ISHS Acta Horticulturae 481: International Symposium on Growing Media and Hydroponics
GREENHOUSE INDUSTRY IN ITALY |
| Authors: | A. Pardossi, F. Tognoni |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.481.96 |
| Abstract:
Italy is one of the leading countries in protected cultivation on account of its mild climate in winter and the old Italic feeling for greenhouses which appeared first in the ancient Rome. The Italian peninsula stretches from the north parallel 47.5 to the south at parallel 37.5. The southern part has hot and dry climate in spring-summer and an average winter temperature of about O C, while the northern zone is temperate with freezing temperatures during winter. In Sicily, where the largest greenhouse area is located (nearly 8000 ha in 1994), about 500 hours of sunlight are available during winter with an average global radiation around 8 MJ m-2 per day and an average temperature of 10–12 °C. High temperatures (30–35 °C) occur in summer all over the country, and consequently this season is a rest period for most greenhouses, eventually exploited for soil solarization in the south. The diffusion of protected cultivation in Italy as well as in other Mediterranean countries began in the late '50 and early '60 when industry started to produce plastic films suitable for cropping systems. Since then greenhouse crops have been increasing continuously due to the growing demand for out-of-season products, and nowadays the overall covered area in Italy is about 26.000 ha, of which 21.000 ha are devoted to vegetables and strawberry and the remaining 5.000 ha to ornamental plants (cut flowers and pot plants). Greenhouse production is usually based on small-size farms (less than 1 ha) which are owned and operated by families. Protected crops are scattered all over the country, but the most representative areas are located, moving from the north to the south, in Lombardia, Veneto, Liguria, Toscana, Lazio, Campania, Sicilia and Sardegna (Figure 1). Greenhouses are particularly widespread along the sea coast which has a mild winter climate. The main vegetables are tomato, zucchini, pepper, eggplant, cucumber and melon, while rose, carnation, chrysanthemum, gladiolus, cyclamen, geranium, poinsettia, ficus and philodendron are the most important flower and foliage crops. Different types of greenhouses and protection structures can be found, ranging from wooden structures covered with plastic film to glasshouses fully equipped for automatic climatic control and internal plant transportation. Most greenhouses are covered with plastic films (PE, EVA) with an emergency heating system or lacking heating altogether. Strawberry, vegetables and some flower crops (carnation) are usually cultivated in very simple greenhouses, whereas other flower crops and pot plants are grown in more sophisticated glasshouses. The favourable climatic conditions in the southern region make it possible to use simple and cheap structures also for winter cropping of warm-season species such as solanaceae and cucurbitaceae: these structures includes greenhouses made with wood and plastic films and walk-in or low plastic tunnels. Early vegetables are produced also in small row-covers which are set-up at the beginning of growing season and maintained for 1–2 months. In Italy protected cultivation of tree fruits is also used for earlier ripening of table grape, peach, nectarine, and plum, and for delayed harvesting of table grapes. The greenhouse industry, in particular, producing cut flowers, is moving towards southern regions due to the best climate, the lower cost of land and labour, the less severe legal constraints to greenhouse building and the availability of public funds to support new enterprises and updating existing structures. On the contrary, the cultivation of pot plants is concentrated in the north in well-equipped glasshouses where saving energy and labour is a must. | |
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