Articles
INFLUENCE OF CLIMATIC FACTORS UPON COSTS OF FUEL AND LOCATION OF GLASSHOUSES
The bigger the climatic differences in a country, the better possibilities of production improvment by its rational location.
The main role in a macroscale have here the solar and thermic conditions; the solar conditions influence the output of a greenhouse, whereas the thermic factors decide about fuel consumption.
Differences in the climatic factors were researched in twenty greenhouse cultivation centres, selected on purpose, which were located fairly proportinally all over Poland.
Thanks to this research the most suitable regions for greenhouse cultivation were found out.
The period of eight months i.e. from October untill May was analysed.
It is generally assumed that only as late as in April the amount of solar radiation is sufficient for most of the vegetation cultivated in Poland under greenhouse shelters.
The most advantageous solar conditions (table No. 1) from October till May prevail in the Southern part of Poland.
In April begins a change of solar conditions in Poland.
Also the Northern regions get the same total of solar radiation as the Southern and central ones.
In May they already surpass the Southern regions in this respect.
These substantial differences in the amounts of solar radiations between the Northern and Southern Poland have a considerable influence on early ripening and the yield of greenhouse tomato crops in these regions.
Finding of an analysis of the spring greenhouse tomato production in these regions show that the bigger solar radiation in the South from February till April results in a quicker ripening of tomatoes (by some twenty days) as compared with the Northern regions.
On the other hand, the autumn crops of greenhouse tomatoes in these regions are by 20 – 25 % higher than in the central part of Poland.
This is a confirmation of other research results (i.a.
Klougart’s) which state that at one percent increase in radiation the crop grows one percent as well.
Another territorial situation occurs to the thermic conditions.
The highest average temperatures from October till April prevail in the Western regions, whilst the lowest are in the North-Eastern parts and the Southern sub-mountane districts.
Starting from April the highest temperatures take place in the South-Western and the South-Eastern areas.
Considering both the solar and the thermic conditions it has been ascertained that the best regions for greenhouse cultivation in the spring time are in the South-West and in the West of Poland while in the Fall in the South of this country.
Once the values of these climatic factors had been ascertained, it was possible to calculate the fuel consumption and its cost in the 20 greenhouse cultivation centres.
Differences between the most and the least fuel consuming centres reached up to 15 %.