Experience were also conducted on off-season cultivation of muskmelon, summer

squash, and other cucurbits under plastic low tunnels during the year 2000-2001, 2001-2002 and
2002-2003. This technology has been found to be highly cost effective under northern plains
conditions of the country. Plastic low tunnels provided 30-45 days protection from low
temperature to the crop during winter months and the grower could harvest the crop 45-60 days
earlier compared to its normal season. In summer squash (var. Australian Green) 70 tonnes/ha
fruit yield was recorded during the year 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 with a cost-benefit ratio of
1:2.96 and 1:4.42, respectively. Whereas in muskmelon on 22 tonnes/ha of fruit yield was
recorded during 2000-2001 with a cost benefit ratio of 1:3.86 (Singh et al., 2001)

Walk-in tunnels were also used for growing off-season vegetables and raising off-season
nursery of vegetables. There low cost structures have been evaluated quite suitable for off-season
nursery raising and small-scale vegetable cultivation during off-season for fetching high price of
the produce.

Insect proof net houses (insect proof nylon net of 40-50 mesh) have also been evaluated
for virus free vegetable culvation (mainly tomato and sweet pepper) during rainy and post rainy
season. Small insect proof net houses are quite effective for virus free nursery raising of
vegetables during rainy season or post rainy season, when the whitefly population is very high in
the environtment.

Polyhouses and polytrenches in cold desert of Leh and Ladakh were found suitable for
raising early nurseries of vegetables, production of early vegetable crops, extension of growing
season and vegetable production during frozen winter. Leafy vegetables can be cultivated in the
trenches and polyhouses in extreme winter when the land gets frozen and nothing grows outside.
Polytrenches have been found most efficient and economical protected structures for vegetable
cultivation at high altitudes in extreme northern parts of the country (Singh, 2000).

Problems or Constraints in Protectected Vegetable Cultivation In India

Protected vegetable cultivation in India, though vey ancient, is in its infancy. Very little
efforts have been made to exploit vast potentials of protected vegetable cultivation. Some of the
constraints and problems, which restrict protected vegetable cultivation in India, are as follows:

1. No specific breeding work has been initiated for development of suitable

varieties/hybrids for greenhouse or protected cultivation, even in important vegetables,
viz. tomato, cherry tomatio, sweet pepper and cucumber. Exotic seeds are very costly and
are out of reach of the Indian growers.
2. Even if some varieties of these vegetables are available in the country they do not meet
the quality standards for export or upmarkets in the country.
3. The basic cost of fabrication and the operational cost of the climate-controlled
greenhouses are very high, which do not suit to the growers in India.
4. Regular power supply is required for operating cooling or heating symtem of the
greenhouses, which is not available in several parts of the country.
5. In several parts solar radiation at certain critical periods may limit the yields of some
vegetables, for example sweet pepper at Delhi conditions during winter months.
6. Very little work on standardization of designs of greenhouses and other protected
structures have been done for different agro-climatic regions of the country.
7. Vegetable production technologies of potential vegetable crops under different types of
protected structures for various agro-climatic zones of the country have not been worked
out and documented.
8. Cladding materials of required quality are not readily available. There is also a lack of
suitable instrumentation for environtment control in the greenhouses.
9. There is lack of specific research programmes on protected vegetable cultivation.
10. There is lack of packaging and on farm value addition material for suppiy of the high
quality produce to upmarkets.