Low tunnels – a tool for crop advancement in vegetable crops: A review

Urban and peri-urban areas are economic hubs and sophisticated land markets. Vegetables are perishable in nature and can not be stored too long. The market price of vegetable crops varies day to day according to availability in the market; the earlier crops get much higher price than the main season crops. The other important factor responsible for the price determination of vegetables is quality (appearance) in the market. The protected structures like low tunnels, plastic row covers and high tunnels provide the favourable environment for the quality produce and crop advancement which fetches high price in the market. These structures also protect the plants from high wind, rain, frost and snow. Amid threat of the cold wave affecting vegetable production, the low tunnel technique is coming up as a saviour for the farmers as it not only protects their crops but also helps them get better prices for the produce by cultivating off-season. The main crops grown under these structures are namely tomato, capsicum, seedless cucumber, cucurbits etc.