TECHNO-ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF YEAR-ROUND PARTHENOCARPIC CUCUMBER CULTIVATION UNDER NATURALLY VENTILATED GREENHOUSE IN NORTHERN INDIA

The production of greenhouse cucumber in many parts of the world parallels that of greenhouse tomatoes. Year-round slicing cucumber cultivation under naturally greenhouses can be a profitable venture for the vegetable growers in peri-urban areas of India. Increasing demand of high quality cucumber in big cities and particularly during off-season, can fetch very high prices. The economic feasibility of its cultivation entirely depends upon the basic cost of erection of the greenhouses used for its cultivation. Keeping this in view, trials were conducted at the Indo-Israel Project of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi under which an indigenously designed naturally ventilated greenhouse was evaluated for its techno-economic feasibility for year-round cucumber cultivation. This greenhouse was designed by the scientists of the project and fabricated by an Indian company with a cost of US$ 11/m² (Rs. 500/m²). The first crop of parthenocarpic cucumber (‘Hasan’) was planted in the first week of August, the second crop (‘Muhasan’) in the first week of October and the third crop (‘Sarig’) in the second week of February in the greenhouse and its cost of production and cost-benefit ratio was calculated. The cost-benefit ratio of cucumber cultivation under greenhouse was worked out as 1:2.29 under Delhi conditions of India. It was concluded that the low-cost naturally ventilated greenhouses are more suitable and economical for year-round cucumber cultivation for northern plains of India.