Shade Net House Research Articles

Progress and Performance of Protected Cultivation in Maharashtra

This study was undertaken to examine the status and performance of various governmental schemes facilitating protected cultivation of horticultural crops in India and particularly Maharashtra. It was observed that the cumulative area achieved under protected cultivation by NHM in India during 2005–06 to 2017–18 was estimated to be 2.15 lakhs ha while the area brought under protected cultivation by Maharashtra was nearly about 0.16 lakh ha which accounted for 7.4percentof the total area under protected cultivation in India. The performance of NHM programme in Maharashtra showed that about 2811 farmers benefited with an average subsidy of 4.86 lakhs for establishing greenhouse. In case of shade net house about 3364 farmers were benefited with an average subsidy of 2.5 lakhs. Among eight divisions, Pune division accounted a share of 34 and 33percent among the total area in case of greenhouse and shade net house respectively. The state made significant progress in the horticulture sector with the use of the funds under the NHM programme. However, the performance of these schemes was uniform across regions but it was slow down. Thus, it was suggested that the efforts need to be made by the government to enhance the performance of schemes facilitating protected cultivation in order to have a larger impact.

Influence of Growing Environment on Growth and Yield Parameters of Coriander under Shade Net and Open Field Condition

An experiment was conducted at Horticultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore, during 2017-18 to study the production potentials of CO (CR) 4 coriander sown under shade net house and open field environmental conditions. Observations on biometric and quality traits were recorded at every month of sowing so as to study the environmental influence on growth and yield of foliage coriander. Among the growing conditions, the plants grown under shade net house exhibited superior performance in terms of growth, yield and good quality on leafy coriander. The days taken for germination was earlier (7.67) in the seeds sown during October under shade net house condition compared to open field condition. The vegetative and yield attributes viz., plant height (29.88 cm), number of leaves (39.56) and yield (5.69 kg/plot) was found to be the highest during the month of October sown seeds followed by September month in green house condition. Whereas, in open condition sowing during the months of March, April and May seeds does not germinated which resulted in crop failure. In this study the yield was almost tripled under shade net house condition, as compared to open field condition.

In vitro mass multiplication and estimation of camptothecin (CPT) in Ophiorrhiza mungos L. var. angustifolia (Thw.) Hook. f.

Ophiorrhiza mungos var. angustifolia, is a herbaceous medicinal plant (Rubiaceae) distributed in the southern Western Ghats of India. The plant contains a high value anticancer alkaloid, Camptothecin (CPT). High frequency in vitro regeneration was achieved through node and shoot apex explants cultured in half strength Murashige and Skoog (HMS) solid medium supplemented with different concentrations and combinations of plant growth regulators (PGRs).The highest number of shoots (22 ± 3.90 shoots/explant) was obtained from the nodal explant cultured in media containing 8.88 μM N6-benzyl adenine (BA). Further multiplication of shoot was possible through repeated subcultures of shoot clusters in medium containing same hormonal combination. The shoots were rooted in half strength MS solid medium devoid of PGRs in 45 days and deflasked for hardening and further establishment was done in plastic pots filled with sand and garden soil (1:1, v:v) under the shade net house with 95% survival. Camptothecin content was also determined by HPLC and recorded 0.14 mg/g Dry Weight (DW). The results suggest the possibility of using in vitro regenerated plants as a possible alternative source for CPT without harming the natural population.

Evaluation of novel insecticides against thrips Scirtothrips Dorsalis hood on capsicum under shade nethouse

Evaluation of novel insecticides against thrips <i>Scirtothrips</i> <i>Dorsalis</i> hood on capsicum under shade nethouse

