PUNE: Don't be surprised to see potato tubers suspended in the air, saplings growing from plant cells inside greenhouses or the bud of one plant growing from another. These are new crop-growing techniques being used by farmers at Talegaon Dabhade in Mawal taluka, around 35 km from Pune.
All this innovation in 'protected cultivation' is thanks to efforts by the Talegaon-based National Institute of Post Harvest Technology (NIPHT). "For 10 years, we had been conducting training sessions only on floriculture, or flower farming. But now, we have started training farmers in post-harvest management. The transition from harvest to marketing sees almost a 40% loss of produce. Perishables such as fruits are lost to various factors including inefficient transport and handling; ineffective storage infrastructure; food processing and packaging. Basically, we are now teaching farmers how to cut post-harvest losses," says Ramendra Kumar Joshi, director.
Effective post-harvest management also ensures healthy food quality and profits. Sadly, only about 400 hectares in India are currently being regulated under greenhouse conditions. In the Netherlands and Japan, meanwhile, a minimum of 10,000 hectares are under protected cultivation.
The NIPHT has so far trained over 40,000 people from countries such as France, Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. The institute was established in 2002 by the Maharashtra state Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), in collaboration with the Netherlands, to impart hi-tech training in protected cultivation.
Courses on offer include automation in protected cultivation, open-field cultivation of flowers and nursery management. Training is spread over three to five days and the NIPHT offers hostel facilities too. The aim is take cutting-edge research from lab to land. "Trainees are allowed to experiment with plants and handle the latest machinery and equipment," says Joshi.
The institute has total area of 50 acres. Thirty-five of these acres comprise horticultural farms, which also serve as a lab. "We have a tissue culture lab where plant cells are cloned and grown in a fully covered bottle in the growth room. The technique stops bacteria or fungus from affecting the plant. Once the plants have grown a few inches, they are sold to nurseries," says Vishwas Jadhav, a member of the faculty. Around 12 lakh plants are grown every year inside the growth room.
A major component of NIPHT's training is the setting up of a greenhouse. "Greenhouses need a specific quantity of soil. The soil must be mixed with farm manure and rice husk and needs to be sterilised using the chemical formalin. Later, the bed has to prepared for plantation," explains Jadhav.
NIPT also works on the public-private partnership model to grow crops. It's currently growing potato seeds using the aeroponic process — plants being grown in the absence of soil. "A mist of nutrients and water is pumped into large boxes where the root systems of potato plants hang and produce tubers," says Jadhav. The technology helps farmers access quality seeds for an increased and healthier harvest.
The institute is also planning a centre for excellence for flowers, part of an Indo-Dutch cooperation project. Besides roses, gerbera, carnation and chrysanthemum — which will be grown inside climate-controlled poly houses — the six acres on campus, allocated for the project, will also grow flower crops such as the ornithogalum arabicum, gypsophila and solidago.
All this innovation in 'protected cultivation' is thanks to efforts by the Talegaon-based National Institute of Post Harvest Technology (NIPHT). "For 10 years, we had been conducting training sessions only on floriculture, or flower farming. But now, we have started training farmers in post-harvest management. The transition from harvest to marketing sees almost a 40% loss of produce. Perishables such as fruits are lost to various factors including inefficient transport and handling; ineffective storage infrastructure; food processing and packaging. Basically, we are now teaching farmers how to cut post-harvest losses," says Ramendra Kumar Joshi, director.
Effective post-harvest management also ensures healthy food quality and profits. Sadly, only about 400 hectares in India are currently being regulated under greenhouse conditions. In the Netherlands and Japan, meanwhile, a minimum of 10,000 hectares are under protected cultivation.
The NIPHT has so far trained over 40,000 people from countries such as France, Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia. The institute was established in 2002 by the Maharashtra state Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), in collaboration with the Netherlands, to impart hi-tech training in protected cultivation.
Courses on offer include automation in protected cultivation, open-field cultivation of flowers and nursery management. Training is spread over three to five days and the NIPHT offers hostel facilities too. The aim is take cutting-edge research from lab to land. "Trainees are allowed to experiment with plants and handle the latest machinery and equipment," says Joshi.
The institute has total area of 50 acres. Thirty-five of these acres comprise horticultural farms, which also serve as a lab. "We have a tissue culture lab where plant cells are cloned and grown in a fully covered bottle in the growth room. The technique stops bacteria or fungus from affecting the plant. Once the plants have grown a few inches, they are sold to nurseries," says Vishwas Jadhav, a member of the faculty. Around 12 lakh plants are grown every year inside the growth room.
A major component of NIPHT's training is the setting up of a greenhouse. "Greenhouses need a specific quantity of soil. The soil must be mixed with farm manure and rice husk and needs to be sterilised using the chemical formalin. Later, the bed has to prepared for plantation," explains Jadhav.
NIPT also works on the public-private partnership model to grow crops. It's currently growing potato seeds using the aeroponic process — plants being grown in the absence of soil. "A mist of nutrients and water is pumped into large boxes where the root systems of potato plants hang and produce tubers," says Jadhav. The technology helps farmers access quality seeds for an increased and healthier harvest.
The institute is also planning a centre for excellence for flowers, part of an Indo-Dutch cooperation project. Besides roses, gerbera, carnation and chrysanthemum — which will be grown inside climate-controlled poly houses — the six acres on campus, allocated for the project, will also grow flower crops such as the ornithogalum arabicum, gypsophila and solidago.
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