September 2025
Many times, an improved practice is all it requires to bring about a change. A simple technique in nursery raising has made inroads in Banka district in Bihar resulting in increased vegetable cultivation in the region. Also by taking this as an enterprise and supporting vegetable production, many farm entrepreneurs are earning well to make a decent living.
Banka district is one of Bihar’s backward districts, lying in the eastern Bihar. Agriculture, is at subsistence level. It is primarily based on food crops, in spite of having a unique advantage of diversifying crop choices. With low productivity from small land holdings, the tribal farming families hardly manage to get a return of Rs 50000 in an year, in case there are no severe weather fluctuations.
Vegetable cultivation during the monsoon season remains low in many regions in spite of receiving substantial rainfall (around 700 mm from June to September). Farmers hesitation is owing to lack of technical knowledge and absence of reliable nursery infrastructure. Vegetable nurseries are initiated late missing out early harvest opportunities and better market prices. The available homestead and upland plots, ideal for early-season vegetable cultivation, are typically allocated to low-return crops like maize. One of the key deterrents has been farmers’ past experiences with poor-quality saplings sourced from local markets, resulting in high mortality, low productivity, and economic losses.
The success of vegetable farming depends heavily on the quality of seedlings and the care taken during nursery raising. Critical steps like seed treatment, soil sterilization, root zone management, and timely application of bio-inputs and nutrients are often skipped due to lack of awareness or support, leading to stunted growth, pest infestation, or plant loss, thus affecting overall productivity at both the household and cluster levels. Traditional soil-bed nurseries faced low germination rates and were prone to soil-borne diseases such as wilt, leading to reduced productivity. The irregular rainfall in South Bihar often delayed land preparation, affecting timely crop establishment. All this called for an improved practice like Pro-Tray Net House Nursery, in raising seedlings.
Pro-Tray Net house Nursery Enterprises
The process of raising nurseries through this technique is as follows.
- Tray selection
Selection of pro-trays and the number of cells depends upon the requirement of the land and demand for the seedlings. The size of the cell is significant since it determines the quantity of media needed as well as the ability to store water. Choose trays as per crop requirement (98/50 cells) – 98-cell trays (for crops like tomato, brinjal, chillies etc) and 50-cell trays (for crops needing bigger root space like bitter gourd, bottle gourd, watermelon).
Table 1: Number of seeds per packet for each type of vegetable
| Sl no | Crop name | No of seeds per 10 gm packet |
| 1 | Cauliflower | 2000- 2200 seeds |
| 2 | Chilli | 2000-2200 seeds |
| 3 | Brinjal | 2000-2200 seeds |
| 4 | Tomato | 3000 seeds |
| 5 | Bitter gourd/ Bottle gourd | 50-55 seeds |
| 6 | Cucumber | 80 seeds |
2. Preparation of growing media
Media selection is an important aspect for nursery raising. This should be done based on the type of seedlings to be raised. Physical and chemical properties of the media affect the germination and establishment of the seedlings. The important physical media components are water, air and nutrient retaining capacity of the media for optimum root growth. The pH of the medium also affects the germination. The media selection should be done in a such a way that it should retain optimum moisture- neither more nor less.
The media generally used for production of seedlings in nursery is cocopeat. The 5 kg cocopeat brick need to be soaked overnight in 25 litres of water. Later, cocopeat is washed 5 to 6 times using mosquito net to drain out excess of salt in cocopeat, maintaining a neutral pH of 7 for healthy growth. Then the cocopeat is dried to remove excess water. The most reliable and simple method to check moisture levels in cocopeat is by conducting Hand Squeeze Test. To perform this, take a handful of cocopeat from the tray or growing media and squeeze it tightly in your fist. If water drips out while squeezing, it indicates that the cocopeat is holding excess water and is too wet, which can lead to poor aeration and root rot. If no water drips out but your hand feels moist and the cocopeat holds together like a soft clump, the moisture level is ideal for seedling growth. However, if the cocopeat feels dry, loose, and crumbles, it means the media is too dry, needing immediate watering. Maintaining proper moisture balance is crucial for healthy root development and seedling survival.
To enrich cocopeat with nutrients and protective bio-agents, a balanced mixture of compost and biological additives should be used. For every 5 kg of cocopeat, add 5 kg of Brown Gold compost to improve nutrient content and organic matter. To this mix, incorporate 100 grams of Trichoderma and 100 grams of Pseudomonas fluorescens. These bio-agents help in preventing fungal and bacterial diseases at the root zone and improve overall plant health. Mix all components thoroughly to ensure uniform distribution. Once prepared, allow the mixture to rest for a few hours under shade before filling it into pro-trays. This combination provides a nutrient-rich, disease-suppressive nursery media for healthy seedling development
3. Germination and transplanting
Fill each cell of the tray with prepared media loosely and gently tap the tray to settle the media slightly. To create an ideal germination environment in a protray nursery, a simple and effective method is to stack the trays one over another after sowing the seeds. Once stacked, cover the pile of trays with a moist jute sack (jute bora) to maintain warmth and humidity—conditions that promote faster and uniform germination. Spray water over the jute sack daily to keep it moist, which helps in retaining humidity within the trays.
Box 1: Nursery Cycle
| S.No | Month | Crop |
| Batch 1 | June-July | Cucumber, Bitter gourd etc. |
| Batch 2 | Aug-Sep | Cabbage, Cauliflower, Tomato, Chillies, Brinjal |
| Batch 3 | Dec-Jan | Watermelon, Bitter gourd etc. |
For most vegetables like chilli, tomato, and cauliflower, seeds typically begin to germinate within 3–4 days under optimal conditions. However, bitter gourd seeds are naturally hard and may take 6–7 days to germinate. It is important to check the trays daily for signs of seed sprouting. As soon as sprouting is observed in a tray, remove it from the stack and spread it out under a shade net or net house, where the seedlings can receive filtered light and proper ventilation. This practice helps in preventing fungal infections and ensures healthy growth post-germination.
