Veggies under cover

Vegetable cultivation under shelters is gaining popularity in the humid tropics as a sure way to achieve good quality produce. Shelters prevent damage to crops from extreme climatic conditions, such as heavy rains, storm and strong sunlight. This guide brings together valuable information on shelter cultivation, based on research on Martinique, supplemented with data from other Caribbean Islands and Africa. It is a practical and comprehensive manual, covering both sheltered cultivation on soil and sheltered soil-less cultivation on substrates (hydroponic). It describes different types and traits of shelters rather briefly, but offers more on cultivation aspects, such as crop water and fertiliser requirements, pest control, sowing techniques and ventilation. Individual fact sheets are included on nine common vegetables under sheltered cultivation: courgette, cucumber, French bean, lettuce, melon, onions, pepper, strawberry and tomato. Guide to sheltered vegetable cultivation in the humid Tropics By C Langlais & P Ryckewaert, CIRAD-FHLOR. 2001. 93 pp. ISBN 2 87614 440 9 Euro 15.24 La librairie du CIRAD Avenue Agropolis (B. 4) BP 5035, 34032 Montpellier Cedex 1 France Fax : +33 4 67 61 55 47 Email: librairie@cirad.frGuide to sheltered vegetable cultivation in the humid Tropics By C Langlais & P Ryckewaert, CIRAD-FHLOR. 2001. 93 pp. ISBN 2 87614 440 9 Euro 15.2