Articles
PRESENT SITUATION AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR PROTECTED HORTICULTURE IN MAINLAND CHINA
Article number
770_3
Pages
29 – 35
Language
English
Abstract
Protected horticulture is a labor-intensive industry which provides a great opportunity for Chinese horticulture products to satisfy increasing local demand and expanding overseas markets.
With close to 2.5 million ha, China is now the leading country for protected horticulture including multi-span greenhouse, plastic tunnels, and a specially designed, energy-efficient, solar-heated lean-to greenhouse.
This report introduces the present situation and development trend and unique systems of protected horticulture in China in detail.
Energy-saving solar-heated lean to greenhouse can produce tomatoes and cucumbers without supplemental heating during the winter season in north China where outside temperature drops to -20 to -10°C. Also, eco-organic type soilless culture using solid organic fertilizers is considerably less expensive than irrigating the crop with a nutrient solution containing soluble mineral fertilizers.
Soilless culture has developed very rapidly during the last 20 years in China.
The area of soilless culture in China was around 0.1 ha in 1985, 50 ha by 1995, 1,250 ha by 2005. Eco-organic soilless technique covers over 60% of total area of soilless culture in China.
The top 5 commodities of vegetables in protected cultivation are tomato, cucumber, pepper, eggplant, and squash.
For speeding up the extension of new agricultural technologies, central and local government established more than 5000 high-tech agricultural demonstrating farms.
The main part of these demonstration farms is protected horticulture.
There is no doubt that protected horticulture will become increasingly important in the near future in China.
With close to 2.5 million ha, China is now the leading country for protected horticulture including multi-span greenhouse, plastic tunnels, and a specially designed, energy-efficient, solar-heated lean-to greenhouse.
This report introduces the present situation and development trend and unique systems of protected horticulture in China in detail.
Energy-saving solar-heated lean to greenhouse can produce tomatoes and cucumbers without supplemental heating during the winter season in north China where outside temperature drops to -20 to -10°C. Also, eco-organic type soilless culture using solid organic fertilizers is considerably less expensive than irrigating the crop with a nutrient solution containing soluble mineral fertilizers.
Soilless culture has developed very rapidly during the last 20 years in China.
The area of soilless culture in China was around 0.1 ha in 1985, 50 ha by 1995, 1,250 ha by 2005. Eco-organic soilless technique covers over 60% of total area of soilless culture in China.
The top 5 commodities of vegetables in protected cultivation are tomato, cucumber, pepper, eggplant, and squash.
For speeding up the extension of new agricultural technologies, central and local government established more than 5000 high-tech agricultural demonstrating farms.
The main part of these demonstration farms is protected horticulture.
There is no doubt that protected horticulture will become increasingly important in the near future in China.
Authors
W.J. Jiang, H.J. Yu
Keywords
greenhouse, protected horticulture, soilless culture, substrates, vegetables
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