Vegetable and spice crop production 4th semester quiz 2077( avin kharel, roll no-15) IAAS Lamjung Campus

1. Vegetable and spice crop production
B.Sc.Ag, 4th Semester
Name: Avin Kharel
Roll Number:15
B.Sc.Ag, 4th
Semester
TU/IAAS, Lamjung Campus
Section-A
Quiz-2077

2. 1. Briefly describethe off-seasonproductiontechniques of tomato.
Off-seasonvegetablecultivation refers to the production of vegetables after or beforetheir normalseason of production
by
 Availing and using different agro climatic conditions
 Adjusting the planting time
 Selecting improved varieties
 Creating the controlled environmentby making plastic tunnels, polythene house, permanentglass houseetc.
Off-season tomato production technology is to gain higher yields and incomes with high marketdemand of tomatoes. It
is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical climatic conditions as it is sensitive to frost and high temperatures.
Rendering high and low temperatures during summer and winter leads to poor yield. Cultivation of tomato is possiblein
a wide range of soils having good water holding capacity.
Tomato is highly susceptible to high and low temperatures. It grows well at temperatures range of 1 to 30°C. The
optimum temperature for tomato cultivation is 16°C- 22°C. Temperature below 16°C and above27°C is not suitable for
tomato cultivation. Lycopene production will be highest at 21°C-24°C temperature whereas, its production falls
significantly at a temperature above 27°C. Fertile soils with rich organic matter along with good water holding capacity
are said to be ideal for tomato cultivation. While sandy loam soils are suitable for early off-season crops whereas heavy
soils with high organic matter are suitable for getting high yield. Tomato is a little tolerant of slightly acidic conditions.
However, optimumpH for tomato cultivation is about 6-7.
When the temperature and humidity are notsuitable for tomato productionin open field, protected cultivation provides
a great scopefor off-seasontomatocultivation. Naturally ventilated Quonsetpoly housesarewidely in useforoff-season
cultivation. These poly houses can be used for the production of off-season nurseries either in conventional beds or in
portrays. After outsideclimatic conditions become favorable, seedlings are transplanted into the main field. Such a crop

3. gives early yields and becomes off-season. Therefore, they aresold at a higher pricewhich leaves the farmers in high net
returns.
Yield under protected cultivation is 2 – 3 times higher than open field conditions and also farmers can take around two
crops in a year. During autumn successfully off-season crops can be grown under poly house conditions as the solar
radiations get trapped inside it and heat up the poly house due to the greenhouse effect. Cultivation of tomato under
poly house conditions gives quality produce that fetches a premium price in the market. Cultivation of tomato under
protected conditions requires intensive care. To prevent overcrowding and to increase aeration, prune the emerging
lateral shoots. Train the plants to retain one or two stems. For effective utilization of space inside the poly house, train
the plants upright vertically. Nourish the plants properly for better growth and development after attaining the age of
two weeks by applying various water-solublefertilizers (NPK: 19:19:19).Remove all leaves on the main stem up to 2-3
nodes.
Moreover, varieties suitable for off-season cultivation must possess some unique features to grow in unfavorable
conditions which are range of germplasm pool to use as resistantfor various diseases insect pest and biotic and abiotic
stresses etc. and it can be transferred into horticulturally superior cultivars.

4. In off-season cultivation of tomato, root-knot nematode became a serious problem under protected conditions. Bio
fumigation provides effective controlagainst this and yield increase is seen with bio fumigation.
Under protected conditions, it is possibleto grow tomatoes in soilless media like coco peat, vermiculite, coffee pulp, and
rock wool, etc., and fertilizer nutrients are made available for the plants by providing them through the fertigation
system. It circulates water enriched with various micro and macronutrients constantly. In recent years hydroponic
cultivation of tomatoes became a practice in many developed countries. Most noteworthy is it has many advantages
over conventional production systems like healthy, uniform and increased yield, conservation of water and land, and
controls environmental pollution and reduces the costof labor.

5. 2. Discuss about the disorders of cauliflower.
 There are some physiologicaldisorder seen in cauliflower which arelisted below;
a) Whiptail: This results dueto deficiency of Molybdenum. The leaf blades do not develop properly and become
strap like. The growing point is severly deformed and no marketable head is formed. It occurs in acidic soil
below pH 4.5. Whiptail can be prevented by bringing the soil pH to 6.5 by liming with 5-7.5 t/ha of limestone
or by applying 2.5-5 kg/ha of sodiumor ammoniummolybdate. Foliar spray with 0.05% sodiummolybdateis
also recommended.

