This photo shows mulberry trees denuded of their new growth. It is silkworm raising season in Uzbekistan, and we saw many of these on our way through the countryside near Samarkand to visit an orchard at Jomboy. Occasionally we saw men cutting down the newly grown switches with their young leaves, or bundling them and riding bike with a load of them back to their homes.
Two images from the large orchard near Jonboy. They have planted 1300 hectares with apples, cherries and other fruit trees, producing for export and for domestic consumption. The upper of the two photos gives an idea of the location and a fraction of the orchard. In their intensive cultivation approach, they plant the trees in rows with posts and wires, espalier them, and then cover them with nets, as can be seen in the lower image. The nets protect the ripening fruit from hail and too much sun.