Greenhouses

Advanced Technology for Protected Horticulture

Joe J. Hanan

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781351444163
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Biology
• Index: Biological Sciences

A greenhouse provides an essential means of livelihood to its owner and must be economically practical for the particular climate in which it stands. Greenhouses: Advanced Technology for Protected Horticulture addresses the major environmental factors of light, temperature, water, nutrition, and carbon dioxide, and features extensive discussions of greenhouse types, construction, and climate control. The book highlights technology such as hydroponics, computer control of environments, and advanced mathematical procedures for environmental optimization. Greenhouses: Advanced Technology for Protected Horticulture is the definitive text/reference for the science of greenhouse engineering and management.The author Dr. Joe J. Hanan, Professor Emeritus of Colorado State University, is the recipient of the Society of American Florists' (SAF) 2000 (Millenium) Alex Laurie Award for Research and Education. The Alex Laurie Award is presented annually to an individual who has made broad-scope, long-lasting contributions to the floriculture industry through research or education. The award is named for Alex Laurie, a professor at The Ohio State University, who pioneered work in many areas of floriculture.
"Joe is one of the most precise floricultural researchers I have known, " said Dr. Gus De Hertogh, Chairman of SAF's Research Committee. "That excellence is reflected in his latest book, Greenhouses, Advanced Technology for Protected Horticulture, which was published in 1998, nine years after his official 'retirement.'"

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

I. DEFINITION

In this text, “greenhouse” means a structure covering ground for growing a crop that will return a profit to the owner risking time and capital. However, a “greenhouse” can mean other things to other people. A greenhouse may be a hobby, a structure for research, a profitable business enterprise or an attempt to prove a point. Because humans deal with greenhouses, greenhouses will be diverse. In a textbook of this type, it is difficult to decide when to stop and when to go into detail. My objective, as in 30 years of teaching, is to provide what I think modern students should be exposed to as graduates of greenhouse programs in institutions of higher learning. The student may not like it. Overall, I speak of greenhouses for a livelihood for an owner, which means that the structure must be economically practical for the particular environment (country, climate, social order, etc.) in which it stands. In this speeding, technological age, failure to communicate and to use the best available technology leads to failure.

Greenhouses are a means of overcoming climatic adversity, using a free energy source, the sun. But, the structure also depends on climate. That is, in certain parts of the world, heating may not be required. Practices and economics, therefore, are different than in a climate where both heating and cooling are necessary. In some places, one may need supplemental irradiation since solar energy can be deficient during periods of the year. To emphasize, the practices carried out in the structures, and the structures themselves, will depend on the economic, political, and social strictures of the location. The lack of a supporting, developed technology (i.e., Fig. 1-1) may mean maximum use of cheap labor with a simple and cheap structure. On the other hand, the presence of a suitable, supporting technology, readily available capital, a good economic climate and political stability, with an educated and trained workforce, will usually mean advanced, sophisticated technology as suggested by the modern, high-rise metropolis in Fig. 1-2.

Fig. 1-1. Low level technologies are unlikely to support sophisticated greenhouses or practices. Machines will be replaced by labor, and structures will be simple.

In this text, I will discuss the general relationships between practice, structure, climate and the social milieu in which the structure is placed. Unless these relationships are appreciated, the capital invested, either by an individual or group, will be wasted. This also means that specialized greenhouse structures, which often receive more than their share of publicity, will not be given a great deal of attention.

II. SOME GENERAL CHARACTERIZATIONS

Since the publication of Greenhouse Management by Hanan, Holley and Goldsberry in 1978, the practice of greenhouse culture has changed drastically. Shortly after publication of that textbook, a well-known individual said that all the major problems had been solved. All there was to do was to “fine-tune” the procedures. After some 40 years, one finds that such statements can subject the speaker to sudden decapitation. Emphasis on this subject is best given by some quotations from famous individuals as provided in an advertisement placed by the Electronic Data Systems Corporation in the March 8, 1996, Wall Street Journal:

Fig. 1-2. Advanced technologies as typified by this metropolis are likely to have a highly developed greenhouse industry. This figure and the preceding one serve to illustrate the fact that greenhouse production cannot be considered separately from the surrounding environment which includes political situation, educational attainments and standard of living as well as available technology.

“Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax.” [William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, 1824-1907].

“Rail travel at high speeds is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.” [Dionysius Lardner, 1793-1859].

“While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially I consider it an impossibility …” [Lee DeForest, 1873-1961].

