Vol. 7, Issue 3 (2018)

Author(s):
Sarthak Bhattacharya, Sugnik Das and Tanushree Saha

Abstract:
Plastic has become a popular material in our daily life due to its structural integrity, chemical property and versatile nature. Plastic has many valuable applications in high-tech horticulture includes drip irrigation, plastic mulches, packaging and storage for superior quality of produce and in post-harvest management. Plasticulture means the use of plastics in agriculture, horticulture, water-management, food grain storage and in related areas. Use of plastic in horticulture crop production has increased dramatically in the last ten years even though the number of agricultural plastic manufactures has been reduced by 40% over the same period. The use of plasticulture in the production of horticultural crops (vegetables, small fruits, flowers, plantation crops, and ornamentals) helps to mitigate the sometime extreme fluctuations in weather, especially temperature, rainfall and wind, which occurs in many part of the country.