploughed and terraced in the hilly regions. The seeds are raised in a nursery and when the seedlings are about 5 cm in diameter, they are grafted with buds from high yielding varieties. The trees are grown in rows at an interval from 4-6 m. A tree starts producing rubber when it is about 7 years old. During this time, the trees must be well protected from pests, weeds and diseases and must be regularly fertilised. Rubber cultivation is a labour intensive job and requires a large and skilled manpower.