scholarly journals Evaluating the Potential of Protected Cultivation for Off-Season Leafy Vegetable Production: Prospects for Crop Productivity and Nutritional Improvement

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivasan Ramasamy ◽  
Mei-Ying Lin ◽  
Wan-Jen Wu ◽  
Hsin-I Wang ◽  
Paola Sotelo-Cardona
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Water Spinach ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Protected Cultivation ◽  
Β Carotene ◽  
Production Conditions

The effects of different protective structures on horticultural and nutritional yield of amaranth and water spinach were studied in three seasons of 2020–2021 in Taiwan. The number of people that can receive recommended dietary intake of iron and β-Carotene from vegetables grown under different production conditions was also estimated. The yield of white and red amaranths was consistently better (7.68–19.70 t/ha) under pink poly-net house in all the seasons, but the yield of water spinach was consistently better under white poly-net house (16.25–20.88 t/ha). Spider mite (fall & spring) and aphid (winter) infestation was mostly observed on all crops under poly-net houses. Neoxanthin, lutein and β-carotene were almost two-fold higher in red amaranth harvested from poly-net houses than open field. Based on the RDI values, β-Carotene supply to both men and women (14+) was consistently higher in all crops produced under pink ploy-net houses in all seasons, except for white amaranth produced under white poly-net house during winter. Its supply to 64,788 more men and 83,298 more women was estimated for red amaranth harvested from pink poly-net house than other production conditions. α-carotene was 2–3 fold higher in amaranths and water spinach harvested from poly-net houses than open field. The iron content of the amaranths was lower in poly-net houses (234.50–574.04 g/ha) than open field (645.42–881.67 g/ha) in the fall, but its supply from pink poly-net house was comparable with open field in the winter. However, pink poly-net house was the highest iron supplier from water spinach (323.90 g/ha) in the winter, which was estimated to provide iron to 19,450–22,939 more men and women than other production conditions. Both poly-net houses were the sole supplier of iron through amaranths in the spring, with pink poly-net house supplying iron to 2,000–5,000 more men and women. Thus, protected cultivation not only leads to more marketable yields but also results in higher quantities of health promoting nutrients. Hence, pink poly-net house may be considered to produce more nutritious vegetables, especially during the off-season to bridge the gaps in the seasonal variations in vegetable consumption, besides providing better income opportunities to the smallholder farmers.

scholarly journals Investment appraisal and risk assessment of protected vegetable cultivation under Leyte conditions

2017 ◽  
pp. 174-193
Author(s):  
Therese Ratilla ◽  
Moises Neil Seriño
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
Investment Appraisal ◽  
Protected Cultivation ◽  
The Government

Protected cropping technology has been introduced to address the inability of farmers to achieve a successful year-round vegetable production. However, small scale farmers are reluctant to adopt this technology due to huge investment costs and the risk associated with extreme weather conditions. Hence, this study was conducted in some parts of Leyte, to evaluate the profitability and assess the risk of protected and open-field cultivation during the occurrence of extreme weather conditions such as tropical cyclones and strong wind phenomena. Results show that protected cultivation generates higher yields compared to open field cultivation. In Baybay site, investment on steel-type high-strength-tunnel covered with polyethylene plastic is the most viable option as it attained the highest net present values (NPVs), benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) and internal rate of return (IRRs). It also has the earliest payback period across different climatic scenarios. At the Cabintan site, the low-tunnel-structure is the most viable when a high-end market is established. This implies that market outlet is one of the critical factors affecting profitability and pricing. Given the potential of protected cultivation in minimizing crop failures, it is recommended that the government and private sector shall extend financial and technical assistance to farmers. Investors shall be covered with crop and structure insurances as risk of crop failures and loss of capital is high during inclement weather conditions.

scholarly journals Managing major diseases of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) using resistance elicitors and protected cultivation

