ALTERNATIVE ASYMMETRICAL GREENHOUSES FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA OF SPAIN

Improving the microclimate in Mediterranean greenhouses has been identified as a main objective for increasing the quality and quantity of the produce, specially in the winter season, when the prices of the commodities are more profitable for greenhouse growers.
On the south coast of Spain, greenhouses have roofs which are flat or have a very small slope which gives low radiation transmission in autumn and winter.
Recently some growers have begun to build low roof slope asymmetrical plastichouses, but there is no information about the optimal roof slope.
A study was carried out to compare a conventional asymmetrical multispan greenhouse (11° and 24° roof slopes) with another high slope multispan prototype (45° and 27° roof slopes). Radiation transmission was higher in the high slope greenhouse (45°/27°) during the low solar altitude periods.
The total, commercial and first quality yields of an autumn-winter cycle cucumber and a spring cycle indeterminate bean crops were significantly higher in the high slope multispan than in the conventional plastichouse.

International Symposium Greenhouse Management for Better Yield & Quality in Mild Winter Climates

N. Castilla, J. Hernández, F.M. Quesada, M.I. Morales, A. Guillén, I. Escobar, J.I. Montero

Radiation, transmissivity, cucumber, green bean

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.491.10