Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops
This domain tests crop-specific management: variety choice, spacing, training, pruning and pollination under cover. Answers should show why a crop suits protected cultivation.
Crop rules
- Tomato: indeterminate varieties for trellising; density around 2.5 plants/m²; prune suckers and maintain 6–8 trusses; vibration or bumblebees for fruit set.
- Capsicum: less pruning, support plants, avoid high humidity to reduce blossom-end rot and fruit rot.
- Cucumber: parthenocarpic varieties under cover; vertical training; high water and nutrient demand.
- Gerbera and rose: cut-flower crops needing light, spacing and disbudding; rose requires careful humidity control.
- Strawberry: raised troughs or bags, low EC, cool chain after harvest.
Worked example
A grower plants a determinate tomato at 4 plants/m² under 35% shade in Kharif. Reasoning: determinate types give a short concentrated harvest, and 4 plants/m² with shade may reduce light and airflow. Better: indeterminate variety suited to the season, about 2.5 plants/m², trellis, prune to one or two stems, and adjust shade to 25–35% only during peak heat.
Traps that cost marks
- Using open-field varieties that are too tall or too short for the house.
- Overcrowding and then fighting disease in still air.
- Forgetting pollination in tomato and capsicum.
- Choosing a crop whose light or temperature needs do not match the structure.