Protected cultivation of cucumber under low hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh

With the increase in population of our country and improvement in the dietary habits, the consumption of vegetable has improved. People realize the importance of vegetables in their diet as vegetables have high nutritive values which are vital for the body. Also in the present scenario the cultivable land area is decreasing day by day due to rapid urbanization, industrialization and shrinking land holdings. Therefore, off-season vegetable production under protected conditions is the best alternative to use the land and other resources more efficiently. Among vegetables, coloured capsicum is being predominantly cultivated by the farmers of district Bilaspur of Himachal Pradesh and they are motivated for cultivation of other crops like parthenocarpic cucumber, tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beans etc to prevent glut in the Mandis. Among them, parthenocarpic cucumber hybrid Kian seeds were planted on 18^th June, 2011 @ 490 plants per 500 m² polyhouse. The results revealed that days taken for first picking were 33, whereas, harvest duration was 54 days. On as average, produce was sold @ Rs. 25/kg in local and distant Mandis. The marketable fruit yield, gross and net return were 10.3 q/ha, Rs. 25,750 and Rs. 19,780, respectively. The downy mildew incidence was recorded 15–20%, at one month interval from planting under protected structures.