Atma ram meena Ph.D Horticulture

1. Seminar
on
Presented by:-
Atma Ram Meena
M.Sc. (Ag.)Horti, Final year
Deptt. of Horticulture,
Major Advisor:- Dr. L.N.Bairwa

2. Concept of off-season vegetables production:-
Availing and using different agro climatic conditions,
Adjusting the planting time,
Selecting improved varieties,
Creating the controlled environment by making plastic tunnels, polythene house,
permanent glasshouse etc.
Off-season vegetable cultivation refers to the production of vegetables after or
before their normal season of production by -

3. Advantages of Off season vegetables
Better utilization
of land
suitable for
small and poor
farmers
Farmers can get
the employment
round the year.
Better utilization
of farm
resources
Suitable for
seed production

4. Conti…
Off –season vegetables
produce higher
tonnage per unit
Consumers prefer
fresh vegetable even in
the off-seasons.
The farmers can get
higher profits from off-
season production.
It rises the living
standard of farmers,
Proper utilization all
the family members

5. Conti….
Helpful in solving of
food problem
Better utilization of
inter space under
young orchards
Source of rich
protective food & it
add to the nutritional
security
Sometimes it is
possible to export
fresh vegetables and
earn foreign currency.

6. Problems in off-seasons vegetables production
Expensive
hybrid seeds
Lack of
irrigation
Difficulty to discard
the traditional
farming system
Lack of highly
specialized techniques
in vegetable
production
Lack of sufficient
money to
construct the
plastic houses
Production cost
of vegetable is
higher.

7. Conti..
It is possible on a
commercial scale
only in areas where
marketing is not a
problem.
It needs very regular
supervision
It needs skilled
knowledge
Than the normal seasons
production
Sometimes it becomes a
risky operation due to
possibility of incidence
of diseases and pests.
Not prioritized by the
governmental and
nongovernmental
sectors

8. Why off-season vegetable production…?
To increase the total vegetable production
To ensure year-round supply of fresh vegetables
Manifold increase in production from same unit area
Ensuring better quality produce by using protected structures
To get more prices
Cultivation is possible in hostile climates through protected
structures

9. Nursery
Bed
preparation
Soil
fertilizing
transplanting
Moisture
conditioning
Plant
protection
Top dressing
of fertilizers
Harvesting
Grading Post harvest Marketing
Flow chart of operation for off- season vegetables cultivation

10. Types of off-season vegetable production in India
Natural method /Open field cultivation of off-season
vegetables
Example- Onion, Potato, etc.
Protected cultivation of off-season vegetables
Example -Capsicum, Cucumber, etc.

11. Natural method /Open field cultivation of off-season vegetables
Natural method
Adjustment of
planting /
sowing time
River - Bed /
Diara Land
cultivation
Use of different
agro climatic
condition

12. Adjustment of planting/ sowing time:-
E.g. summer vegetables are sown about 2 months earlier than the normal
season for early crop
Season Sowing Harvesting
Normal season March- May June- August
Off-season January - February April to June
Generally, the Cucurbitaceous crops are forced in late winter at the seedling stage
and transplanted in open field for early crop. Similarly, Tomato, Brinjal, Sweet
Potato, Cucumber, and Squash are also forced at the young Stage during late
winter in mid hills.

13. Vegetables Sowing Period Harvesting Period
Tomato October (Nursery) November
(transplantation)
February-May
Brinjal October (Nursery) November
(transplantation)
February-May
Squashes End of October to 1st week of
November (direct seeding)
End of December to
April
Cucumber End of October to end of December
(direct seeding)
Mid January to May
Sweet
pepper/ Hot
pepper
Mid of September to 1st week of
October(Nursery) End of October to 1st
week of November (Transplantation)
End of January to
September
Source :- PREF-68/October, 2007/ Rev 2