2017 ◽  
pp. 40-53
Author(s):  
Lucia Borines ◽  
Rezel Sagarino ◽  
Fely Cañete ◽  
Elvira Oclarit ◽  
Zenaida Gonzaga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acetylsalicylic Acid ◽  
Open Field ◽  
Bacterial Wilt ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Vegetable Production ◽  
Solanum Lycopersicum L ◽  
Protected Cultivation ◽  
Wilt Incidence

Diseases, particularly bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a major constraint to vegetable production. Protected cultivation has been proven effective in reducing disease incidence but additional control measures need to be integrated in highly infested soils to mitigate the losses due to diseases. This paper reports the effect of resistance elicitors, particularly chitosan, acetylsalicylic acid and SiO2 in mitigating bacterial wilt disease problem and other naturally occurring diseases in two field trials. Two hundred ppm chitosan, acetylsalicylic acid and their combination had reduced bacterial wilt incidence and increased the yield of tomato under protected cultivation, but not in the open field. SiO2 was not able to reduce bacterial wilt incidence in tomato but had reduced the nematode count, especially Rotylenchulus sp. in the roots, particularly when drenched. Protected cultivation still proved effective in reducing bacterial wilt incidence in both experiments. It’s potential to protect crops against bacterial wilt is further enhanced by the application of chitosan and acetylsalicylic acid, most especially the combination of these treatments. The potential of chitosan and acetylsalicylic acid in protecting plants in the open field against bacterial wilt may be enhanced by the addition of a sticker.

scholarly journals Potential Risk of Consuming Vegetables Planted in Soil with Lead and Cadmium and the Influence on Vegetable Antioxidant Activity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 3761
Author(s):  
Wen-Lii Huang ◽  
Wei-Hsiang Chang ◽  
Shu-Fen Cheng ◽  
Huai-Yuan Li ◽  
Hsiu-Ling Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sweet Potato ◽  
Contaminated Soils ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Water Spinach ◽  
Potato Leaf ◽  
Cd Accumulation ◽  
Lead And Cadmium ◽  
Cd Exposure

Once in soil and water, metals can enter the food chain, and the consumption of contaminated crops can pose a serious risk to human health. This study used pot experiments to evaluate the accumulation of metal elements and their influence on levels of antioxidants in vegetables. The current study clearly demonstrates that metals accumulated in the five vegetables that were planted in the contaminated soils, especially so for water spinach. Cd accumulation of all of the vegetables planted in the contaminated soils was greater Cu. The low accumulation rate that was seen in sweet potato leaf, potato, and tomato indicated their suitability for planting in suspected contaminated soil, such as at farms nearby metal industries, in replacement of high accumulators, such as leafy vegetables. The non-carcinogenic HI of Cd exposure from water spinach and sweet potato were >1, whereas those for Cu were <1. This study suggests that residents may experience health risks due to vegetable consumption, and that children are vulnerable to the adverse effects of heavy metal ingestion.

scholarly journals Agricultural Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia: A Stochastic Frontier Approach

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
Markose Chekol Zewdie ◽  
Michele Moretti ◽  
Daregot Berihun Tenessa ◽  
Zemen Ayalew Ayele ◽  
Jan Nyssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Approach ◽  
Small Scale Irrigation

In the past decade, to improve crop production and productivity, Ethiopia has embarked on an ambitious irrigation farming expansion program and has introduced new large- and small-scale irrigation initiatives. However, in Ethiopia, poverty remains a challenge, and crop productivity per unit area of land is very low. Literature on the technical efficiency (TE) of large-scale and small-scale irrigation user farmers as compared to the non-user farmers in Ethiopia is also limited. Investigating smallholder farmers’ TE level and its principal determinants is very important to increase crop production and productivity and to improve smallholder farmers’ livelihood and food security. Using 1026 household-level cross-section data, this study adopts a technology flexible stochastic frontier approach to examine agricultural TE of large-scale irrigation users, small-scale irrigation users and non-user farmers in Ethiopia. The results indicate that, due to poor extension services and old-style agronomic practices, the mean TE of farmers is very low (44.33%), implying that there is a wider room for increasing crop production in the study areas through increasing the TE of smallholder farmers without additional investment in novel agricultural technologies. Results also show that large-scale irrigation user farmers (21.05%) are less technically efficient than small-scale irrigation user farmers (60.29%). However, improving irrigation infrastructure shifts the frontier up and has a positive impact on smallholder farmers’ output.