6. b) Buttoning:This disorder is characterized by development of small curd. Buttoning may be due to overaged
seedlings, poor nitrogen supply, planting wrong cultivar, i.e. early cultivar planted late and also due to root
injury by insects or by somedisease. Generally, if there is any check in the vegetative growth of the seedlings,
buttoning may be induced.
c) Blindness: Itis supposed to be due to low temperature when the plants are small or due to damage to the
terminal bud during handling of the plant or due to insect pest like cutworms which eat the terminal bud.

7. d) Browning: This is caused by Boron deficiency. It appears as a small water soaked areas in the centre of the
curd. Later, the stem becomes hollow with soaked tissue surrounding the walls of the cavity. In more
advanced stage, pinkish or rusty brown areas develop on the surface of the curd and hence, it is also known
as brown rot or redrot. Affected curd develops a bitter taste. It can be controlled by application of boraxor
sodium borate @ 20 Kg/ha. In case of acute deficiency, spray of 0.25 to 0.50% solution of borax @ 1 to 2
Kg/ha is advocated.
e) Riceyness: Premature initiation of floral buds is characterized by
riceyness in cauliflower and is considered to be of poor quality for
marketing. Such disorder may resultfromany temperature higher or
lower than the optimum required for a particular cultivar.

9. 3. Briefly discussthe methodof seedproductiontechniques inRadish.
 The seed of temperate types are produced only in the hills and tropical types in plains. Itis a cross pollinated crop
and honey-bees aremain pollinators. Isolation distanceof about 100 mto 1600 mshould be maintained between
two varieties to produce pure seeds. Roughing is also done as well. There are two methods of seed production in
raddish. They are as follows:
a) Seed toseedmethod/Insitumethod: Generally, in the traditional method, if the radish is left and provided
with required manureand fertilizer, a shootwill grow,produceseed stalk and setpods.The podshaveseed,
which become mature, go dry and the seeds can be used as sowing seeds for the next year. This method is
not recommended for production of high quality of seeds because the selection of good roots cannot be
made and off type plants which are not true to variety cannotbe rogued. Averageseed yield in this method
is about 600-800kg/ha.

10. b) Root to Seed Method: Another improved method of producing quality seed of radish is that it should be
uprooted with no hard fiber inside, and leave 5-7 younger leaves but remove all older leaves. Then, cut off
the lower partwithoutolder leaves leaving 6-7cm upper partof rootby sharpweapons(knife,sickle). Then,
replant the radish at the gap of 25-30 cm exposing 2-3 cm upper part of it in the soil, prepared adding
adequate amount of farmyard manurewith plenty of moisture in the land, but it should be freefrom water
logging. Subsequently irrigation is given at any interval of 7-10 days till seed are formed in the pods. New
shootand pod grow in the radish replanted this way, which can be used as seeds after they ripe and go dry.
This method cannot be adopted in European type becausethey do not stand transplantation well.

11. 4. Write short notes on(any five).
a) Spice crops: Spice crops are the vegetables products such as leaves, flower, seeds and roots that are rich in
essential oils and aromatic principles. They are used mainly as condiments. For practical reasons, spices are
considered to be primary crops. For example; Cloves, Cumin, Ginger, Turmeric etc. A spice is a seed, fruit, root,
bark or other plant substances primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs,
which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices are sometimes used in
medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics or perfume production. Since they are expensive, rare, and exotic
commodities, their conspicuous consumption has often been a symbolof wealth and social class.

