ISHS Acta Horticulturae 633: XXVI International Horticultural Congress: Protected Cultivation 2002: In Search of Structures, Systems and Plant Materials for Sustainable Greenhouse Production
IMPROVEMENT OF EGGPLANT PRODUCTION THROUGH NIGHT TEMPERATURE CONTROL RELATED WITH SOLAR RADIATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF PLASTIC HOUSE COVERING |
| Authors: | E.M. Lee, K.J. Kim, H.S. Kim, W.S. Kim, N.H. Song, Y.C. Um |
| Keywords: | fuel consumption, non-woven fabric, Solanum melongena L. |
| Abstract:
Energy saving is a critical issue in the horticultural industry during the winter season. This experiment was conducted to determine the optimal night temperature management of a plastic house for eggplant production in the winter season. Night temperature was automatically adjusted by the amount of solar radiation input during the day. When the solar energy input was high, the duration of night temperature above 18°C was extended until 23:00 p.m. to promote the photosynthates translocation and the temperature was maintained at 14°C through the rest of the night. The duration of heating phase at night was shortened when solar energy input from the daytime was low. The energy cost in this system was decreased about 5% compared to the traditional heating program. Also, the amount of marketable yield of eggplants increased 9% in ‘Senryo-Nigo’ and 14% in ‘Tsikuyo’, respectively. But no difference was found in ‘Shyoyaonaga’. Further energy saving was obtained by the addition of covering materials. The average night temperature of the plastic house was maintained at 12.1°C by double covering with polyethylene films (50 μm) whereas the addition of a non-woven fabric further increased the temperature by 3.8°C. General plant growth such as plant height, leaf number, length, and width was also favourable in the house covered by a non-woven fabric screen resulting in a yield increase of 84%. The improvement of the night heating program and enhancement of the covering will increase the productivity of eggplants maintaining plant vigor. Also, total energy cost was decreased. | |
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