protected cultivation for flowers

1. Introduction on
Protected Floriculture

2. SAM HIGGINBOTTOM UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, TECHNOLOGY
& SCIENCE,
ALLAHABAD (U.P.)-211007, INDIA
SUBJECT- Protected Floriculture
HOFL-812

3. Introduction
As a result of globalization of trade and liberalization of Indian economy, there is
an immense scope for export of high value horticultural crops from India, besides
meeting the increased demand in domestic market.
The need of the time is to increase the productivity and quality of produce to meet
the demand of quality conscious consumers.
A breakthrough in production technology that integrates market driven quality
parameters with the production system, besides ensuring a vertical growth in
productivity is required. One such technology is “Protected cultivation”, or
generally called Greenhouse technology.

4. PROTECTED CULTIVATION
Protected cultivation can be defined as a cropping
technique where in the microclimate surrounding the plant
body is controlled partially/ fully as per the requirement of
the plant species grown during their period of growth
Greenhouse technology is the most practical way of
achieving the goal of protected cultivation.

5. An Indian Perspective
 India has an amazing area under floriculture production. Small farms
use traditional cultivation practices to produce tonnes of traditional
loose flowers and modern cut flowers.
 Several biotic and abiotic stresses are the major factors responsible for
low productivity and poor quality in large number of flower crops
under open field cultivation.
 The increasing demand of off-season and high-quality flowers in
various markets of the big cities, have called the attention of the
growers for diversification from traditional ways to modern methods in
an agri-business entrepreneurial models.

6. Under the new era of
foreign direct investment
(FDI) in retail, these kinds
of models are having high
potential for betterment of
the farmers opting for
quality and offseason
production through
protected cultivation.

7. Protected cultivation structures are useful for combating both
biotic and abiotic stresses that limits the productivity and quality of
crops.
This requires –
Careful planning
Attention and details about timing of production and moreover
 Harvest time to coincide with high market prices
 Choice of varieties adopted for off-season environment
 Ability to produce economic yield of high-quality produce

8. The domestic Indian market for flowers is growing at 25% per year in the country
and about 40% per year in New Delhi, thanks to the increase in urban income
coupled with high income elasticity of demand for cut flowers.

9. The export geared hi-tech floriculture is not an offspring of this vast domestic
flower industry but something quite apart. Indian hi-tech floriculture industry
has undergone lot of ups and downs after its launching.
The industry has passed through roughly three faces since its inception in the
early nineties.

10. Phase 1
 The first phase was characterized by a lot of hype generated by the declaration of
export-oriented floriculture
 the consequent dubbing of the sector as a sunrise industry when few enthusiastic
floriculture enterprises came up mostly with the help of Dutch technical assistance and
associated costly imported planting materials and greenhouse equipments.

11. Phase 2
 The second phase spanning the late 90s and extending into the early years of the new
millennium was a period of gloom when many hi-tech floriculture units were struggling
to break even while some became sick and were on the verge of closure.
 Many of the initial hi-tech rose farms failed due to micro-climate problems, lack of
economies of scale, inappropriate technology and the fact that India is still far from
being an infrastructure driven economy.

12. Phase 3
 The third phase started around 2005-06 having reported marked recovery period during
which several first-generation hi-tech floriculture units have apparently made a turn
around while most second-generation units are even flourishing.
 The term 'first generation' unit is conventionally used in the industry to typify those
units which were started in the early nineties with the technology and equipment almost
totally borrowed from Europe
 While the 'second generation' unit refers to those started from the late nineties onwards
using in large part the cost-effective local technology and greenhouse equipments.

13. Green House
Greenhouse is the most practical
method of achieving the objectives of
protected cultivation where the natural
environment is modified by using sound
engineering principles to achieve
optimum plant growth and yield.
A greenhouse is a framed or inflated
structure covered with a transparent or
translucent material in which crops can be
grown under the conditions of atleast
partially controlled environment and
which is large enough to permit a person
to work within it, to carry out cultural
operations.

14. Glasshouse
.
Shadenet
.
Polyhouse
.
Different types of structures used in protected floriculture

15. Hot beds
.
Cold Frames
.
Plastic low tunnels
.

16. The environmental factors which affect plant growth include air
temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration,
soil temperature and moisture content of the soil.
By controlling these environmental factors, cultivation of crops
during off-season is possible under protected structures and
therefore, plants can be grown throughout the year instead of
once during the season only. It has been seen that there is ample
scope to double or triple the yield and, in some cases, even
yield can be enhanced more than 5 times.

17. Advantages of protected floriculture
 Protection from excess rainfall, wind current, scorching sunlight and extreme cold
conditions
 Under minimum space one can have maximum production of crop plants
 Humidity is maintained
 Efficient use of CO2
 Minimum use of water and fertilizers
 A single person can have control over thousands of plants
 Diseases and pests can be controlled easily
 Production of crop throughout the year
 Protection from birds, animals and human activities
 Labor cost is reduced
 Quality of product is best

18. Constraints of protected cultivation
 Lack of high yielding varieties
 High initial investment for construction and management of greenhouses
 Lack of chartered cargo flights besides high freight charges
 Unavailability of standard technologies to suit various regions
 Hurdles in transfer of technology
 People’s lack of interest
 Lack of technical know how
 Lack of adequate power supply
 Lack of quality planting materials
 Insufficient technical manpower
 Lack of post-harvest technology