Performance of cactus pear at two geographical locations in Indian arid zone

Twenty cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.) genotypes were introduced in India to assess its suitability and performance at two geographical locations i.e., Jodhpur, Rajasthan (26°18’N: 73°04’E, 216 m MSL) and Kutch-Bhuj, Gujarat (23°21’N: 69°77’E, 15 m MSL) for survival and growth. The cladodes were planted in the pottingmixture of soil and compost (6: 1) with initial moisture regulated at 7–9% to prevent rotting. The rooted plantswere transplanted in the field at 2 × 3 m spacing. Mortality due to bacterial rot ranged from 50 to 100 per cent atJodhpur. The highest plant survival in the field after one year of planting was recorded in genotypes RojaxRoja-4-Pianta-25 and ARL spineless (50%) followed by 33.33% each in genotypes Bianco Macomer, Roja Castel Sardo, Gymnocarpe and clone No. 1270. Absolute mortality occurred in varieties Roja San Cono, Clone No.1287, Giall× Giall, Trunzara Red San Cono, A. Giant, Lyria and Militelo White. In contrast, better survival per cent (20–90%)was observed at Bhuj in different accessions. However, the performance and survival in pots under shade nethouse was almost 100% at both the locations but the growth was better at Bhuj as compared to Jodhpur. Theestablishment and growth of cactus pear was affected at Jodhpur due to high temperature coupled with lowrelative humidity (27.81–58.39%, 10 years mean). The coastal areas of Kutch-Bhuj have comparatively higherrelative humidity (44–76%) favoured better growth of cactus. Based on this study, it can be inferred that Kutchbhuj region is comparatively better location for growing cactus pear.

Tissue culture of Ophiorrhiza mungos L., a prospective method for the production of an anticancer drug, camptothecin

Camptothecin (CPT), a cytotoxic quinoline indole alkaloid, is an anticancer compound. Its two major semi synthetic derivatives, topotecan and irinotecan, are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs effectively used for treating different cancer types and sold under the trade names Hycamtin and Camptosar. Among the Ophiorrhiza species, Ophiorrhiza mungos contains the highest CPT level (0.02 % g dw). CPT level was determined in plants before flowering (0.074 ± 0.003 % g dw) and at flowering (0.052 ± 0.002 % g dw). Multiple shoot cultures were induced on seedling-derived explants of O. mungos in half strength MS solid media supplemented with 1.0 mg/L BAP to obtain 12.00 ± 1.22 shoots in 20 days. Repeated subcultures at 20 days interval yielded 20.00 ± 3.71 shoots/subculture of shoot clusters. After elongation, rooting and transplanting, the growth of shoot clusters were studied in both in vitro and same aged naturally grown seedlings. Highest biomass (4.62 ± 0.158 g fw) was obtained in in vitro-derived shoot clusters. CPT increased according to biomass and the maximum CPT was recorded in in vitro rooted shoot clusters after 15 days (0.031 ± 0.001 % g dw). Hence, in vitro-derived rooted shoot clusters of O. mungos cultivated in net-pots for 60 days under shade net house conditions found to be a sustainable source for CPT.

Assessment of Electricity-Free Hydroponics in India: A Proof of Concept Field Study

Subsistence and smallholder farmers in the Deccan plateau region of India struggle with a predominantly hot and dry climate and often accumulated debt due to the cost of fertilizer that they need to increase yields for profitability. While a low-cost deep-flow technique hydroponic growing system (DFT) as a supplement to soil-based agriculture could help reduce debt, the cost of electricity needed to operate the DFT makes it inaccessible to these farmers. The objective of this project was to test the viability of electricity-free DFT which would substantially reduce production costs. Two DFT systems were set up in a shade net house and prepared with identical nutrients to grow chili pepper seedlings. Each DFT system was oxygenated for 30 minutes per day, one system using an electrical air pump, and the other system was oxygenated manually. After four weeks of growth, the dry mass of the shoots of the chili pepper seedlings in each system was measured. While the pump-oxygenated DFT system produced more dry matter, the manually-oxygenated system produced a larger number of visually healthier plants. Therefore, we conclude that electricity-free DFT hydroponics may be a viable alternative to pump-oxygenated DFT hydroponics, making hydroponic farming a cost-effective option for poor farmers.

