Dr. Nikhil Ambish discusses protected cultivation of vegetable crops, which involves manipulating growing conditions to yield higher quality produce year-round, even in marginal environments. This includes infrastructure like frames, cladding, irrigation, as well as controlling temperature, humidity, and light. Low tunnels, walk-in tunnels, insect net houses, and shade net houses are inexpensive options, while naturally ventilated and fan/pad cooled greenhouses provide more precise climate control. The document outlines specific protected cultivation projects underway, including different vegetable varieties grown and production levels across various structure types.

1. Protected Cultivation of Vegetable
Protected Cultivation of Vegetable
crops
crops
1
1
Dr. Nikhil
Dr. Nikhil
Dr. Nikhil
Dr. Nikhil Ambish
Ambish
Ambish
Ambish Mehta
Mehta
Mehta
Mehta
Research Officer PSFC
Research Officer PSFC
Research Officer PSFC
Research Officer PSFC

2. Why Protected Cultivation
Manifold increase in Production from same unit area
Better quality Produce - protection from Pests &
diseases
Early maturity
Early maturity
Round the year cultivation
Cultivation is possible in hostile climates
Create micro-climate for optimum plant performance
- controlled temperature, humidity and light as per
plant requirement

3. Protected cultivation or greenhouse
cultivation or controlled environment
agriculture is the most contemporary
approach to produce mainly horticultural
crops which is highly productive,
conservative of water and land, and also
conservative of water and land, and also
protective to the environment.
This involves manipulation of plant growth
conditions to yield higher and quality
produce during on and off-season or round
the year.

4.  It is an upcoming and alternative production
system involving high-tech and intensive
 The protected cultivation offers several
advantages to grow high-value crops with
improved quality even under unfavourable
and marginal environments.
and marginal environments.
 New trend of entrepreneurial mindset and
commensurate opportunities of respectable
business for educated youth among
progressive farmers.

5. Components of Protected Cultivation
1. Infrastructure involving frames, cladding materials,
irrigation system, tools, implements
2. Other engineering inputs to ensure optimal light,
air temperature, water and plant growth
air temperature, water and plant growth
requirements.
3. Another aspect of protected cultivation is crop
production technology which involves
development of high-yielding varieties and
hybrids of crops suitable for protected
cultivation.

6. Protected cultivation technologies
 Low Tunnels
 Walk in tunnels
 Insect net houses
 Shade net houses
 Naturally-ventilated green/Poly houses
 Naturally-ventilated green/Poly houses
 Fan Pad cooled poly houses
 Hightech greenhouses
 Hydroponics
 Aeroponics
 Hydroponics, aeroponics and vertical farms.

7. Low Tunnels
• Miniature version of greenhouses
• Easy to construct, easy to dismantle and
cheaper in cost
• Protect the plants from severe wind, snow
• Protect the plants from severe wind, snow
and rain
• It increases the inside temperature by 6-20
degree centigrade and soil temperature by 6-
12 degree centigrade

9. Type of film used : Clear 50 microns
Weight of the sheet 45gsm
Sheet required for 1000 m2 = 45 kg
Cost of the sheet = Rs. 120/kg
Total cost of the sheet = Rs. 5400 per
Total cost of the sheet = Rs. 5400 per
1000 m2
Cost of the hoops Rs.8000
Total cost 13400 for 1000 m2

10. Low tunnel Hoops
Material for the hoop 6mm mild steel bar

13. Modified Polynet house

14. • It is a framed structure consisting of galvanized iron pipes
covered with ultra violet stabilized plastic film of 200-
micron thickness at the top and ultra violet stabilized net
of 40-mesh size on the sides.
• A relatively cost effective and stable structure of poly net
house has been designed by Punjab Agricultural University
Ludhiana and different pipe sizes to be used for its
construction are shown in Fig.
construction are shown in Fig.
• It is a more stable structure and can with stand a wind
speed of 100 km/hr. with side height is about 2m and
center height of about 3m. The cost of fabrication of the
net house is Rs. 400/ m2.

