ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF A TOMATO CROP USING A TRANSPIRATION MODEL

In this paper environmental management of a tomato crop through control of crop transpiration is described.
The climate control algorithm is not based on fixed day or night setpoints for temperature and humidity within a greenhouse but on a setpoint for crop transpiration, from which climate setpoints are deduced.

Crop growth and production resulting from a first trial with various transpiration setpoints are presented.
It is shown that such an approach does increase the possibility of directly managing crop development through greenhouse climate control, as prolonged differences in transpiration rates appear to cause differences in crop development and production.
The feasibility of transpiration control and its effectiveness are further discussed.

Protected Cultivation, XXIII IHC

Wim Th.M. van Meurs, C. Stanghellini

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1992.303.3