Economics of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown under shade net house with different fertigation levels

Economics of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) grown under shade net house with different fertigation levels

Influence of different protected cultivation structures on water requirements of winter vegetables

Protected cultivation structures provide favourable environment for crop growth thereby achieving greater yield and high quality produce. Green house, polyhouse, shade net house & low tunnels are different types of protected cultivation structures, which are commonly adopted for crop cultivation. During extreme cold in winter season (November-February) vegetables can be grown under green house structure. Accurate irrigation scheduling in protected cultivation structures is one of the important factors in achieving high yields and avoiding loss of quality. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of protected cultivation structures (Poly house, shade net house and shadow hall) on temperature, relative humidity and water requirement of vegetable crops (Tomato, Cucumber, Capsicum, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli & Brinjal) with drip irrigation system grown during winter season (November-February). FAO-56 Penman Monteith approach was used to estimate the reference crop evapotranspiration under different kind of protected cultivation structures with different vegetable crops. Study shows that vegetable production in winter for sub humid region reduces due to fall in temperature below optimum level. Green house structure offers a solar energy saver and enhances temperature inside the structures. Daily average reference crop evapotranspiration value was found to be minimum for shadow hall (1.2–2.9 mm day−1) followed by polyhouse (1.3–3.2 mm day−1), shadenet house (1.4–3.7 mm day−1) and open field (2.0–4.9 mm day−1) condition. The total water requirement of drip irrigated vegetable crops in protected cultivation structure is reduced by about 35.6%, 35.2% and 25.5% respectively under shadow hall, poly house and shade net house in comparison to open field cultivation.

Study of Comparative Performance of Systems of Cultivation of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) for Growth and Yield Characters

The vegetable crops viz., TNAU tomato hybrid CO 3 and coriander variety CO 4 were raised under different cultivation systems viz., 50 per cent shade net, insect proof net house and open field conditions. Growth and yield characters of tomato and coriander were assessed during s ummer 2013 and 2014 under different systems of cultivation. The number of fruits per plant (54.3) and weight of fruits per plant (2.1 kg) with estimated yield (67.17 t / ha) of TNAU tomato hybrid CO 3 was highest under insect proof net house followed by shade net house and the lowest was noticed under open field cultivation. The highest single plant weight (52.1 g) with estimated herbage yield (3.33 t / ha) of coriander were recorded under insect proof net house followed by shade net and the lowest under open field cultivation. Among the two crops, the highest BCR (2.58) was observed with tomato hybrid CO 3 under insect proof net house followed by shade net house (2.45). The lowest BCR of 1.31 was recorded with the cultivation of coriander variety CO 4 under open field condition. Therefore, it can be concluded that tomato could be highly remunerative crop suitable for cultivation under insect proof net house condition during summer season.

Development of the crop coefficient for capsicum (Capsicum annum L.) under protected structures

The study was undertaken to determine the crop water requirement and crop coefficient for capsicum (Capsicum annum L.) at plasticulture farm of CTAE, Udaipur, Rajasthan under four small protected structures; (i) shednet house (ii) insectnet house (iii) poly house with ventilation through shed net and (iv) polyhouse with ventilation through insect net. The reference evapotranspiration under each structure was determined by Penman Monteith method based on microclimatic observations under all four protected structures. Crop evapotranspiration was determined by soil moisture balance method. Reference evapotranspiration and crop coefficient observed minimum under structure covered with shadenet for all the growth stages. Reference evapotranspiration for shadenet house was 21.5 % less than the reference evapotranspiration outside the structure. It was found that shadenet house minimized crop evapotranspiration by 33.4% as compared to outside crop evapotranspiration. However, the higher fruit yield per plant (1720 g plant-1) was recorded under polyhouse with ventilation through insectnet, which was significantly superior over the all growing structures while the lowest yield (1285 g plant-1) was recorded under shadenet house.

Yield response of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) to different fertigation levels

A field experiment was conducted at the Instructional Farm of Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, to study effect of different fertigation levels on cucumber (var. Gypsy) production under shade net house with 35, 50 and 75 per cent shading with open field trial. Amongst growth attributes, days to 50 per cent flowering, average diameter of the fruit, average length of fruit, average weight of fruit, length of vine were recorded and were significantly influenced by fertigation. Application of 125 per cent NPK through drip irrigation recorded maximum yield of 21.87 t ha-1 also showed maximum net income followed by application of 125 per cent N through drip irrigation and soil application P and K as basal dose of a 21.61 t ha-1. The maximum FUE was observed with 100 per cent NPK through drip irrigation system (68.73 kg/kg).

