Diseases and Management of Crops under Protected Cultivation

(Diseases and Management of Crops under Protected Cultivation)
Protected Cultivation Technology-The Developmental and Innovative
Perspective
Sanjai K Dwivedi
Defence Reserch and Development Organization (DRDO), CEPTAM, Metcalfe House, Delhi-110054
Protected cultivation technology tempts one’s mind as it permits enormous modification in
microclimate enabling the cultivation of crops in adverse climatic conditions, caring least for the
outside environment. Vrikshayurveda, an epic of 11 th century AD by Surapala, states that any
plant/tree could be grown anywhere provided king, treasury and destiny are favourable. This is an
indication that agricultural experts of that era were aware of the protected cultivation methods. The
idea of growing plants in environmentally controlled areas has also existed during Roman times.
The Roman emperor Tiberius ate a cucumber-like vegetable daily. The Roman gardeners used
artificial methods (similar to the greenhouse system) of growing to have it available for his table
every day of the year. Cucumbers were planted in wheeled carts which were put in the sun daily,
then taken inside to keep them warm at night. The first modern greenhouses were built in Italy in
the thirteenth century to house the exotic plants that explorers brought back from the tropics. They
were originally called giardini botanici (botanical gardens). The concept of greenhouses soon
spread to the Netherlands and then England. Jules Charles, a French botanist, is often credited
with building the first practical modern greenhouse in Leiden, Holland to grow medicinal tropical
plants. In the nineteenth Century the largest greenhouses were built. The conservatory at Kew
Gardens in England is a prime example of the Victorian greenhouse. In Japan, the first
greenhouse was built in 1880 by Samuel Cocking, a British merchant who exported herbs. In the
Twentieth Century the geodesic dome was added to the many types of greenhouses (Anon, 2008).
In the country like India with its vast and diverse agro-climatic conditions, protected cultivation
technology in the last three decades has made good progress and proved as a boon for
production of high value, low-volume crops with better productivity and quality.
Uses
Greenhouses are often used for growing flowers, vegetables, fruits, and other plants.
Many vegetables and flowers are grown in greenhouses in late winter and early spring, and then
transplanted outside as the weather warms. Started plants are usually available for gardeners in
farmers' markets at transplanting time.The closed environment of a greenhouse has its own
unique requirements, compared with outdoor production. Pests and diseases, and extremes of
heat and humidity, have to be controlled, and irrigation is necessary to provide water. Significant
inputs of heat and light may be required, particularly with winter production of warm-weather crops.
Special greenhouse varieties of certain crops, like tomatoes, are generally used for commercial
production. Greenhouses are increasingly important in the food supply of high latitude countries.
One of the largest greenhouse complexes in the world is in Almeria, Spain where Greenhouses
cover almost 50,000 acres (200 km 2 ) and where almost 5% of Spain's salad vegetables are grown.
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