Hi -tech Nursery and Quality Transplant Production in Vegetable Crops Tissue culture for large-scale multiplication of elite clones of pointed gourd Shoot initiation Shoot multilplication Root initiation A.K. Pandey College of Horticulture and Forestry Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi-284003 Correct Citation Hi -tech Nursery and Quality Transplant Production in Vegetable Crops Year of Publication 2020 Compiled and Edited A.K.Pandey Compilation Assistance G. S. Abrol ® All Rights Reserved College of Horticulture and Forestry Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi-284003 Hi -tech Nursery and Quality Transplant Production in Vegetable Crops A.K. Pandey College of Horticulture and Forestry College of Horticulture and Forestry Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi-284003 Vice-Chancellor RLBCAU Jhansi-284003 Prof. Arvind Kumar FOREWORD India is a leading vegetable producing country in the world with an annual production of 184.9 million MT in an estimated area of 10.26 million ha, having the productivity of 18.43 MT/ ha (NHB, 2018-19), ranking next to China. In the recent past, the country has made quantum jump in production but our productivity in most of the vegetables is low as compared to China and other leading vegetable producing countries. The higher productivity in these countries is due to the coverage of maximum area under hybrids unlike open pollinated varieties in India. The area under hybrids varies with the crop, season and availability of hybrid seeds in our country for example, area under hybrid tomato is 40 %, cabbage 68.6%, brinjal 82% and okra covers around 10 percent whereas, a country like Japan is having entire area under hybrid in most of the vegetables. In our country, the major bottle neck in expansion of area under hybrid vegetables can be attributed to the limited availability of high-quality seeds of released hybrids and escalating cost of hybrid seeds in the market. Further, traditional practices of nursery raising deprive the farmers of the opportunity of converting each viable hybrid seed into vigorous seedling. This warrants growers to adopt hi - tech nursery raising techniques to harness the full potential of hybrids and getting maximum return on account of initial expenditure incurred on seed cost. Nurseries specialized in quality transplant production, grow plants in greenhouses, buildings of glass or plastic tunnels, designed to protect young plants from harsh weather, while allowing access to light and ventilation. Modern greenhouses allow automated control of temperature, ventilation, light, watering and feeding. Modern nurseries provide employment opportunities for technical, skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled labourers. Further, “success of any production system depends on the kind of seed we are sowing", so is true with seedlings. Healthy vegetable seedlings grown in a well-managed nursery will decide the yield and consequently the profit of growers. Thus, nursery can itself be a very remunerative enterprise in enhancing the vegetable production in our country. I appreciate the efforts of the author and contributors who have worked meticulously to bring out this manual on “Hi -tech Nursery and Quality Transplant Production in Vegetable Crops”. I am sure that practical information given on the various aspects of quality seedlings production in vegetable crops will be of immense use to the vegetable growers, students and extension functionaries who are directly or indirectly associated with vegetable farming. (Arvind Kumar) Preface The Country has made quantum jump in vegetable production, which has increased from 58.53 MT to 184.40 MT since 1991-92 to 2017-18. Apart from nutritional benefits, the production of vegetables improves the economy of a country as these are a very good source of income and employment. The contribution of vegetables remains highest (59 – 61%) in horticulture crop productions over the last five years (NHB-2017-18). In view of the burgeoning population, ceaseless fragmentation of land holdings and incessant growth of urbanization, our effort should be in the direction of enhancing the vegetable production in vertical mode through increasing productivity per unit area. Vegetable productivity (17.97t/ha) in India is comparatively low as compared to China. Healthy seedlings are indispensable component among all inputs of vegetable cultivation. In the recent past, with the introduction of promising hybrids and their costly seeds have compelled the growers to switch over from traditional practices of nursery rising to opt for modern scientific methods of nursery raising. In vegetable crops, genetic improvement is a continuous process to breed new varieties and hybrids having significant superiority over existing one in terms of yield potential, ability for biotic and a-biotic resistance. In our country, AICRP (Vegetable Crops) is one of the most efficient platforms, knitting the organizations working under Public Sectors as well as Private Sectors to identify the varieties/ hybrids suitable for different agro-climatic zones of the country. A number of promising varieties and hybrids of more than 20 important vegetables grown in the country have been evolved under this umbrella which has been recommended for cultivation under specific climatic zone. AICRP (VC) also monitors breeder seed production of released varieties, thus enabling the availability of seeds to the growers. Under introductory chapter of Hi -tech Nursery and Quality Transplant Production in Vegetable Crops’ manual, a detailed list of promising varieties and hybrids of important Solanaceous and Brassica vegetables have been given, which will be very helpful to the growers in selecting the suitable varieties and hybrids for cultivation. In the recent past, significant advances have been made in strengthening the seed health in a number of crops. Among various steps followed to strengthen the seed health, seed coating is a tool for establishing and stimulating seed quality with the application of a number of chemicals, bio-formulations and protectants. Further, priming treatments of the seeds enhances the germination mechanisms resulting in increased germination, uniform emergence, germination under optimal and sub optimal environments and improved seedling vigor and growth. These techniques have been briefly summarized in the users’ language under the Chapter- III of the manual. Further, significant advances have been made in standardizing the various rooting media which not only facilitates in germination of seeds and growth of vigorous seedlings but also avoid the number of soils borne diseases which are major bottle neck in raising the nursery in open field condition. In this manual, under Chapter -2, practical information about different rooting media, their merits and chemical properties have been described in a very comprehensive manner which is very useful for those gardeners/ vegetable growers who are attempting to raise quality seedlings and off-season seedling production under protected conditions to fetch early market. As the seeds of hybrid vegetables are very costly, grower’s every effort should be to convert each seed in to vigorous seedlings. In this context, raising the seedlings under protected structures provide an ample opportunity to save the emerging seedlings from uncomfortable weather conditions prevailing under open field conditions, scorching heat and rain drops. Under Chapter-4 of the manual, complete information about different types of protected structures and potting plugs etc. have been given which are grower- friendly technologies. Seedlings raised in nursery/ protected structures are sometime too delicate to bear the shocks when transplanted under open field conditions, warrants attention of nurserymen / growers to follow the tips of hardening of seedlings. Apart from this, adaptation of effective plant protection measures right from selection of disease resistant varieties/ hybrids to seed treatments and dressing the nursery soil with eco-friendly bio-inoculants and avoiding the tender seedlings from attack of any serious disease and pests in the nursery is an important task to obtain the healthy seedlings. Chapter VIII of the manual covers valuable and practical information to address this menace in nursery raising operations. Among the different groups of vegetables, cucurbitaceous vegetables occupy an importance place, owing to highest number of vegetables falling under family Cucurbitaceae, further with great diversity in the nature of their flowering mechanism and fruiting behavior, annual to perennial nature etc. Pointed gourd, ivy gourd, sweet gourd, Momordica dioica and Solena amplexicaulis are dioecious in nature and mainly propagated by their tuberous roots. Dioecism laced with ticklish propagation nature makes it difficult for new users to get ample planting materials resulting in very meager area under these under-exploited but nutritionally rich vegetables. Chapter -7 of the manual under head “Quality transplant production in dioecious cucurbits’’ contain detail and practical tips to regenerate the planting materials of these nutritionally rich minor vegetables. The author is extremely thankful to Prof. Arvind Kumar Hon’ble Vice Chancellor Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi for giving his consent of organize Webinar/ Training on “Nursery Management and Quality Transplant Production in Vegetable Crops” on 17th July 2020 and giving his valuable suggestions and guidance for developing