12. b) Cumin: Cumin is the flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to a territory including the Middle East. It is a
diploid species with 14 chromosomes i.e (2n=14). Itis a dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum. Itgrows to 30-
50 cm tall and is harvested by hand. Cumin is sometimes confused with caraway which is another species of this
family. The main producers of cumin are China and India. It is a drought tolerant, tropical or subtropical crop. It
has a growth season of 100 to 120 days. Theoptimum growth temperature ranges from25-30℃. Cumin is grown
from seeds and the seeds need 2-5℃for emergence. Two sowing methods used in cumin are broadcasting and
line sowing. Fertile, sandy, loamy soil with good aeration and proper drainage, and high oxygen availability are
preferred. Cumin seed is used as a spice for its distinctive flavor and aroma. There are many traditional uses of
cumin as dried seeds are believed to have medicinal importance and a popular drink called jira water is made by
boiling cumin seeds.
c) Ginger: Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a flowering plant whoserhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a
spiceand a folk medicine. Itis herbaceousperennial which growsannualpseudostems/falsestems.Itis originated
fromMaritime SoutheastAsia. The sizeof the ginger seed, called rhizome, is essential to the production of ginger.
The larger the rhizome piece, the faster ginger will be produced. Dry ginger, one of the most popular forms of
ginger commercially exported, must undergo drying and preparation to reach the goal product. Ginger rhizomes
that are to be converted into dry ginger mustbe harvested at full maturity (8-10 months). Ginger is a very popular
spice worldwide. It can be used for a variety of food or medicine items such as vegetables, candy, soda, pickles

13. and alcoholic beverages. Prior to planting the seed rhizomes, farmers are required to treat the seeds to prevent
seed-borne pathogens and pests, rhizome rot and other seed-borne diseases which include dipping the seeds in
cow dung emulsion, smoking the seeds beforestorage, or hot water treatment.
Once the seeds are properly treated, the farm land in which they are to be planted must be thoroughly dug or
ploughed by thefarmer to break up the soil.Afterthe soilis sufficiently ploughed atleast 3-5times, waterchannels
are made 60–80 ft apartto irrigate the crop.
The next step after farmers ensuresoilis well suitable for planting and growing is planting the rhizomeseed.Once
the planting stage is done, farmers go on to mulch the crop to “conserve moisture and check weed growth”, as
well as check surfacerun-off to conserve soil. Mulching is done by applying mulch (green leaves for example) to
the plant beds directly after planting and again 45 and 90 days into growth.After mulching comes hilling, which is
the stirring and breaking up of soil to check weed growth, break the firmness of the soil from rain, and conserve

14. soil moisture.Farmers mustensurethat their ginger crops arereceiving supplemental irrigation if rainfall is low in
their region.
The final farming stage for ginger is the harvesting stage. For items such as vegetable, soda, and candy harvesting
should be done between 4-5 months of planting, whereas when the rhizomeis planted for products such as dried
ginger or ginger oil, harvesting mustbe done 8-10 months after planting.
d) Chayote: Chayote also known as mirliton and choko, is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae.
Itis a warmseason,tender perennial. The chayotefruitis mostly usedcooked. Itwasoneof the severalfoodsintroduced
to the Old World during the Columbian Exchange. Like other member of the gourd family, chayote has the sprawling
habit. Chayote is a vine that produces a pale green to white, flattened pear shaped fruit that tastes like a nutty
flavored squash. Vine like stems grown froma tuberous root and can reach up to 50 feet long. Leaves are hairy
and resemble maple leaves. Male and female flowers are borne on the same vine. Young shoots, fruits and mature
tubers are edible.
Chayote is grown in loose, well-drained, moisture retentive soil rich in organic matter with pH 6.0-6.8. Chayote grows
best where summer temperature are warmto hot in tropical and subtropicalregions and the soil temperature reached

15. at least 65℉. It requires 120 to 150 frost free warm days to reach harvest. The whole chayote fruit is set about 4 to 6
inches deep and 10 feet apart. Itis a vigorous climber so trellis or supportis set at the planting. In cold winter regions,
chayote is protected with thick mulch 10-15 inches thick before the firstfreeze. Chayote will be ready for harvestwhen
the fruitis tender and about 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Chayote is stored in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
e) Cress:(Lepidiumsativum),sometimes referred to as garden cressor curlycress belongs to thefamily Chenopodiaceae.
Garden cress is genetically related to watercress and mustard, sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma. This is
annual plant which reach a height of 60 cm with many branches on the upper part. It is originated from Mediterrian
region. The white to pinkish flowers are only 2mm across, clustered in small branched racemes. When consumed raw,
cress is a high nutrient food containing substantial content of vitamin A, C and K and several dietary minerals. It is a
winter crop which requires loamy soil rich in organic manure. Cress is cultivated by direct seed sowing in the plots. The
recommended fertilizer is 20 ton FYM/ha and 160:80:60 Kg NPK/ha. The seed rate is about 8-9 Kg/ha with 20×2-3 cm
spacing. Itis harvested at the tender stage by cutting or uprooting the whole plant. The yield is about 6-10 ton/ha green
leaves.