Evaluation of commercial vegetable crops under protected cultivation structure in saline environments

Abstract

Growing of the commercial vegetables in polyhouse structures is important component of agriculture from the view of low gestation and high income. The vegetables grown under protected cultivation during off-season fetch remunerative prices. However, precise information about use of saline water for commercial vegetable crops under protected cultivation is limited. Hence, evaluation of three vegetable crops namely, Capsicum hot chilli and tomato was initiated during 2015 under naturally ventilated polyhouse structures with saline water irrigation to study the sustainable productivity and profitability along with feasibility of such structures in ensuring livelihood security to resource poor farmers. The experiment was conducted for three years (2015-16 to 2017-18) in naturally ventilated polyhouse structure at the research farm of ICAR-CSSRI Karnal (latitude: 29°43’N and longitude: 76°58’E at an elevation of 245m above mean sea level with average annual rainfall of 737mm). There were six saline water treatments (BAW, ECiw 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 dS/m) applied in all vegetable crops. After initial establishment period of 15-21 days with BAW, saline water irrigation were applied. The vegetables were grown on raised beds of 15 cm at spacing of 45 cm x 30 cm. Drip system operated under gravity flow was used to apply saline irrigation water. Recommended doses of water soluble fertilizer mixtures were mixed with irrigation water. The capsicum and chilli vegetables were harvested by the end of April and tomato was harvested by end of May during each season. The vegetable crops were initially irrigated using synthesized saline water and afterwards natural saline groundwater were brought from Experimental Farm of CSSR located at Nain village, district Panipat and this saline water having very high salinity (table 1) was diluted as per treatment requirement and applied to vegetable crops through drip system with gravity flow.