CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND HORTICULTURAL PRACTICE

Everybody knows the importance of environmental factors for plants and that for physiological studies of plant reactions it is necessary to have climatically-controlled spaces.
These simulators of climate, named Phytotrons, now exist in all parts of the world.
There are about 20–25 installations, all of which have a research programme for fundamental or applied sciences.
The term phytotronics covers all techniques used in the design and operation of using phytotrons and pyhtotron-type devices in the various types of research, both fundamental and applied, in which they may be involved.

Phytotronics is now beginning its evolution.
Although a new phytotron is built less than once every two years in different countries, growth chambers and cabinets (walk-in or reach-in) are bought not only by Research Institutes and Experimental Stations but also by private companies and horticultural crop growers.
All of those who use these devices carry out phytotronics in practice.
Phytotrons are made for a certain way of tackling the scientific problems of the relationships between plants and their environment and everybody who works with the same installations must have this in mind.

Symposium on Greenhouse Design and Environment

N. de Bildering

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1975.46.9