Training and Pruning Techniques for Desired Growth in Vegetables

Protected cultivation technology is a technique in which plant microclimate is partially or fully controlled artificially as per the requirement of specific crops to improve the yield potential of crop. Pruning can encourage faster growth of new shoots, which has the potential to bloom. Training and Pruning technique deserve attention in yield and quality enhancement of vegetable crops. Study indicates that majority of respondents (94.74 and 76.92%) in capsicum and cucumber crop followed training and pruning at recommended time. Majority of respondents (68.75%) in tomato crop and more than five per cent respondents in capsicum did training and pruning after recommended time. Data further showed that 51.28 per cent of respondents in cucumber crop and 15.78 per cent of respondents in capsicum crop followed training and pruning with more than recommended branches. While, 33.34 per cent of respondents in cucumber followed training and pruning at recommended number of branches and only 15.38 per cent of respondents followed training and pruning less than recommended number of branches. Data further revealed that majority of respondents (73.68%) harvested the tomato crop before recommended time while 21.06 per cent of respondents harvested crop at recommended time. To ascertain training and pruning benefits of vegetable crops under protected vegetable cultivation technologies, this study has been planned.