Plant Response Under Greenhouse Production System

Author(s):  
Sanjeev Kumar ◽  
S.N. Saravaiya ◽  
A.K. Pandey
2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 809-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youbin Zheng ◽  
Mike Dixon ◽  
Praveen Saxena

Current field cultivation and wild-harvest methods for the medicinal plant Echinacea are struggling to meet the requirements for a high-quality, uniformly produced crop for human consumption. To help meet this challenge, the potential of using a greenhouse production system for Echinacea production was explored. Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench and angustifolia DC. var. angustifolia plants were grown in three types of greenhouse production systems: (1) deep flow solution culture (D), (2) pots with either Pro-Mix (P) or (3) sand (S). Plants were irrigated with one of three nutrient solutions containing NO3−/NH4+ ratios of 7:1, 5:1 or 3:1, respectively. The plants grown in the Pro-Mix and the sand systems were either well-watered or subjected to periodical water stress. The results obtained after 12 wk of growth showed that Echinacea root production in the greenhouse systems was comparable with or better than that in the field. Based on root and total biomass production, the Pro-Mix system was the best production system for both E. angustifolia and E. purpurea. In most cases, the NO3−/NH4+ ratio did not have significant effects on the growth of either species. When effects were seen, however, higher NO3−/NH4+ levels generally resulted in greater leaf area, root and total biomass, and a higher root/shoot ratio. Mild periodic water stress did not affect the root/shoot ratio or the root biomass in either species. The application of a periodic water stress reduced leaf area of both species, but a reduction in total biomass was only observed in E. purpurea. Key words: Echinacea, greenhouse production, hydroponic production, medicinal plant, NO3−/NH4+ ratio, water stress


2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuexian Liu ◽  
Henning Høgh-Jensen ◽  
Henrik Egelyng ◽  
Vibeke Langer

AbstractThe development of organic protected cultivation taking place in densely populated areas has raised the question whether it is an environmentally friendly production system. The present study investigated energy consumption of organic pear production in two production systems, namely in traditional Chinese solar greenhouses and in the open field. In both production systems, energy output/input ratio and energy productivity were used as indicators to determine the energy efficiency; yield, cost of production, net economic return per land area unit and benefit/cost ratio were used to evaluate economic productivity. The analysis results indicated that energy input and energy output per land area unit in the solar greenhouse were higher than in the open field; whereas energy efficiency in terms of output/input ratio and energy productivity were lower in the solar greenhouse than those in the open field. However, if energy input sequestered in the protected structure was excluded in the solar greenhouse production system, energy efficiency was higher in the greenhouse system than in the open-field system. Our analysis further showed that the economic costs, the yield, cost of production, gross product value and net income per land area unit in the greenhouse were more than twice as high as those in the open field due to a higher tree density and a premium price. However, the production taking place in the open field used a great share of renewable energy and higher energy efficiency, which may comply more with the principles of organic farming than the greenhouse production system.


HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 615-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward F. Durner

Two- to three-week-old `Sweet Charlie' strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) plug plants were conditioned [seven 9-hour short days without chilling (21 °C day/21 °C night) followed by seven 9-hour short days with chilling during the nyctoperiod (21 °C/12 °C night)] in September, then planted in a vertical hydroponic system for winter greenhouse production. Conditioned plugs produced significantly more fruit than did nonconditioned control plugs in January and February, but the difference was nonsignificant in March and April. Fruit yield increased linearly with height in the column (≈40 g/plant for every 30-cm increase in column height), probably because of increasing light level. When productivity is considered on an area basis (kg·m–2) and the column height effect on yield is accounted for, productivity over a 4.5-month period was 4.8 kg·m–2 for controls and 7.8 kg·m–2 for conditioned plugs. Conditioned plug plants offer the potential for increasing strawberry productivity and therefore the profitability of a winter greenhouse production system.


HortScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 995-999
Author(s):  
Xiaotao Ding ◽  
Liyao Yu ◽  
Yuping Jiang ◽  
Shaojun Yang ◽  
Lizhong He ◽  
...  

Changes in leaf length, width, area, weight, chlorophyll and carotenoids contents, and photosynthetic variables with different leaf positions were investigated in fruit cucumber. Plants were grown on rockwool slabs in an environmentally controlled greenhouse and irrigated by drip fertigation. Leaf measurements were conducted from the first to the 15th leaf (the oldest to the youngest). The results showed that fresh weight per unit leaf area decreased from the second to the 15th leaf. Changes in cucumber leaf length, width, and area followed quadratic models from the first to the 15th leaf. The quadratic models of leaf length, width, and area fit the measurements well, with R2 values of 0.925, 0.951, and 0.955, respectively. The leaf chlorophyll a and b and carotenoid contents increased from the oldest leaf (first leaf) to the youngest leaf and decreased after reaching the highest values. Changes in the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) also followed the quadratic model from the first to the 15th leaf, with R2 values of 0.975. The leaf transpiration rate (Tr) increased from the first to the 14th leaf. Our results revealed patterns in leaf growth and photosynthetic changes at different leaf positions in fruit cucumber and improved our understanding of the growth and development of fruit cucumber in the greenhouse production system.


2005 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Murat KACIRA ◽  
Sadanori SASE ◽  
Limi OKUSHIMA ◽  
Peter P. LING

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1263-1267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent L. Black ◽  
Harry J. Swartz ◽  
Gerald F. Deitzer ◽  
Bryan Butler ◽  
Craig K. Chandler

The effect of altered red/far-red light environment on subsequent field performance of strawberry plug plants was tested. Two wavelength-selective plastic films were compared to neutral shade and full-sun control for conditioning `Chandler' strawberry plug plants before transplanting to a winter production system. The following year, plug plants of `Chandler', `Sweet Charlie', and `Allstar' were conditioned under the same treatments, with the addition of a continuous incandescent light and a short-day photoperiod, and plant performance was followed in the winter production system in Florida, a cold-climate annual hill system in Maryland, and in a low-input greenhouse production system. During the first year, the red light-filtering film slightly advanced fruiting in Florida. However, during the second year, the effect of the red light-filtering film was not significant, and a short-day treatment resulted in a greater reduction in runnering and increased early crown and flower development. For June-bearing strawberry plants maintained above 20 °C, altering the red/far-red environment did not consistently advance flowering.


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