A Review on Protected Cultivation of Vegetables: Opportunities and Challenges

Protected farming techniques are set of agricultural practices that are designed to produce a plant in a controlled environmental condition by using soil cover and / or crop covers to control pests and effect of climate. While a protected farming method can increase the productivity of vegetable crops as well as growth and yield. It is evident that protected farming has been found beneficial for farmers. In addition to its great importance, it challenges many biotic and abiotic factors such as photo-stress, water stress, heat stress, weed growth, soil nutrient deficiencies, high wind velocities and atmospheric carbon dioxide, pest and diseases. The various benefits of a protected vegetable crop are quality, profitability, and a good level of marketing for farmers. Protected cultivation is an imminent technique for raising vegetables, flowers and other high rated as well as consumable crops. In advance agriculture, protected structures held an excessive potential for more production with greater productivity. The chapter contains the status, challenges and opportunities of protected cultivation and related government schemes for horticultural plants in India especially Uttar Pradesh. It has been found that the cumulative area has been acquired under NHM-protected cultivation in India. Financial support or funding is also provided by the government agency to spread this methodology throughout the country. Recourses are used wisely in these structures because modern methods/techniques were applied.