PHYSIOLOGICAL/CLIMATOLOGICAL RESEARCH DIRECTED TOWARDS EFFICIENT USE OF ENERGY IN PROTECTED CULTIVATION

Physiological/climatological research related to a more efficient use of energy in protected cultivation is aiming at the optimalisation of current measures to save energy and/or at the indication of new possibilities.

To specify a relevant physiological/climatological approach it is useful to indicate various types of energy saving measures, applied or applicable in practice:

1. Measures, primarily aiming at optimalisation of climate control or at modification of current systems of growing crops.

   1. Optimalisation of climate control, related to diurnal courses of light intensity.

   2. Growing systems – for suitable crops and aiming at current goals with respect to e.g. harvest time – aiming at the saving of energy by means of growth limitation in low light intensity periods and by means of speeding up growth in periods of higher light intensity.

2. Possibilities related with limitation of heat losses:

   1. Application of double glazing of glasshouses etc.

3. Possibilities primarily related with improved utilization of space in glasshouses:

   1. Improved utilization of soil surface: adaptation of distance between plants in relation to size of plants (mutual shading).

   2. Improved utilization of the glasshouse volume: growing of plants in 2 layers (also application of smaller glasshouse volume with crops with small height?).

4. Possibilities primarily related with the heating system:

   1. Changes in pattern of heat transfer, e.g. by the introduction of heating systems with low water temperature.

   2. New heating systems with an increased ratio radiative/convective heat transfer (total energy systems?).

Optimalisation of Plant Growth under Protected Cultivation through Microclimate Control

P. Gaastra

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1981.107.7