Indian futuristic vegetable production technologies-An essay

Abstract

Vegetables are important for health and nutrition of human beings. This has been realized that vegetables are potential food to deal with hidden hunger such as deficiencies of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables are cultivated worldwide, China being largest producer of vegetables followed by India. Open field cultivation of vegetables is becoming riskier because of progressive climate change and several other factors. This is being tackled by using several low-cost technologies and structures such as use of plastic soil cover/mulch, low and high plastic tunnels, naturally ventilated poly houses, rain shelters, net houses and others besides using climate-controlled structures. this would shape-up future vegetable production in India. In addition to global climatic change and other negative characters of horticulture such as the decline in the total crop productivity, over exploitation of natural resources leading to their diminishing and degrading state, more or less stagnating farm incomes, absence of Eco-regional approach, prevalent declining and fragmented land holdings, trade liberalization on agriculture, limited employment opportunities in non-farm sector, have become serious concerns for horticultural growth and development. therefore, the use of precision farming technology adoption is seen potential to increase productivity of crops like vegetables. In this technology instead of managing an entire field based upon some hypothetical average condition, which may not exist anywhere in the field, a precision farming approach recognizes sitespecific differences within fields and adjusts management actions accordingly. Application of right input, at right time and place and in right quantity in vegetable production economies cost of cultivation preventing wastage of inputs. this works out to be environment friendly too.