In vitro mass multiplication of screw pines (Pandanus spp.) - an important costal bio- resource

An efficient in vitro mass multiplication protocol was developed for selected species of screw pine (Pandanus fascicularis Lam., P. furcatus Roxb.). The protocol could be successfully used for large scale production of planting materials leading to cultivation and making bio-fences or green belts in coastal areas, wetlands for protection and preventing soil erosion. This will facilitate the replenishment of the bio resource and also provide good breeding space for various fauna associated with it. For developing the tissue culture protocol, shoot tips and tillers from the mature plants were used as the explants. Surface sterilization with 0.1 % mercuric chloride for 1 min. Yielded good fraction (65 %) of contamination free explants. Explants inoculated in MS solid medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP, 2.5 mg/l) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA, 0.5 mg/l), induced 2–3 shoot buds in 5 weeks. These buds either individually or along with the explant portion, sub-cultured to fresh media containing the same hormonal combinations, resulted induction of 5–6 shoot buds in 4 weeks. Repeated subcultures of shoot buds in the same medium produced 8–10 shoot buds in every 4 weeks. Shoot elongation was achieved (~ 3 cm) by transferring the shoot clusters or individual shoots to basal medium, and the elongated shoots were rooted in vitro or ex vitro. Root induction in shoots (87.4 %) was achieved in MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/l indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Rooted shoots were established in paper/polythene cups filled with fine sand, which subsequently recorded 85 % establishment under the shade-net house with proper irrigation. Plants grown in poly-bags were later successfully established in different field conditions and recorded 100 % survival.

Assessment of Growing Media on Vegetative, Flowering and Vase Life Characteristics of Lilium (Lilium longiflorum) cvs. Bach and Pavia in the Foothills of Himalayas

&lt;p&gt;The experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different growing media on vegetative, flowering and vase life characteristics of two LA lily hybrids Bach and Pavia in 2 factorial randomized block design with three replications. Of the two factors, first factor was two varieties namely, Bach and Pavia and the second factor was five growing media including (1) garden soil, (2) cocopeat, (3) cocopeat + sand (1:1) and (4) garden soil + sand (1:1). However, bulbs of LA lily hybrids were planted in plastic crates containing different growing media with 10 bulbs in each crate, placed inside 50 percent shadenet house. Final plant height (116.63 cm.) and number of flower buds (7.27) was highest in cv. Pavia at 60 days after planting. However, quickest flower bud appearance (29.53days) and maximum vase life (11.26 days) was in cv. Bach. Among the potting media, cocopeat found to be superior for enhancing all characteristics along with both the cultivars.&lt;/p&gt;

Effect of field conditions and time of sowing on seed germination and growth parameters in Rheum australe D. Don: an endangered medicinal plant of high altitude Himalayas

The present study was conducted to determine the seed germination and growth behavior of Rheum australe an endangered medicinal plant of high altitude Himalayas under different f ield conditions viz. open, glass house and shade net house and different time of sowings at lower altitude of 1250 m of mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh. Seeds were harvested during October month from different natural ecological zones of Himachal Pradesh. Seed germinability was tested in the mixture of soil + sand + vermicompost + cocopeat (2:1:1:1). The experiment was carried out for two years with three replications. Observations were recorded on the germination percentage, initiation of germination (days), seedling root and shoot length (cm). Statistical analysis revealed signif icant effect on different parameters under observation. The results showed that maximum seed germination, seedling emergence, seedling shoot and root length, was recorded under shade net house conditions in soil + sand + vermicompost + cocopeat (2:1:1:1) media, when the seeds were sown during November month

Combating climate change through off-seasonally raising seedling of papaya (Carica papayaL.) in protected environment