Spray NPK 19:19:19 @ 2-3gm /litre of water depending of growth and uniformity in growth.
Transplant seedlings at 21–30 days age, depending on the crop. Transplant during early morning or late evening to reduce transplantation shock.
Nursery cycle – Business Model
This technique can be adopted using two types of structures. A 1200 sq.ft poly house with permanent structure which could last for 6 years, would cost around Rs.156000. A low cost alternative model is made of bamboo structure. This model lasts for 2 years.
The total cost of establishing the bamboo nursery is Rs.17830.
The total cost of production and net returns from 6 cycles of producing nursery saplings is given in Table 2.
| Table 2: Expenditure and returns from a 6-cycle production of nursery saplings | |||||
| S. no | Material | per cycle | per unit price | For 6 cycles | price |
| 1 | Tray | 250 tray 98 hole and 50 trays 50 hole | 98 holes -Rs.18.50 and 50 Holes-Rs.22 | 250 tray 98 hole and 50 trays 50 hole | 5725 /- |
| 2 | cocopeat | 60 kg | Rs 40 | 360 kg | 14400 |
| 3 | Brown gold | 60 kg | Rs 28 | 360 kg | 10080 |
| 4 | Trichoderma | 1.2 kg | Rs130 | 10 kg | 1300 |
| 5 | Pseudomonas fluorescens | 1.2 kg | Rs 140 | 10 kg | 1400 |
| 6 | NPK 19:19:19 | 1.2 kg | Rs 120 | 10 kg | 1200 |
| 7 | medicine | lumpsum | Rs 100 | lumpsum | 1000 |
| 8 | Cauliflower/chilli/bringal/ tomato 10 gm | 12 packet | Rs 500 | 72 packet | 36000 |
| 9 | Bitter gourd/Bottle Gourd 10 gm | 50 packet | Rs 150 | 300 packet | 45000 |
| Total | 116105 | ||||
| Total expenditure over 6 cycles in polyhouse nursery per year | 140690 | ||||
| Total expenditure over 6 cycles in net house nursery per year | 123605 | ||||
| No. of saplings grown in 6 cycles (98 holes x 250 trays x6 cycles) = 1,47,000 | |||||
| No. of saplings grown in 6 cycles (50 Holes x 50 trays x 6 cycles)= 15000 | |||||
| Total Returns | 147000 xRs1 + 15000 x Rs .5 = Rs.2,22,000/- | ||||
| Net Returns = Rs. 81310 (polyhouse nursery); 98395 (net house nursery) | |||||
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Box 2: Redefining woman’s role: A case study of Muniya Murmu In Inravaran village of Katoria block in Banka district. Muniya Murmu pioneered a transformative agricultural business model in 2022 when she established a tray nursery with support from PRADAN and HDFC Bank Parivartan. Unlike conventional methods where seedlings are grown in soil beds, Muniya’s technique utilizes specialized trays with cocopeat medium, resulting in healthier plants with greater disease resistance. This innovative approach not only addressed a market gap but positioned Muniya at the forefront of agricultural innovation in a region where women’s technical expertise is rarely acknowledged. Her journey wasn’t without obstacles. When she first started selling seedlings at one rupee each, village elders dismissed her enterprise. “People were saying who would buy plants for one rupee each, it’s too expensive. They said we would face losses,” Muniya remembers. Even within her home, skepticism prevailed. “My family also said I was starting something useless, wondering whether it would succeed”, says Muniya. Despite initial failures—including losing 5,000 seedlings due to inexperience with germination techniques, Muniya persevered. Her determination paid off. From a rented plot, she now owns eight kathas of land purchased entirely from her nursery earnings. The economic impact has been remarkable. ‘In the first year, I earned ninety thousand rupees. In the second year, my earnings increased to one lakh eighty thousand,” she states proudly. Currently, she’s on track to earn over two lakh rupees this year. Her nursery produces an impressive variety of seedlings—1.5 lakh chilli plants, 1 lakh cabbage plants, and thousands of bitter gourd, cucumber, tomato, and eggplant seedlings. Beyond personal gains, Muniya’s enterprise strengthens local economic ecosystems. ”We created this so that village money stays within the village,” she explains, highlighting how her business integrates with local women producer groups and the other entrepreneurs. Perhaps most significantly, her success has transformed family dynamics. Her husband, who previously migrated for work, now collaborates with her in the nursery. Through her enterprise, Muniya has become an economic decision-maker and community resource person, dismantling gender stereotypes with each seedling she nurtures. As other women from her village express interest in starting similar ventures. Muniya’s journey illustrates how agricultural entrepreneurship can redefine women’s roles in rural economies, turning gender constraints into opportunities for empowerment and community development. |
Impact
A total of 30 entrepreneurs have adopted this nursery technology. Each Entrepreneur is supported with a Nethouse Nursery structure which costs around Rs.20,000.00. They are providing disease-free saplings at reasonable prices to fellow farmers as a sustainable service model. This technology has already benefitted around 3000 farmers across Katoria and Chandan blocks of Banka district.
Through this intervention, farmers are now able to raise nurseries 20–30 days before the onset of rains. Once land is prepared, they can transplant 20–30-day-old healthy saplings, resulting in early crop production (20–30 days in advance); improved yields and disease-free crops, better market price realization due to early arrival of produce in the market, thus enhancing overall profitability.
Rajesh Parida
Project Executive,
PRADAN Katoria
Banka, Bihar-813106
E-mail: rajeshparida@pradan.net
