CUCUMBER RESPONSE TO MULCH AND IRRIGATION LEVELS UNDER PHOTO-SELECTIVE SHADING NETS

India has total geographical area of 329 Mha which is 2.45 % of the global land area. The total arable land is 165.3 Mha contributing to about 50.2 % of the total geographical area against the corresponding global figure of 10.2 %. The average annual rainfall in India is about 1190 mm with 4% of the total average runoff in the river. Population of India is expected to reach from 1027 million (2001, AD) to 1930 million by 2025. Food grain requirement will have to be raised to 350 million tonnes by 2025 to meet the requirement of population. This essentially needs either increasing the area under cultivation or increasing area under irrigation. Water is the most important factor for crop production and it is provided from different water resources. In India there are different water resources like rivers, tanks, well, canals.