Protected Cultivation of Vegetable Crops

Protected Cultivation of Vegetable Crops is a comprehensive guide to enhancing vegetable production through controlled environments such as polyhouses and greenhouses. The book begins with an introduction to protected cultivation, explaining its role in optimizing crop growth and protecting vegetables from adverse weather, pests, and diseases. It covers essential topics like selection of vegetable crops and hybrid varieties, nursery raising, and field and bed preparation, providing practical advice for setting up ideal growing conditions. It also highlights the benefits of plastic mulch for moisture retention, temperature control, and weed suppression, alongside guidance on successful transplanting and intercultural operations to maintain plant health.
The book further explores key challenges in protected cultivation, such as managing insects, pests, and diseases, and addresses specific issues like nematode problems in polyhouses. Integrated pest and disease management strategies are detailed to ensure sustainability. Topics on vegetable seed production, seed extraction, and post-harvest management, including storage in zero-energy cool chambers, are also included. The final chapters focus on the production of tomato, cucumber, and capsicum, with an advanced approach to soilless vegetable production, making this book an invaluable resource for farmers and researchers looking to optimize vegetable farming in protected environments.