MICROPROPAGATION - CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT FOR WEANING

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 245: Engineering and Economic Aspects of Energy Saving in Protected Cultivation

MICROPROPAGATION - CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT FOR WEANING

Author:

D.A.W. Steed

Abstract:
The micropropagation of plants is now widely practised in many countries and is well documented, but the transitional period between in-vitro culture and the subsequent growth and development of a normal plant has a number of inherent problems.

The change from a highly controlled environment to one in which light level, temperature, relative humidity and growing medium are significantly different, subjects the plant to a series of stresses which are difficult to overcome.

To reduce these stresses a small weaner unit has been developed providing the following:

greenhouse with high natural light transmission supplemented by two SON/T (high pressure sodium) lamps
oil-filled thermostatically controlled and electrically operated tubular heaters in two banks (4.8 kw) designed to provide a temperature lift of 20°C, base temperature -10°C
three automatically controlled roof ventilators
two hand-operated aluminium and polyester screens to provide shade from zero to 85% and to assist in the control of temperature and energy saving
accurate RH control by means of a four nozzle fogging system automatically controlled by an aspirated electronic humidistat linked to a control panel
benching with capillary matting and black micro-punched polyethylene film for irrigation of the pot-grown plants.

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