B.Sc. Horticulture Semester VII – Elective Specialization

Protected Cultivation of Flower Crops

Credits: 3 (2+1) Floriculture and Landscaping

Course Overview

Official detailed syllabus from the ICAR Sixth Deans’ Committee curriculum.

Course Objectives

i. To enable regulation of flowering under protected cultivation ii. To impart skills in formulating the project on protected cultivation of flower crops

Theory Syllabus

Prospects and types of protected structures: Prospects of protected floriculture in India; Types of protected structures – Glasshouse/polyhouse, shade net houses, mist chambers, lath houses, orchidarium, fernery, rain shelters etc. Principles of designing and erection of protected structures; Low cost/Medium cost/High-cost structures; Structural components; Suitable flower and foliage plants for protected cultivation. Microclimate management and manipulation of temperature, light, humidity, air and CO2; Heating and cooling systems, ventilation, naturally ventilated greenhouses, fan and pad cooled greenhouses, light regulation, containers and substrates, media, soil decontamination, layout of drip and fertigation system, water and nutrient management, IPM and IDM, Crop regulation by chemical methods and special horticultural practices (pinching, disbudding, deshooting, deblossoming, etc.); Staking and netting, Photoperiod regulation. Automation in greenhouses, sensors, solar greenhouses and retractable greenhouses, Export standards, MDH guidelines for erection of protected structure, APEDA regulations for export. Crops: Rose, Chrysanthemum, Carnation, Gerbera, Orchids, Anthuriums, Lilium, Alstromeria, etc.

Practical Syllabus

Study of various protected structures, Design, layout and erection of different types of structures, Practices in preparatory operations, growing media, soil decontamination techniques, Microclimate management, Practices in drip and fertigation techniques, special horticultural practices, Determination of harvest indices and harvesting methods, Postharvest handling, packing methods, Economics of cultivation, Project preparation, Project Financing guidelines, Visit to commercial greenhouses.

Suggested Readings

1. Tyagi S and Sahay S 2020. Protected Cultivation of Flowers. NIPA, New Delhi.

2. Singh Mahesh Chand and Sharma, K K. 2024. Protected Cultivation: Structural Design, Crop Management, Modelling and Automation. CRC Press.