14. Generally, vegetables are grown during normal season in one
climatic region and marketed as off-season in other climatic
regions.
E.g. in high altitudes in Himachal Pradesh, Ooty and some part
of Uttarkhand. the farmers produce cauliflower, cabbage, radish,
leafy vegetables and peas during summer and rainy seasons and
supply to the markets of Dehradun, Delhi and Chandigarh.
Similarly, the farmers of lower hills and Solan areas produce
tomato, Sweet peppers and cucumber during late winter and
spring and supply to the market of mid and high hills.
Use of different agro climatic conditions:-

15. 1. Main riverbed consisting sand- cultivation is
done during December to June. Main crop is
Bitter gourd and Bottle gourd.
2. Main Diara is located on beds of river. Main
crop is Cucumber, Luffa, Muskmelon,
Watermelon and Pointed gourd.
3. Upland diara where continuous deposition
occurs less flooded and not much different from
Nondiara lands. Main crop is Pointed gourd.
Riverbed farming can be used to increase household income and to improve
the food security of landless and land-poor households in costal area
Riverbed farming
Pradeep Kumar Singh (2012)

16. Crop duration and yield of cucurbitaceous vegetables in Diara
lands
Sl.no. Vegetables Planting Time Harvesting
Time
Average Yield (q/ha)
1 Bottle gourd Nov-Dec March-July 200-350
2 Bitter gourd Feb-March May-July 100-150
3 Pointed gourd Nov-Dec March-July 350-400
4 Ridge gourd Apr-May June-July 100-200
5 Sponge gourd Jan-Feb April-May 100-200
6 Cucumber Jan-Feb March-June 225-250
Pradeep Kumar Singh (2012)

17. Bottle gourd :- Summer Prolific Long , Summer Prolific Round.
Cucumber :- Japanese Long Green, Straight Eight, Pusa Sanjog ,
Poinsette.
Musk melon :- Arka Rajhans,Arka Jeet, Pusa Sharabati , Pusa Madhuras ,
Water melon :- Sugar Baby , Improved Shipper, Asahi Yamato , Durgapura
Meetha.
Vegetable cultivated like Bitter Gourd, Pointed Gourd, Sponge Gourd,
Ridge Gourd etc.
Vegetables and Varieties
Pradeep Kumar Singh (2012)

18. Protected cultivation of off-season vegetables
Hot
Beds
Lath
House
Net
House
MulchingGreen and
poly house
Plastic
Tunnel
Cold
Frames
Glass
House
Low Tunnel,
Walk- in
Tunnel ,
High Tunnel.
Source :-A. M Parmar and H .Choudhary May 21 2001

19. Low Plastic Tunnels Walk-in Tunnels
High Tunnel Cold Frames

20. Practical Tips for off-season vegetable farming
Any person who is planning to adopt this technology should have some practical
knowledge about farming.
Land that is being utilized for off-season vegetable farming should be tested
which will help in determining the quality of land for agriculture purposes.
 Farmer should ensure that the plant they are planning to grow must have the
ability to self-pollinate under the plastic sheet.
 Selection of the seed is most important factor because this determines the
productivity of the crop.
Vegetables, which are in demand, should be cultivated, this will help in earning
higher profit margins.
Timing of cultivation of vegetables has to be done accurately.

21. Vegetables for Off-Seasons
Cabbage Onion
Cauliflower Garlic
Capsicum Chilli
Tomato Potato
Brinjal Carrot
Cucumber Radish
Summer squash Okra
Water melon Turnip,
Bitter Gourds Pointed Gourds
Green peas, Beans
Swiss Chard leafy vegetable etc..
Source :- PREF-68/october, 2007/ rev 2

22. Protected cultivation of capsicum in Indian
conditions
Climatic requirements of capsicum under Greenhouse
High humidity (70-75%) for proper growth. Less than 70% RH inhibits fruit set in pepper.
Light intensity:50,000-60,000 lux
At flowering stage bell pepper requires high light intensity
Partial shade using 30% shading nets promotes vegetative growth at early stage
Maintenance of environmental factors inside greenhouse
Popularly grown commercial hybrids in India
Day Temp(0c) Night Temp(0c) RH(%) PH range
21-24 18-20 70-75 6-7
Green Red Yellow
Yamuna, HA-1038 Indra, Bomby, Triple star, Natasha,
Inspiration, Pasarella Pusa deepti
Sunnyez, Swarna,
Orobelle, Bachata
Source:- IIHR, Bangalore

