DRDO roots for solar-powered greenhouses in Ladakh after experiments show warm season crops can be grown in harsh winters

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, May 18

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has rooted for solar-powered greenhouses in Ladakh region, which faces extreme climatic conditions, after experiments proved that a variety of warm-season crops can be successfully grown during the winter period.

Scientists at Leh-based Defence Institute of High Altitude Research used an “active” polycarbonate greenhouse with heat convectors deriving energy from solar panel-powered batteries being used to maintain the requisite temperature.

Active greenhouses use supplementary energy from various available sources for the maintenance of essential temperature in cold climates and are different from passive greenhouses which are simply enclosed structures.

“As a result of temperature maintenance, the output in terms of yield for different crops like cauliflower, knol-khol, cabbage and broccoli was reported for the first time in any existing greenhouse of the region during winter periods,” a paper published recently by DRDO states.

“Temperature maintenance with simple and easily available technologies was found effective in the production of fresh vegetables during the winter period in the cold arid high-altitude conditions of Ladakh, which otherwise is not possible,” the study adds.

The survival percentage of plants grown inside the greenhouse was reported to be 92.5 per cent to 100 per cent, though the time taken for cultivation was slightly longer than what it normally takes during the summer season.

The Trans-Himalayan cold arid high-altitude region of Ladakh has hostile climatic conditions, with temperature falling as low as minus 45 degree Celsius. Production of fresh food locally is difficult due to low atmospheric temperatures. The region remains cut off from the rest of the country for months during winters because of roads being closed due to heavy snow.

This causes acute shortage of fresh food. Some supplies are brought in by air, but this is expensive and available only to a limited population. The local populace has to survive on red meat or packaged food that contains preservatives and chemicals which can cause diseases. In addition, the unavailability of fresh food leads to nutritional deficiency, the study observes.

In harsh winters, heating needs to be supplemented to protect plants and make production of crops in greenhouses possible. Pointing out that vegetable production in greenhouses at present is almost negligible, particularly during the winter period, the study has suggested that one of the possible solutions is use of active greenhouses powered by non-conventional or renewable energy.