Method of fertilizers application under protected cultivation of vegetables

In India, more than 80 per cent of cultivated area is under cereal crops to meet the food requirements of the country. After green revolution rice, wheat, cotton, sorghum, sugarcane, bajra, jawar and maize are leading cereal crops in India. In Punjab, rice-wheat is major crop rotation pattern followed by farmers. No doubt, India has become independent country to meet the food requirements but continuous crop rotation of these cereal crops on same land has some drastic effect on soil, environment as well as on farmers income. Land is deteriorating continuously, soil has been eroded, soil fertility decreased, water level and quality of irrigated water becomes poor and continuously decreased. Ultimately land value has been decreased and farmer’s income has been reduced. There is a need of diversification to improve these problems in agriculture. The present study was conducted in Punjab state to know the various methods of fertilizers applications, fertilizers and micronutrients and growth regulators by the farmers in vegetable crops under protected vegetable cultivation. The data were collected personally by the researcher by visiting the study area and interviewing the respondents. It was found that under protected cultivation, majority of respondents applied NPK formulation of 19:19:19 and calcium nitrate as micronutrient to capsicum, tomato and cucumber crop under protected cultivation. Study further reported that Biozyme @ 200 ml/acre was applied as growth regulator by majority of the respondents.