Trench greenhouse is a low cost underground rectangular structure (30'×10'×3'; L×W×D) in north-south orientation with stone wall on four sides. It is covered with polyethylene sheet at ground level during winter months. The air temperature inside the trench was found to be 20.7±2.8 °C warmer during day and 7.0±1.2 °C at night that support growing of leafy vegetables during winter (mid October to early March). Three cycles of crops were grown in a year in the greenhouses as against single crop in open field condition in cold trans-Himalayan Ladakh region. Spinach production was 64 kg -70 kg per trench during mid October to early March. Black plastic mulch significantly increased spinach production during winter months. Vegetable seedlings (13,000 to 39,000 numbers per trench) were raised during late March to early May, which is not possible in open field condition otherwise. A variety of warm-season vegetables were harvested (6 kg -210 kg per trench) from the trenches during summer months.
<p>The high altitude trans-Himalayan Ladakh region remains cut-off for over six months in a year due to heavy snowfall. Long harsh winters reduce the cropping season to just four to five months in a year. Single-cropping is dominant and agriculture production is entirely based on irrigation. The average land holding is small and emphasis has been on minimal use of off-farm inputs. Meeting the fresh vegetable requirement of the burgeoning local population, defence forces and the incoming tourists in this remote mountainous area is a formidable challenge.Very few vegetable types were traditionally grown in Ladakh. Significant progress has been made since 1960s in promoting vegetable cultivation in the region. The vegetable production scenario and consumption choices have undergone drastic changes, compared to what was available some decades back. Agro-techniques and vegetable production calendar in Ladakh differs from lowland parts of the country. Vegetable farms are smaller with an average 0.2 acre. The area of vegetable production constitutes 5.5 per cent of the total 10,319 hectares of agricultural land in Leh district. The widely grown vegetables were potato (75.6 per cent), peas (10.7 per cent), onion (3.4 per cent), cabbage (3.3 per cent), carrot (2.0 per cent) and cauliflower (1.8 per cent). Preference for potato, onion, cabbage and carrot was largely contributed to the desired long term storage capacity for consumption during the landlocked winter months. Supply to the army and tourism industry is the major factor for rapid transformation of vegetable production in the region. Critical areas that need focused attention include technology for vegetable production in winter months, post harvest management, seed production, organic certification, area expansion, harnessing niches and building stronger linkages between growers and consumers.</p>
The influence of black polyethylene mulch (BPM) on growth and yield of tomato was investigated under a low-input cultivation system in arid high altitude (elevation 3344 m) in trans-Himalaya. The mean marketable yield varied from 27.8±2.5 t.ha-1 in open-pollinated varieties with no mulch treatment to 81.2±11.9 t.ha -1 in hybrid tomatoes with BPM. The yield of hybrid tomatoes with BPM is similar or greater than those reported in high-input systems. With BPM, total marketable yield in hybrid varieties increased by 102 per cent and 107 per cent in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Yield increase due to mulching in open-pollinated varieties was 86 per cent and 80 per cent in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Increase in early fruiting under BPM was observed in all the five varieties studied. Difference in soil temperature between mulch and unmulch was significantly higher at early growth stage than during later stages. BPM reduced 57 per cent weed and save 74 per cent time in manual weeding. Incidence of insect-pest and diseases was minimal, and rotten fruit was less than 2 per cent of marketable yield without staking and pesticide or fungicide application.
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