Assessment of greenhouse cultivation problems in Kerala

Abstract

Greenhouses are framed or inflated structure covered with transparent or translucent material large enough to grow crops under partial or fully controlled environmental conditions to get optimum growth and productivity. Greenhouse have many advantages and some limitations also. Due to this farmer are abandoning this cultivation method citing crop failures after the initial phase. Thus, a survey was conducted to explore the reasons of failures of greenhouse farmers in Kerala covering all fourteen districts. Major problem faced by farmers was crop failure due to ageing of cladding material. So that fungal growth and dust deposit over the cladding material reduce the light transmission to the greenhouse which affect its microclimate and growth and yield parameters. To prove this, a field experiment was conducted during the period from April to June 2021 in the instructional farm of KCAET, Tavanur, Kerala. CO-1(Amaranthus green variety) was planted inside both cleaned greenhouse and uncleaned greenhouse (greenhouse without cleaned cladding material) and compared the microclimate and performance of Amaranthus in both conditions. Mean monthly values of light intensity and temperature were higher inside the cleaned greenhouse than the uncleaned one while relative humidity was higher inside the old greenhouse. Thus, crop growth parameters like plant height, number of leaves, number of branches and average yield per plant were higher inside the cleaned greenhouse than the old one whereas the inter nodal length of the plant was higher inside the old greenhouse. From this experiment, it was clear that the aging of cladding material has much influence on crop performance under the greenhouse. Other major problems faced by farmers were a decrease in soil fertility, Fungal/Insect attack inside the greenhouse, high maintenance cost 101 and structural problems of greenhouse, no demand and marketing facility of greenhouse products, etc. From the statistical analysis of survey details, it was clear that farmers are not satisfied with the greenhouse.