scholarly journals CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE: FARMER PERCEPTIONS AND UNDERSTANDING OF INTRA-SEASONAL VARIABILITY IN RAINFALL AND ASSOCIATED RISK IN SEMI-ARID KENYA

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. P. C. RAO ◽  
W. G. NDEGWA ◽  
K. KIZITO ◽  
A. OYOO
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
General Tendency ◽  
Climate Variability And Change ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Probabilistic Nature ◽  
Semi Arid

SUMMARYThis study examines farmers’ perceptions of short- and long-term variability in climate, their ability to discern trends in climate and how the perceived trends converge with actual weather observations in five districts of Eastern Province in Kenya where the climate is semi-arid with high intra- and inter-annual variability in rainfall. Field surveys to elicit farmers’ perceptions about climate variability and change were conducted in Machakos, Makueni, Kitui, Mwingi and Mutomo districts. Long-term rainfall records from five meteorological stations within a 10 km radius from the survey locations were obtained from the Kenya Meteorological Department and were analysed to compare with farmers’ observations. Farmers’ responses indicate that they are well aware of the general climate in their location, its variability, the probabilistic nature of the variability and the impacts of this variability on crop production. However, their ability to synthesize the knowledge they have gained from their observations and discern long-term trends in the probabilistic distribution of seasonal conditions is more subjective, mainly due to the compounding interactions between climate and other factors such as soil fertility, soil water and land use change that determine the climate's overall influence on crop productivity. There is a general tendency among the farmers to give greater weight to negative impacts leading to higher risk perception. In relation to long-term changes in the climate, farmer observations in our study that rainfall patterns are changing corroborated well with reported perceptions from other places across the African continent but were not supported by the observed trends in rainfall data from the five study locations. The main implication of our findings is the need to be aware of and account for the risk during the development and promotion of technologies involving significant investments by smallholder farmers and exercise caution in interpreting farmers’ perceptions about long-term climate variability and change.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Cherry Tomato Genotypes for Qualitative Traits under Open Field and Protected Condition

2020 ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
. Chandni ◽  
Deepti Singh ◽  
Shirin Akhtar ◽  
Shiv Shankar Mahesh
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Open Field ◽  
Ascorbic Acid Content ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Cherry Tomato ◽  
Total Soluble Solids ◽  
Maximum Value ◽  
Β Carotene

Vegetable, due to higher neutraceutical component, are termed as protective food against various major and minor diseases. Scientific agro-techniques under optimum growing condition like temperature, relative humidity and light intensity, positively influence the qualitative and quantitative attributes of most of the vegetable crops including cherry tomato. It is one of potential vegetable crop, which is extensively utilized for table purpose and for preparing recipies in five star restaurants. Cherry tomato fetches higher prices in market due to good taste and higher nutrients, thus making qualitative attributes as an important factor to give higher returns to the farmers. Thus, this experiment was conducted to estimate the qualitative attributes in eighteen genotypes of cherry tomato grown under both open field and polyhouse conditions. The result of the study revealed that under open field condition, BRCT-30 was the best genotype with maximum value for lycopene content (6.62 mg 100-1 g FW) and β-carotene (2.30 mg 100-1 g FW), second maximum value for total soluble solids (7.85°Brix), third maximum value for reducing sugar and fourth highest position for ascorbic acid content (43.65 mg/100 g FW). Under polyhouse condition, the best genotype for quality parameters was BRCT-36 with maximum total soluble solids (10.81°Brix), lycopene (7.48 mg 100-1 g FW) and β-carotene (2.49 mg 100-1g FW) along with average range of values for ascorbic acid (72.36 mg 100-1 g FW) and titrable acidity (0.55 mg 100-1 g FW).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document