Probably, among the biggest changes to have occurred in the last two decades following 1978 are the development of computers, the movement to large-scale production in suitable climates, combined with fast transportation, specialized structures fitted to the particular climate and mechanization; and new advances in irrigation, fertilization, and integrated pest management. All this has been aided by the development of the largest mass market in the world in the United States (Table 1-1).

Despite the diversity, we can make some general characterizations about greenhouses:

Table 1-1. Per capita consumption of floral products in selected countries in 1980 and estimated per capita consumption in the U.S.A. [Anon., 1989]. Consumption values marked with an asterisk (*) are from Nannetti, 1982.

Per capita consumption of floral products in 1980 or 1989
	$
Germany	37.72
Sweden	29.94
Switzerland	40.72
England	13.77
Holland	44.91
Japan	47.90
Italy	40.72
Belgium	31.73
France	23.95
Spain	7.19
Norway	7.19
*U.S.A.	24.77
*Target potential for per capita consumption $55.00
*Potential increase for U.S.A. $30.23
*Total potential market for products in U.S.A.: $6.7x10^9

A. RELATIONSHIP TO THE PARTICULAR COUNTRY

Although, historically, greenhouses were developed in regions where transportation to distant markets was prohibitive, there were restrictions to flow across political boundaries, and there was a need for protected cultivation during winters; we find that climate can substitute for technology. Greenhouses will be seen, often, in so-called “developing” nations. In fact, greenhouse production can be a significant export important to the particular country’s balance-of-payments, as well as a means to provide employment for people. For example (Table 1-2), the relatively large area in greenhouse structures in small countries such as Holland or Israel suggests a greater relative importance to the economy than in the U.S. where the area under protection in ornamentals is comparable. The land area and population in the U.S. are much larger in comparison to many countries by several hundred fold (Table 1-2). The contribution to the Gross National Product by the U.S. greenhouse industry is, therefore, small. Horticulture under glass in The Netherlands provides 63% of the net contribution in the balance of payments in agriculture of that country [Meijaard, 1988], whereas the contribution by the U.S. industry is less than 1%. Meijaard [1995], however, pointed out that the share of the agricultural sector in The Netherlands’ national income is about 4%.

In still other countries such as Colombia, Kenya, Mexico or Central Americas, the low GNP combined with the need to provide income for a burgeoning population makes greenhouse production for export especially attractive [e.g., Kellen, 1983; Shypula, 1981; Rochin and Nuckton, 1980; Accati, 1978]. Countries such as Germany, France, Australia, etc. have substantial areas in greenhouses (Tables 1-2 and 1-7), but these areas are insufficient to meet the consumptive needs in those developed nations. The classic example is the Dutch thrust to advance consumption in the U.S., which has a population of 230 million and the highest standard of living. The Dutch had 63% share of the cut flower and a 51% share of the pot plants in the international export trade [Krause, 1988]. The export from The Netherlands to the U.S., and other countries, is remarkable. In 1973, per capita consumption of floral products in the U.S. was only $9.73 [Fossum, 1973]. In 1980, that had increased to $24.77 (Table 1-1), with a predicted potential of 6.7 billion dollars ($55.00 per person)¹. Colombian imports to the U.S. now make up more than 76% of all carnations sold in the U.S., and more than 45% of all cut roses [Stewart, 1989]. Despite the negative attempts in the U.S. to restrict imports [Sullivan, 1976], development of mass marketing of floral products in the U.S. would have never reached the point it has without the constructive, farseeing competitiveness of outsiders. One must, after all, remember that ornamentals compete with other products such as candy, alcohol and tobacco. However, floral products have none of the negative attributes those products provide. The American industry has never mustered the forces to use this potential. The result has been marked changes in the U.S. industry’s structure [Ha...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Preface
• Table of Contents
• CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
• CHAPTER 2 STRUCTURES: LOCATIONS, STYLES, AND COVERS
• CHAPTER 3 RADIATION
• CHAPTER 4 TEMPERATURE
• CHAPTER 5 WATER
• CHAPTER 6 NUTRITION
• CHAPTER 7 CARBON DIOXIDE
• CHAPTER 8 CLIMATE CONTROL
• CONCLUSIONS
• APPENDIX A: SYMBOLISM, UNITS, AND PHYSICAL CONSTANTS
• APPENDIX B: CONVERSIONS METRIC TO ENGLISH (UNITS GENERALLY ROUNDED TO THREE SIGNIFICANT DIGITS)
• INDEX