🏡 Protected Cultivation — Greenhouses, Polyhouses, Shade Nets

Protected cultivation allows crop production in managed microclimates, helping farmers produce high-quality horticultural output across seasons with reduced weather risk.

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Need for Protected Cultivation

• Overcomes frost, heavy rain, and heat stress.
• Enables off-season production and premium pricing.
• Improves yield per unit area.
• Supports export-quality produce.
• Reduces pest and disease exposure.
• Improves precision in water and nutrient use.

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Types of Protected Structures

Greenhouse (Glasshouse)

• Fully enclosed with transparent cover.
• High degree of environmental control (temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide).
• High capital cost.
• Used for high-value crops (e.g., gerbera, carnation, orchids, capsicum).

Polyhouse

• Covered with UV-stabilized polyethylene film.
• Can be naturally ventilated or fan-and-pad cooled.
• Moderate cost and widely adopted in India.
• Common for rose, gerbera, carnation, capsicum, tomato, cucumber.

Shade Net House

Shade Percentage	Crops
25-35%	Capsicum, tomato, many vegetables
50%	Orchids, anthurium, nursery plants
75%	Ferns and foliage plants
90%	Mushroom and highly shade-loving ornamentals

• Lower-cost structure for light and heat moderation.

Walk-in Tunnels and Low Tunnels

• Walk-in tunnels: Semicircular structures for vegetable cultivation.
• Low tunnels: Small protective tunnels for seedlings and earliness.

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Environmental Control Systems

• Fan-and-pad evaporative cooling
• Fogging and misting systems
• Heating support in winter
• Automated vent control
• Carbon dioxide enrichment for photosynthesis support

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Crops Grown Under Protected Cultivation

Crop Category	Crops	Structure
Cut flowers	Rose, Gerbera, Carnation, Lily	Polyhouse / Greenhouse
Vegetables	Capsicum, Cucumber, Tomato, Lettuce	Polyhouse / Shade net
Ornamental foliage	Anthurium, Orchids, Ferns	Shade net / Greenhouse
Nursery plants	Vegetable and flower seedlings	Shade net / Low tunnel
Medicinal plants	Stevia, Aloe Vera	Shade net

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Government Support

• National Horticulture Mission (NHM) subsidy support
• MIDH support for protected cultivation components
• State-level schemes for training and structure establishment

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Summary Cheat Sheet

Theme	Key Exam Point
Purpose	Microclimate control for yield and quality improvement
Major structures	Greenhouse, Polyhouse, Shade Net, Tunnels
Cost trend	Greenhouse > Polyhouse > Shade Net
Main gains	Off-season production, quality, water-use efficiency
Policy support	NHM and MIDH promote adoption

References