Question

Temporary portable covering to provide protection to young seedlings against cold, heavy rains, winds etc and untimely encouraging early growth is

• A. Cloche
• B. Porche
• C. Shade
• D. Hedge

Hint:

The word "cloche" is the French word for "bell."
This refers to the classic bell-shaped glass jars historically used by French gardeners to protect individual plants from early spring frosts.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
In horticulture and nursery management, protecting young, fragile seedlings from extreme environmental conditions is critical for seedling survival and early growth.
Growers use various temporary structures to create favorable microclimates around young plants.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
A cloche is a small, portable, translucent protective cover placed directly over individual plants or rows of seedlings.
Historically, cloches were bell-shaped glass jars (developed in France), but modern versions are made of clear plastic, wire frames, or row-cover fabrics.
A cloche acts as a miniature greenhouse.
It allows sunlight to penetrate while trapping thermal radiation, which warms the underlying soil and air.
This elevated temperature encourages rapid vegetative growth early in the season.
At the same time, the physical barrier shields the seedlings from cold temperatures, frost, heavy rainfall, wind, and pests.
Let us evaluate the alternative choices:
- A porch is an architectural feature of a house, not a horticultural crop cover.
- A shade (or shade net) is a larger structure designed to filter intense sunlight and reduce heat, rather than protect against cold.
- A hedge is a permanent line of closely spaced shrubs used as a boundary or windbreak.
Therefore, cloche is the correct term for this temporary, portable protective cover.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The temporary, portable horticultural cover used to protect seedlings from cold and wet weather is a cloche.