Impact  of  Greenhouse  Size  on  the  Growth  and  Yield  of  Warm Season  Vegetables  During  the  Summer  in  Ladakh  India

Tsering Dolma; Tsetan Dolker; Rohit Kumar; Deskyong Namgail; Anand K Katiyar; O P Chaurasia; Tsering Stobdan

doi:10.14429/dlsj.9.19133

Tsering Dolma DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh Ladakh-194101, UT Ladakh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5696-1490
Tsetan Dolker DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh Ladakh-194101, UT Ladakh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3413-8740
Rohit Kumar DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh Ladakh-194101, UT Ladakh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8784-9298
Deskyong Namgail DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh Ladakh-194101, UT Ladakh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0878-7437
Anand K Katiyar DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh Ladakh-194101, UT Ladakh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3640-1319
O P Chaurasia DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh Ladakh-194101, UT Ladakh, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2921-2755
Tsering Stobdan DRDO-Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh Ladakh-194101, UT Ladakh, India http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7859-3868

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dlsj.9.19133

Keywords: Capsicum, Cucumber, Brinjal, Greenhouse size, Himalaya, Protected cultivation

Abstract

No guidelines exist on the size of naturally ventilated passive solar greenhouses in mountain regions, especially above 10,000 feet above mean sea level (AMSL). Two different-sized greenhouses in Ladakh were studied, and it was figured out that a large greenhouse (60 feet in length, 24 feet in width, 9 feet 6 inches in height) was better than a small greenhouse (32 feet in length, 18 feet width, 9 feet 6 inches height) for growing cucumber, capsicum, and brinjal in summer. The mean maximum and minimum temperature of the large greenhouse was 3.6±4.1°C and 1.3±1.6°C warmer in comparison to the small greenhouse. Cucumber was harvested seven days earlier, while capsicum and brinjal were harvested 17 days earlier in the large greenhouse. The marketable fruit numbers in cucumber, capsicum, and brinjal were 50.5 %, 46.9 %, and 67.7 % higher in the large greenhouse. The average marketable fruit yield of cucumber, capsicum and brinjal was 112 %, 55 % and 71.4 % higher in the large greenhouse than in the small greenhouse. Hence, large greenhouses are suggested for high-altitude Ladakh regions for growing warm-season crops in summer.