The Centre of Excellence for Vegetables at Reddiyarchatram in Dindigul
has achieved a milestone by increasing the yield manifold under open
cultivation with plastic mulching and fertigation technology.
“This is the first yield from the centre and it has fetched a profit of
Rs. 9 lakh. The crops in the centre would have yielded only 50 per cent profit
if cultivated under normal conditions,” said a senior officer of the
horticulture department. Tomato, chilli, brinjal, okra, ash-gourd and water
melon were cultivated under mulching and fertigation (injection of fertilizers,
soil amendments, and other water-soluble products into an irrigation system)
technology, which came from Israel.
On Friday, Dov Segev-Steinberg, Israel’s Acting Consul General in
Bengaluru, visited the centre and appreciated the success achieved by Tamil
Nadu scientists in a short span of time.
The centre was set up at a cost of Rs 10.18 crore by the State
government in 2013.
Fully operational from January
It will be fully operational from January and train farmers in
mulching, Net House and Poly House technology for cultivation.
While Poly House method is suitable for the hilly areas, Net House and
mulching methods are ideal for plains.
“Farmers have already reaped the benefit of Poly House. They are able
to produce 80 tonnes of cucumber from one acre,” said another official.
Explaining how the high yield was achieved, he said the duration of tomato crop
was increased from 135 days to 180 days under Mulching and Fertigation method.
“Net House will substantially reduce the use of pesticides. But the
technology is useful only for self-pollinated plants,” he added.
