17-year-old Oakridge student Shritha Shetty Puvvadi explores the potential of growing high-value kale in warmer climates
HYDERABAD: Can crops traditionally grown in cooler climates thrive in a city where summer temperatures often exceed 40°C? Seventeen-year-old Shritha Shetty Puvvadi, a student at Oakridge International School, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, is exploring this possibility through an innovative agricultural experiment that tests the potential of growing cold-climate crops under controlled conditions.
Kale, a nutrient-rich leafy vegetable commonly associated with cooler regions, is often transported over long distances to reach Indian consumers and commands premium prices in gourmet stores. Shritha’s project investigates whether such high-value crops can be cultivated locally by creating suitable growing conditions, potentially opening up alternative opportunities for farmers.
Her research stems from an interest in the challenges confronting Indian agriculture, including fluctuating crop prices, rising input costs and limited returns for farmers. While studying the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, a government initiative supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, she began exploring whether cultivating premium-value crops could provide additional income opportunities for the farming community.
To test her idea, Shritha used a temperature-controlled chamber at her family’s Snow Kingdom facility in Hyderabad. She experimented with three kale varieties — Winterbor, Red Russian and Vates — gradually adjusting the temperature to identify conditions under which the plants could remain healthy and grow successfully.
All three varieties grew under the controlled conditions, offering encouraging preliminary results for her research. The experiment highlights how temperature management and controlled-environment agriculture could help explore the cultivation of crops that are not traditionally associated with warmer regions.
Beyond the scientific experiment, Shritha is examining the potential business applications of her findings. If further trials establish suitable growing conditions, crop yields, production costs and commercial viability, controlled-environment farming could offer new possibilities for cultivating premium vegetables closer to urban markets.
Her project demonstrates how young innovators can bring together scientific curiosity, agricultural challenges and entrepreneurial thinking to explore practical solutions. While further research is needed to assess the feasibility of large-scale cultivation, Shritha’s experiment offers an encouraging starting point for investigating whether cold-climate crops can find a place in Hyderabad’s warmer environment.
