This blog carries information on everything you need to know about growing vegetables in polyhouse.

In India, polyhouse farming is becoming extremely popular. Although it may have started out modestly, its popularity has now soared.

An excellent illustration of Hi-Tech farming is polyhouse farming. This agricultural polyhouse method is used commercially in India to produce floriculture and vegetables. In general terms, a polyhouse is a structure made of translucent material, such as glass or polyethylene, where plants grow and thrive under carefully regulated environmental conditions.

Benefits of Polyhouse Farming of Vegetables

Farmers can benefit greatly from polyhouse. Several advantages of a polyhouse are:

• Vegetables are cultivated under controlled temperatures so there are reduced risks of crop loss or harm.
• There is no need to wait for a specific season to grow crops because they may be grown all year round.
• In a polyhouse, there are fewer insects and vermin.
• Crop growth will not be impacted by the external climate.
• In a polyhouse, the quality of the output is superior.
• Good aeration and drainage.
• Crops receive the appropriate environmental conditions in polyhouse in any season.
• Additionally, it may improve yield by 3 to 4 times.
• Shorter cropping season.
• Drip irrigation makes fertilizer application simpler and allows for automatic control.

Temperature range for different vegetables

• In polyhouse farming, vegetables are grown in climate-controlled environments since atmospheric temperature significantly impacts plant development, flowering, fruit development, and quality.
• An optimal temperature of 25°C must be maintained to grow gourd crops more quickly.
• Germination typically takes 2-3 days and occurs at temperatures between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius with excellent soil moisture.
• Shoots don’t develop effectively at temperatures below 13–15 °C.

Similarly, crops like capsicum and tomato prefer temperatures between 20 and 25 °C during the day and 18 to 20 °C at night.

Soil types for different vegetables in polyhouse

• Well-drained soil that retains moisture should be used for polyhouse planting. Different plants require different types of soil.
• Gourd crops grow nicely in sandy loam soils with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
• Similarly, sandy loam soil with good drainage is ideal for growing capsicums and tomatoes. High porosity is required, and the soil’s salinity shouldn’t exceed 1 ms/cm. The pH of the soil should be in the 6–7 range.
• Coco pith is used to cultivate the majority of crops in polyhouse farming. Because of its exceptional qualities, coco peat is a primary medium for polyhouse farming.

Fertigation requirements for different vegetables

Fertigation is the process of applying fertilisers, soil amendments, or other water-soluble compounds using an irrigation system. For polyhouse farming, different crops require various fertiliser doses.

• 20:25:20 NPK is needed as a basal fertilizer dose per acre for the capsicum crop.
• For tomatoes, N: P: K is applied through fertilisation at a rate of 200:200:200 kg per hectare. To promote crop growth throughout. Additionally, calcium nitrate is fertigated onto the tomato crop twice, once every 15 days.
• Cucumbers have an extremely high nutrient absorption. An acre of cucumbers typically needs fertigation with 25 pounds of nitrogen, 5 pounds of potassium, and 35 pounds of phosphorus.

Fertiliser dose schedule:

Irrigation requirements for different vegetables

• Diverse crops grown in polyhouses require various levels of irrigation. At various periods, the crops are irrigated.
• After one month of planting, tomato plants must be given good quality water at 10-day intervals.
• Depending on the season, drip irrigation is recommended for capsicum crops to deliver 2-4 liters of water per square meter daily.
• Cucumbers require a lot of water, so irrigation is required frequently. Aeration and water levels in the root zone must be sufficient to ensure that roots receive an adequate supply of oxygen. The frequency of watering the plants must be increased if light sandy soil is utilised because sandy soil rapidly loses moisture. It generally requires 10-12 irrigations and pre-irrigation after 2-3 days.
• For gourd crops, the basins must be watered once a week after the seeds have been sown.

How Fasal can help in poly house farming

Fasal is an all-encompassing agricultural intelligence system that keeps track of the soil, climate, humidity, and crop stage for polyhouse crops while allowing you to make incredibly accurate day-to-day decisions for growing vegetables.

The Fasal system analyzes farm parameters like weather, microclimate, and soil conditions with the use of sensors, and it forecasts pest or disease attacks well in advance. It then suggests the proper dosage of pesticides that have received approval from the Directorate of Plant Quarantine and storage.

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