Poly-tunnel Technique in Bottle gourd: A Cost Effective and Affordable Method for Early Season Production

This experiment was conducted at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during 2011–12. In experiment, split plot design was with five used with five different date of sowing as main plot treatments and three different growing conditions as sub-plot treatments, thus making a total of fifteen treatment combination. The approximate total cost and net returns per hectare for various treatments were calculated from the crop as per recommended package. A difference in respect of production cost was observed for different growing conditions only, not for different sowing dates. However, there was a difference in net return per hectare for both growing conditions and sowing dates due to variation in early and total fruit yield. The lowest total cost of Rs. 89285/ha was applied in the M1 growing condition followed by growing condition M2 (Rs. 146804/ha) and M3 (Rs. 149804/ha). However, the highest net returns of Rs. 308710/ha was obtained in the treatment combination M2D1i.e. planting on 15th December (D1) with direct seed sowing under poly-tunnel method (M2) followed by treatment combination M2D2 (Rs. 248538/ha) and M3D1 (Rs. 245278/ha). The highest cost: benefit ratio also observed for treatment combination M2D1 (1: 3.10) followed by treatment combination M2D2 (1: 2.69) and M3D1 (1: 2.64), respectively.