23. Crop growing
condition
Date of planting with an yield kg per m2
Sept- 2 (S1) Sept -21 (S2) Oct -12 (S3)
Green house(G1) 4.11 4.58 5.27
Open
Condition(G2)
1.58 2.05 2.31
Mean 2.84 3.31 3.79
S.E 0.120 0.127 0.278
CD(5%) 0.37 0.39 0.86
A study on the cultivation of capsicum in a greenhouse during off-season in
warm and humid climate in India
University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhuwaneshwar, Odisha
M. K. Ghosal and R. K. Das (2012)

24. Categories Varieties
Beefsteak (180-250g) Trust, Match, FA-574, FA-180 and FA-514
Big fruited
(120-150g)
Israel: R-144 (Daniela), FA-189 and FA-179
Indian: Naveen, Nun 7711, NS-646, GS-600, Arka
Vardan, Arka Vishal, Delphi, Astona, Shanmon, Cassius
Hand type or cluster type
(4-7 fruits/ cluster)
HA-646, FA-556 and FA-521
Cherry tomato (12-20g) BR-124, HA-818, T-56, NS Cherry-1
The optimum range being 16°C to 22°C.
The ideal range for development of both red and yellow colours is 18-250C
Optimum CO2 concentration in Green house tomato is 4000 ppm
Indetrminate tomato trained single stem
Source: Protected cultivation of vegetable crops By: Balraj Singh
Green House Tomato Production

25. Hybrid/
Varities
Days to
first
harvest
Totol
fruit
yield
kg/plant
Marketable
yield
kg/plant
Fruit
weight
(g)
Fruit
no/plant
TSS(%) Fruit
damage
by S.
litura(%)
Avinash-
2
102 2.08 1.91 66.07 41.37 5.01 4.67
Naveen 91 2.87 2.77 59.39 67.29 6.27 3.00
CLN
2026D
104 1.77 1.51 57.78 35.41 5.41 9.64
CD 6.55 0.44 0.46 NS 13.78 0.40 2.5
Off-season cultivation of tomato under net house condition
D.S. Cheema, et al. 2004
Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana

26. 1) Annual cucurbits:
 Cucumber
 Gourds:
Bottle gourd, bitter gourd, sponge gourd, ridge gourd, round
gourd, snake gourd, and wax gourd.
 Melons: Muskmelon, watermelon, long melon and snap melon.
 Pumpkin and squashes: Pumpkin, summer squash and winter squash.
2) Perennial cucurbits:
 Pointed gourd,
 Chayote,
 Kakrol,
 Ivy gourd or little gourd.
OFF SEASON PRODUCATION DIFFERENT TYPES OF CUCURBITS

27. Green house cultivation of cucumber
Climatic requirement
Temperature:18-35 ˚C
Germination temp.:26-28 ˚C
After germination remove seed tray cover and reduce temp. to 22 ˚C
RH:70%
pH:5.5 - 6.8
Can tolerate strongly acidic soil but optimum yield is at given pH
cultivars
Carmen- Bitter-free fruit, ideal for organic gardeners.
Swing – Slicing cucumber
Baribal – Early maturing
Picolino – Mini cucumbers
Delta star and multi star- from Rizwan seed co.

28. Yield/ha
Diff
Dates of
Transplanting (D)
Average yield of
Tomato q/ha
Average yield of
Capsicum q/ha
Average yield of
Cucumber q/ha
15 March (D1) 3826.80 1304.60 2212.39
15 April (D2) 3450.22 1257.29 3205.52
15 May (D3) 3572.18 1060.93 3435.73
15 June (D4) 2567.91 846.39 3859.45
Protected cultivation of Tomato, Capsicum and Cucumber under
Kashmir valley conditions
Division of Vegetable Science, S. K. University of Agriculture and Technology, Shalimar,
Srinagar, J&K
K. P. Wani, et al (2011)

