INFLUENCE OF THE COMBINATION OF AN INFRARED PLASTIC THERMAL SCREEN AND SOLAR HEATING SYSTEM ON THE BIOCLIMATE AND PLANT GROWTH OF A MUSKMELON GROWN UNDER POLYETHYLENE GREENHOUSE (1)

Three cultivars of muskmelon (‘Early Chaca’, ‘Super Sprint’ and ‘6 802’) were cultivated under three P.E. greenhouses.

The three greenhouses were covered with longlife P.E. plastic film of 180 microns.

The first greenhouse was considered as the control.
The second one was equiped with a sunstock solar energy collector distribution system covering 70% of the ground surface and connected with a supplementary outdoor collector corresponding to about 28% covering of the greenhouse.
This greenhouse was also equiped with an infrared permanent plastic sereen.
The third greenhouse was equiped only with an infrared permanent plastic screen.

Minimum air temperature was raised in the second and the third greenhouse compared to the control, respectively with 3°C to 6°C and with 0.8°C to 2°C, depending of meteorological conditions during the night.

Plant growth under the solar heated greenhouse was accelerated and resulted in an earlier fruitset and earlier production.

II International Symposium on Plastics in Mediterranean Countries

R. Vandevelde, B. De Muynck, Ha. Ben Hassine

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1984.154.27