ISHS Acta Horticulturae 9: Symposium Plastics on Crops, Crops under Plastics
A COMPARISON OF PLASTIC GREENHOUSE DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND SOUTHERN EUROPE |
| Author: | D.J. Cotter |
| Abstract:
The practical use of plastics for constructing greenhouses came with the development of polyethylene. However, attempts to protect plants with transparent, low-cost films occurred before this. For exemple, in 1948, the late Dr. E.M. Emmert, working in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Kentucky, successfully grew crops in greenhouse and cold frame structures covered with cellophane supported with closely spaced wire on wooden panels 4 ft. square (5). When polyethylene became available, it was a natural step to cover these structures with it. A polyethylene-covered greenhouse was constructed at the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station in the spring of 1954. The development and uses of plastics in agriculture have proliferated extensively since 1954. While innovations for using plastics in agriculture are developed each year, the use of plastics for protecting plants was one of the first uses tested and proven practical (6). It continues to enjoy a place of prominence. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of the plastic greenhouse with a comparative analysis of its development in the United States and Europe, particularly in southern Europe. | |
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