29.  Capitalizing of comparative advantage of natural variation of temperature in hilly
regions v/s plain areas
 Selection of appropriate varieties for year round production
Development of heat tolerant genotypes in India are
Strategies for off-season cabbage production
Golden Acre
Pusa Drum Head
Pusa Mukta
Pusa Ageti Selection (Tropical)
Pusa Sambandh
Copenhagen Market
Pride of India
September
Drumhead Savoy and Red Acre

30. Suitable varieties for off-season cauliflower are as follows:
Silver Cup-60,
Tropical-45 Days,
Snow Crown,
Snow King,
White Flash,
White Contensa,
Jayapu Cauli,
Kibo Giant,
Dolpa Snowball,
Sweta

31. Off Season Performance of Radish Genotypes under Keonjhar
Conditions (Odisha)
Variety No. of
leaves
plant-1
Leaf
length
(cm)
Leaf
Width
(cm)
Root
Length
(cm)
Root
diameter
(cm)
TSS
(o Brix)
Vitamin-C
(mg 100-1g)
Root
Yield
(q/ha)
Pusa Chetki 10.2 39.9 14.5 28.0 3.15 10.50 5.96 122.3
Summer
Long
9.8 38.3 13.3 32.5 2.58 10.43 4.60 117.3
Delhi
White
10.4 40.5 14.9 24.5 4.46 11.7 6.30 132.3
Menu
Early
10.8 47.1 15.3 25.1 4.53 12.06 7.93 157.0
Indam-7 9.4 28.8 9.3 26.2 2.62 9.06 4.43 108.0
SE(m) ± 0.3 1.5 0.9 1.6 0.3 0.6 0.31 1.7
CD (P=0.05) 0.96 4.6 2.8 4.8 0.90 1.90 0.92 5.1
S.K. Mohapatra, et al 2012
Performance of Radish genotypes in kharif season in Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Keonjhar

32. Off-Season cultivation of Onion Production
Onion sown little earlier, in September
Transplanting the seedlings 2 month after
After transplanting, the onions grow until the bulbs are the size of a thumbnail.
Then the bulbs are lifted and plaited together as shown
The plaited strings of onions are hung up in a dry, airy and shaded place. they can be left
like this for 4-5 months
At the end of the monsoon the bulbs are planted again,
bending over the leaves helps to produce bigger onions bulbs
Source:-Farmer hand book

33. Seasons Contribution (%) Harvesting Period
Kharif 15-20% Oct-Dec
Late Kharif 20-25% Jan-Mar
Rabi 55-60% Mar-May
Distribution pattern of annual production of onion
Source- Horticulture Division, Ministry of
Agriculture, Government of India, New Delhi, 2015.

34. P. Tripathy, et al.,2014

35. A Success Story in Rajasthan
Variety/Crop A Area under
Greenhouse
Duration of
Crop
Total yield
(quintal/1000
m2)
Avg. price of
green fruit
Rs/kg
Gross Income
(Rs/1000 m2)
1st Crop of
Parthenocarpic
Cucumber (var.
Kian)
1000 m2 08.09.2011 to
12.01. 2012
50 30 1,50,000
2nd Crop of
Parthenocarpic
Cucumber (var.
Hilton)
1000 m2 28.01.2012 to
25.5. 2012
60 35 2,10,000
Source:- B. Singh, & N. Sabir, IARI

36. Crop Calendar.-
Region And Weather
Technologies for an
effective and efficient use
of water.
Government support to
small and marginal farmers
close coordination and
exchange of information
between the public and
private research sector
Extension activities
Need for increase the
storage capacity and post-
harvest management
technology
Future
Thrust
Area

37. Development of new
varieties of off season
vegetable crops
Standardization of agro-
techniques
Exploration of new
potential belts
Development of IPM and
IPNM
Publicity programmes
through mass media and
other media
Future
Thrust
Area

38. The off-season cultivation is one of the best options to increase farm
income leading to food, nutrition and ecological security as well as
poverty alleviation in the region.
CONCLUSION