Regular Update
ATM News Network: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) has developed a new vertical farming system for the 'conserved' cultivation of crops like cabbage and flower besides flowers like Lilium and gerbera.
New structures can be as tall as 12 feet. Effective space utilization in poly houses can increase productivity by six times compared to conventional farming on a per unit area basis, scientists have claimed.
A low-cost vertical farming structure consists of about 11 stacked layers. It has built-in drip irrigation. C Aswath, Principal Scientist, IIHR, said that cocopeat, vermicompost, paddy husk and mushrooms can be grown in bags containing soil-cum-layer mixture.
Multiple layers increase the utilization of available unit area in poly houses by 5-6 times. Higher planting density can increase yield and productivity by six times, Aswath said.
Each of these structures, measuring one meter wide and three meters wide and about 12 feet high, costs about Rs 25,000 to build, Aswath said. IIHR has proposed a 50 per cent subsidy under the Integrated Development of Horticulture Mission for widespread adoption of the new structures by farmers practising poly house cultivation in urban and semi-urban areas, he said.
IIHR has set up these new vertical farming structures at its Centre on Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops at its premises in Hesarghatta, Bengaluru. In which high-value flower crops like Lilium and vegetables like broccoli and cabbage are planted. IIHR Senior Scientist S. A. Safina said the institute is looking to patent the new vertical farming structure.
This method of farming enables high productivity in a small space by making efficient use of the available vertical space. Other vegetable crops like soybeans, cauliflower, various leafy vegetables, and fruits like strawberries and flowers like gerbera, gypsophila, and gladiolus can be grown using vertical farming methods, said Aswath.