15. Walk in tunnel

16. • Walk in tunnel is a galvanized iron pipe framed
structure with center height of 3.5m to 4.0m
and side height of 3.0 m covered with
200micron thick ultra violet stabilized film with
provision of rollable curtains on both the sides.
• This is used for raising vegetables and flowers.
• The size of the walk tunnel can be anywhere
• The size of the walk tunnel can be anywhere
between 250 to 600m2. The cost of
construction of walk in tunnel is Rs. 600/m2.

17. Insect net house

18. • Flat roof insect net house/shadenet house is
galvanized iron pipe framed structure with flat
roof and covered with insect net of 40 screen
mesh/ or shade net of desirable shade
percentage.
• Underneath the insect net there is provision of
shade net of different shade percentage
shade net of different shade percentage
depending upon the crop to be grown inside.
• These type of structures are used for raising
nursery, vegetables flowers as well as fruit plants.
Shade net houses are used for hardening of fruit
plants nursery. The cost of constructing the insect
net house/shadenet house is Rs. 710/m2.

19. Shade Net House

20. Shade Net House
Shading screens have two main objectives
a. To decreasing light intensity to the optimum level for the crops
b. To provide shade in order to reduce radiation input and prevent
heat build up inside the green house.
Different percentage of screen will save different
percentage of energy
• Shading – 10 % to 100 %
• Saves energy – 15 % to 90 %
• Saves heat loss at low temp.
• Solar radiation saves from continuous heating.

21. Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse

22.  These are the most commonly used polyhouses.
The climate control inside the polyhouse is
maintained naturally with the help of fogging and
shadenet.
 The ridge height of such type of poly house is
6-6.5m and gutter height of 4-4.5m.
 These type of poly houses are used for growing
 These type of poly houses are used for growing
vegetables and flowers.
 The naturally ventillated polyhouses operate on
the principle of chimney effect caused by solar
draft, which helps in removal of hotter air inside
the poly house through the upper vent and entry
of cooler from the lower vents.

23.  The climate inside the naturally ventillated poly
house is controlled by the different combinations
of shadenet and fogging depending upon the
requirement.
 The vent design determines the air exchange and
airflow in the polyhouse.
 The ventilation capacity is determined by the
 The ventilation capacity is determined by the
structure of the greenhouse and growing
conditions of the crop.
 If a crop is grown in summer and a low
temperature is desired, a large ventilation
capacity is required.

24. Fan And Pad Cooled Poly House

25. • In these type of poly houses the climate inside the poly
house is controlled with the help of fan and pad.
• The system works on the principle of evaporative
cooling.
• The hot and dry air passes through cellulose pads loses
the temperature and gains moisture and the fans help in
removal of the hot air from the poly house thus creating
continuous cycle and maintaining desirable temperature
continuous cycle and maintaining desirable temperature
inside the poly house.
• These types of poly houses are normally used for nursery
raising as well as cultivation of exotic flowers and
vegetables. The energy costs involved in fan pad cooled
poly houses are very high. The cost of construction of
fan pad cooled polyhouse ranges from Rs.1400/m2 to Rs.
1600/m2 depending upon the size of the poly house.

26. Hi Tech Vegetable Nursery Unit
High-tech
Poly house
Area
2000 m2.
Seedling
Produced
More than 1 Cror
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Produced
Seedlings
available
More than 5 Lacs
Type of
Seedling
Cucumber, Tomato,
Capsicum, Brinjal,
Chilli, Cucurbits,
Cauliflower,
Cabbage etc.

27. Brinjal in
Walk-in- tunnels
Area 500 m2.
Crop Brinjal
Variety/Hybrid Sharapova
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Variety/Hybrid Sharapova
No. of plants 1200
No. of beds 4
Spacing 30X40 cm

28. Area 500 m2.
Crop Cucumber
Cucumber in
Walk-in- tunnels
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Crop Cucumber
Variety/Hybrid Multistar, Kingstar
No. of plants 1200
No. of beds 4
Spacing 30X40 cm

29. Area 500 m2.
Crop Lettuce
Variety /
Hybrid
Iceberg, Patagonia, Locarno,
Concorde
No. of plants 2500
No. of beds 5
Walk-in- tunnels
Lettuce
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No. of beds 5
Spacing 30X30 cm

