Protected cultivation means growing crops in an environment where several environmental factors are controlled according to crop requirements. These factors include water, light, humidity, temperature, soil moisture, etc. The use of protected cultivation techniques is limited in India, but it is widely used in developed countries.
In recent years, the climate of India has experienced several disasters such as droughts, floods, and pest attacks. The farmers are constantly facing crop losses and financial crises. Therefore, farmers should adopt protected cultivation techniques to improve crop productivity and profitability.
Every year, India’s Northeastern state and Coastal regions face extreme crop damage due to high rainfall. The good news is that now, the farmers of these areas can protect the crops by using greenhouses as a rain shelter.
Though there are several protected cultivation techniques, the most commonly used are:
- Greenhouse
- Shadenet houses
- Insect proof net house
- Plastic Tunnel
- Plastic mulching
- Vermi bed-organic farming
- Naturally ventilated polyhouse
The water management for protected cultivation technique involves:
- Sprinkler irrigation system
- Drip Irrigation System
However, the water resources used in this technique are ponds or reservoirs that store rainwater. Mostly, these reservoirs are lined with plastic sheets to prevent water wastage by absorption.
The crops that can be grown under protected cultivation are:
- Vegetables such as tomatoes, okra, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber, peppers, cabbage, capsicum, broccoli, leafy veggies, and radish.
- Fruits: Strawberry, fruit graftings such as Litchi, Citrus, Guava, Pomegranate, Lemon, Mango, etc.
- Flowers: Such as Gerbera, Rose, Lilium, Chrysanthemums, Gladiolus, Anthurium, Orchids.
Greenhouse: In the Greenhouse, the crops are grown in a controlled environment under naturally ventilated wooden, or bamboo, framed structures. It is covered with UV-stabilized plastic sheets. The crops that can be grown under greenhouses include
Shadenet Houses: In the shade net houses, the grafts and hardening of various crops are achieved. Normally, the seedlings require a specific temperature to grow but in shade nets, they can be grown in any climatic conditions.
Walk-in tunnel: It is built with an iron frame and covered with UV film. Almost every type of crop can be grown in the shade nets. Also, they protect the crop from high winds.
Plastic Tunnels: These tunnels are almost similar to mini-greenhouses. The carbon dioxide is trapped in the tunnel to promote the photosynthetic activity of crops. Moreover, these tunnels protect the plants from climatic extremes such as hail, snow, and wind.
Plastic Mulching: In this technique, the soil around the plant is covered with plastic sheets. These plastic films are available in different colors such as black, silver-black, red, and yellow. It conserves the soil moisture and prevents weed growth.
Vermibeds: It is a commonly used practice of organic farming which requires less space. Even the vermibeds can be transferred from one place to the other. In this technique, earthworms eat the decomposed matter and release vermicompost that is used by crops as manure.
Protected cultivation demands proper management, planning, and maintenance of quality crop production. The government of India is taking steps to promote the export of crops grown in greenhouses. Therefore, the demand for greenhouses is increasing in the country day by day. Now the farmers have the opportunity to increase their agricultural revenues by using protected cultivation techniques.