Major difficulty of raising papaya seedling is mortality of seedling, among abiotic factors of environment like unfavourable microclimate; especially temperature restricts raising off-season fruit nursery under open field condition in arid region. Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is widely grown fruit crop in tropics and India is the largest producer in the world. Papaya seedlings are fetching very high price during off-season availability. In this study, a low tunnel greenhouse (S1) and black shade net house (S2) were taken as protected structures for growing of papaya seedlings. The variety of papaya seedlings was Madhubindu and soil+FYM was taken as growing media for this study. Survival and growth of seedlings were monitored for 30–60 days. The environmental and morphological data were recorded and computed and response of papaya seedling growth was evaluated in terms of germination percentage, seedling height, collar diameter, number of leaves, diameter of shoot, fresh and dry weight of aboveground and underground biomass, sturdiness, root: shoot ratio, vigour index length andvigour index mass in root media. The results of this study revealed that the environmental factor during the entire study period was found significant in black shade net structure compared to greenhouse. Variation in seedling growth in different microclimatic conditions may be due to the differences in growth behaviour under given set of environmental conditions. The minimum time taken for days of germination, germination percentage, seedling height, collar and shoot diameter was found highest in black shade net house (S2) with variety i. e. Madhubindu and soil+FYM as growing media. Economically black shade net house with net profit 513.27 Rs./m2, BCR 3.94 and payback period 0.59 was found highly suitable for raising seedling of papaya off-seasonally and mitigating climate change in arid region.

Effect of Deficit Irrigation on Growth and Yield of Tomato under Drip Irrigation in Shade Net House

The effect of deficit irrigation on growth and production of drip irrigated tomato under shade net house was studied through field experiment. Four different levels of drip irrigation equivalent to 100%, 80%, 60% and 40% of crop evapotranspiration with five replications were considered for their effect on crop growth and crop yield inside the shade net house. Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicon, Badshah Variety) plants were grown under the shade net house with 50% shade. Plant height, number of leaves and individual fruit weight were found to be highest with 80 % irrigation, giving highest yield of 108.30 t.ha-1. Actual irrigation water application between 1.62 and 4.58 mm.day-1 was thus recommended for tomato crop in a shade net house.

Water requirement on drip irrigated tomatoes grown under shade net house

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of irrigation regimes on drip irrigated tomatoes grown under shade net house at the plasticulture farm, CTAE, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Four different levels of drip irrigation equivalent to 100 per cent, 80 per cent, 60 per cent and 40 per cent of crop evapotranspiration (ET c ) with five replications based on gravimetric method were tested for determining the crop water requirement inside the shade net house. Tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., badshah variety) plants were grown under the shade net house of 50 per cent shade and results are compared with the open cultivation system where the ET c was calculated by Penman–Monteith (PM) method. The results revealed that the optimum water requirement for the tomato under the shade net house is around 80 per cent of ET c outside the shade net house. Based on this, the actual irrigation water could be recommended between 1.62 and 4.58 mm day −1 for tomato crop in the shade net house.

Influence of growing environment and rooting hormone on rooting of Acalypha (Acalypha hispidaBurm. F.) cuttings

In order to find out the favourable growing environment, a study was conducted in Acalypha cuttings in the presence or absence of rooting hormone in Andamans. After four months of planting, the cuttings planted under open environment exhibited significantly early sprouting and first leaf emergence, maximum number of roots, fresh and dry weight of roots per cutting, number of leaves, fresh and dry weights of leaves per shoot, shoot length, leaf size, leaf area and plant height. However, the maximum mean root length and number of shoots per cutting were significantly higher under shade-net house environment. Among the root characters, the maximum per cent increase over shade-net was obtained for fresh weight of roots per cutting, while it was for leaf area, among the shoot characters. Moreover, rooting hormone improved both the root and shoot growth of cuttings. Among the various treatment combinations, significant increase for the most of root and shoot parameters were recorded under open conditions with rooting hormone, followed by open condition without hormonal treatment. Cent per cent rooting of cuttings was observed for individual effects and their interactions. Minimum variation was recorded for leaf area and maximum variation for plant height.

Effect of time of soft wood grafting on the success of sapota grafts in 50% shadenet under Marathwada conditions

The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with twelve treatments replicated thrice. The results revealed that the propagation of sapota var. Kalipatti by softwood grafting using 15 days prior defoliated scion stick of 8 cm length and 8 mm in diameter on 18 months old uniform khirni seedling stock undertaken in the months of August and September in 50% shadenet house gave maximum graft success percentage, graft survival percentage, number of leaves per graft, sprout length and early bud sprout in 50% shadenet house under Marathwada conditions.