30. Area 500 m2.
Crop Tomato & Cherry Tomato
Walk-in- tunnels
Soil-Less Tomato
Variety
/Hybrid
NS-4266, Novara, Cibellia,
Heemshikhar
No. of
plants
1200
No. of beds 4 Trough 2m Apart
Spacing 30X30 cm

31. Walk-in- tunnels Soil-Less
Cherry Tomato in Grow Bags
Area 500 m2.
Crop Cherry Tomato
Variety
/Hybrid
Olleh, Presso, Punjab
Sona, Punjab kesar,
Punjab Red
Punjab Red
No. of plants 1200
No. of beds 4
No. of Grow
bags
1200
Spacing 30X30 cm

32. Walk-in- tunnels
Musk Melon
Area 500 m2.
Area 500 m2.
Crop Musk Melon
Variety /Hybrid Inthanon, Crabian King
No. of plants 1200
No. of beds 4
Spacing 30X40 cm

33. Area 500 m2.
Crop Capsicum
Variety/Hybrid Indra, Orobelle, Bachata,
Insipiration, Bomby etc.
No. of plants 1500
No. of beds 5
Capsicum
In Poly Net Tunnel
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No. of beds 5
Spacing 30X40 cm

34. Tomato crop in
Naturaly Ventilated
Polyhouse
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Area 2000 m2.
Crop Tomato
Variety/Hybrid NS-4266, Novara,
Heemshikhar
No. of plants 5000
No. of beds 35
Spacing 30X40 cm

35. Colored Capsicum
in
Naturaly Ventilated
Polyhouse
Area 2000 m2.
Crop Capsicum
Variety/Hybrid Indira, Orobelle, Bachata,
Insipiration, Bomby etc.
No. of plants 5000
No. of beds 35
Spacing 30X40 cm

36. Chilli in Net House Units
Area 500 m2.
Crop Chilli
Variety/Hybrid Veerji, Kranti,
Soldier
No. of plants 1200
No. of beds 4
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No. of beds 4
Spacing 30X40 cm

37. Net House Units
Area 500 m2.
Crop Tomato
Variety/Hybrid NS-4266, Novara,
Heemshikhar
No. of plants 1500
No. of beds 5
Spacing 30X40 cm
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Spacing 30X40 cm

38. Pole Beans in Net House
Units
Area 500 m2.
Crop Pole Beans
Variety/Hybrid Hi-Gen Seeds
No. of plants 1200
No. of beds 4
Spacing 30X40 cm
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Spacing 30X40 cm

39. Pea crop in Net House Units
Area 500 m2.
Crop Pea
Variety/Hybrid Hi-Gen Seeds
No. of plants 1200
No. of beds 4
Spacing 30X40 cm
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Spacing 30X40 cm

40. TOMATO VARIETIES SHORTLISTED FOR SOWING/
TRANSPLANTING IN DIFFERENT UNITS
(PROTECTED CULTIVATION)
Regular Tomato NS-4266
Novara
Heemsohna
Cibelia
40
Heemshikhar
Cherry Tomato Sheeja , Laila, Roja
Moscatle
Presso
Fortesa
Olleh

41. CAPSICUM VARIETIES SHORTLISTED FOR SOWING/
TRANSPLANTING IN DIFFERENT UNITS (PROTECTED CULTIVATION)
Yellow Capsicum : Orobelle
Sven
NS-280
Swarna
Bachata
Red Capsicum : Bomby
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Red Capsicum : Bomby
Natasha
Inspiration
NS-281
Green Capsicum : Indira
Paladine
Asha
Orange Capsicum : Boogie
Chocolate coloured : Chocolate wonder

42. CUCUMBER VARIETIES SHORTLISTED FOR SOWING/ TRANSPLANTING
IN DIFFERENT UNITS (PROTECTED CULTIVATION)
Cucumber
Multistar
Sunstar
Kingstar
Valleystar
Poraz
Kafka
Isatis
Hilton
Kian
KUK-9
PBRK-4 (PAU)

43. CHILLI VARIETIES SHORTLISTED FOR SOWING/ TRANSPLANTING
IN DIFFERENT UNITS (PROTECTED CULTIVATION)
Chilli
CH-1
CH-27
CH-27
Soldier
Veerji
Kranti

44. Marketing of Vegetables
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Retail Out let
Through Trader

45. Thank You