Net house cultivation decrease pesticide use

Net house cultivation decrease pesticide use
The Punjab Agricultural University India has recommended net-house technology for vegetables. Many farmers are growing indeterminate tomato, capsicum and brinjal in net-house. Net-house cultivation helps to raise vegetables without the need of heavy application of pesticides. The produce of high quality, free from pesticide residue is harvested early that fetches better price during marketing. This was expressed by Dr. D.S. Cheema, Head Department of Vegetable Crops. He told that some farmers have started growing cucurbits in net-house, which is not recommended by PAU. He said that cucurbits are cross-pollinated crops and their fruit-setting takes place only by the activity of pollinators such as insects/honey bees. Since, there is no entry of insects in the net-house, fruit-setting does not occur in cucurbits due to lack of pollinators. He said farmers should grow only those cucurbits under net-house which produce parthenogenic fruits.

Some hybrids/lines of cucumber with parthenogenic fruits are being promoted by private companies for cultivation under net-house, said Dr. Cheema. He explained that parthenogenic varieties are those which develop fruits without any fertilization due to predominance of female flowers. A collaborative project of AVRDC-SRTT-PAU is being operated at PAU on net-house cultivation of vegetables where new vegetable crops are being identified so that net-house technology for year-round cultivation of vegetable crops is standardized, said Dr. Cheema. Another vegetable scientist, Dr. V. K. Vashisht, informed that PAU is evaluating parthenogenic germplasm of cucumber for their performance under net-house. According to PAU scientists use of pesticide is harmful for health. Use of pesticide should be decline. Pesticide usage badly effecting
environment and earth too. So farmer should wake up now.