scholarly journals High Tunnel Coverings Alter Crop Productivity and Microclimate of Tomato and Lettuce

HortScience ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-272
Author(s):  
Kelly M. Gude ◽  
Eleni D. Pliakoni ◽  
Brianna Cunningham ◽  
Kanwal Ayub ◽  
Qing Kang ◽  
...  

The implementation of high tunnels has shown to increase marketability and/or yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa) crops compared with open-field systems. These structures provide the opportunity to alter light intensity and spectral quality by using specific polyethylene (poly) films and/or shadecloth, which may affect microclimate and subsequent crop productivity. However, little is known about how specific high tunnel coverings affect these parameters. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of various high tunnel coverings on the microclimate and crop productivity of tomato and lettuce. The coverings included standard, ultraviolet (UV)-stabilized poly film (standard); diffuse poly (diffuse); full-spectrum clear poly (clear); UV-A/B blocking poly (block); standard + 55% shadecloth (shade); and removal of standard poly 2 weeks before initial harvest to simulate a movable tunnel (movable). Microclimate parameters that were observed included canopy and soil temperatures, canopy growing degree-days (GDD), and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), and crop productivity included yield and net photosynthetic rate. Hybrid red ‘BHN 589’ tomatoes were grown during the summer, and red ‘New Red Fire’ and green ‘Two Star’ leaf lettuce were grown in both spring and fall in 2017 and 2018. Increased temperature, GDD, and PAR were observed during the spring and summer compared with the fall. The soil temperatures during the summer increased more under the clear covering compared with the others. For tomato, the shade produced lower total fruit yield and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) compared with the other treatments, which were similar (P < 0.001 and <0.001, respectively). The greatest yield was 7.39 kg/plant, which was produced under the clear covering. For red leaf lettuce grown in the spring, the plants under the clear, standard, and diffuse coverings had significantly greater yield than the movable and shade coverings (P < 0.001). The coverings had less effect on the yield during the fall lettuce trials, which may have been attributed to the decrease in PAR and environmental temperatures. The findings of this study suggest that high tunnel coverings affect both microclimate and yield of lettuce and tomato.

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 625
Author(s):  
Savanah Laur ◽  
Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva ◽  
Juan Carlos Díaz-Pérez ◽  
Timothy Coolong

This study evaluated the impact of shade cloth and fogging systems on the microclimate at the plant canopy level and yield of basil (Oscimum basilicum L.), arugula (Eruca vesicaria subsp. Sativa L.), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) planted in mid-September and early October in high tunnels. Fogging systems were installed at canopy level in plots within shaded (30%) and non-shaded high tunnels. Average air temperatures in the shaded high tunnels were 0.9 °C lower than non-shaded high tunnels during the day. Shade cloth significantly reduced soil temperatures during the day and night periods by 1.5 °C and 1.3 °C, respectively, compared to non-shaded treatments. Fogging systems did not have an impact on air temperature, soil temperature, or relative humidity, but did increase canopy leaf wetness. Shade and fogging did not impact the yield of any of the crops grown. Yield was impacted by planting date, with earlier planting result in higher yields of lettuce and basil. Yields for arugula were greater during the second planting date than the first. Planting date and shade cloth interacted to affect the concentrations of macronutrients.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiguo XUE ◽  
Zhenxing SHEN ◽  
Wei HAN ◽  
Shanyang XU ◽  
Xiaohua MA ◽  
...  

Floating dust weather is an annual natural phenomenon in early spring in south of Xinjiang UygurAutonomous Region, northwestern China. Floating dust in air can influence human health and plant growth. Populus euphratica is a rare tree species which can grow in hot and dry conditions. Some investigations have evaluated the effect of floating dust on plants by means of artificial dust to which simulates the natural sand and dust, but the mechanism by which plants respond to sand is poorly understood. The investigation presented in this paper focused on a comparison of the variation in net photosynthetic rate (Pn) before and during floating dust weather, to elucidate the mechanisms involved. Stomatal conductance (gs) and Pn appeared to increase during floating dust weather;in contrast, stomatal limitation (Ls) and non-stomatal limitation (Lns) decreased with photosynthetic active radiation in the range 500 to 2000 μmol m−2s−1,which is optimum for plant growth. Aerosol ions, including potassium, dissolved in water collected by foliar structures or tender stems, may come into contact with intercellular stroma and improve chloroplast activity or ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (Rubisco) levels, such as potassium, thereby influencing Ls and Lns. Moreover, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen and sodium in aerosols appeared to increase Pn, and this may be due to nutrient compounds in aerosols, which may have a similar effect to spraying fertilizer on leaves. In addition, the high relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in air during floating dust weather may facilitate an increase in Pn.


HortScience ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 1165-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Hanson ◽  
Tilak Mahato ◽  
Ursula K. Schuch

High tunnels are unheated structures covered with polyethylene (PE) glazing to protect high-value crops from adverse weather. The objective of this study was to raise soil temperatures to determine the efficacy of soil solarization using clear mulch on the soil surface and glazing or no glazing on a high tunnel during the hottest months of the year in the semiarid southwestern United States. Solarization trials were conducted in May and June 2013 in two high tunnels in southern Arizona. Highest soil temperatures were reached with the combination of a high tunnel covered with glazing and the soil covered with PE mulch. Average daily soil temperatures were 48 and 47 °C and average degree hours (DH) per day (base temperature 45 °C) were over 14 at soil depths of 5 and 15 cm. The average daily maximum soil temperature at 5- and 15-cm depth was 63.4 and 52 °C, respectively. The second highest soil temperatures were reached when the soil was covered with PE mulch without high tunnel glazing, which resulted per day in 5.2 DH above 45 °C at 5 cm and less than one DH at 15-cm depth. Glazing on the high tunnel without covering the soil surface raised soil temperatures only at the 5-cm depth above 45 °C, but not further down. High tunnel producers in the low desert areas in the southwestern United States can complete solarization in less than 1 week, depending on the organism to be controlled, when the soil is fallow during the summer months with glazing on the high tunnel and on the soil surface.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiguo XUE ◽  
Zhenxing SHEN ◽  
Wei HAN ◽  
Shanyang XU ◽  
Xiaohua MA ◽  
...  

Floating dust weather is an annual natural phenomenon in early spring in south of Xinjiang UygurAutonomous Region, northwestern China. Floating dust in air can influence human health and plant growth. Populus euphratica is a rare tree species which can grow in hot and dry conditions. Some investigations have evaluated the effect of floating dust on plants by means of artificial dust to which simulates the natural sand and dust, but the mechanism by which plants respond to sand is poorly understood. The investigation presented in this paper focused on a comparison of the variation in net photosynthetic rate (Pn) before and during floating dust weather, to elucidate the mechanisms involved. Stomatal conductance (gs) and Pn appeared to increase during floating dust weather;in contrast, stomatal limitation (Ls) and non-stomatal limitation (Lns) decreased with photosynthetic active radiation in the range 500 to 2000 μmol m−2s−1,which is optimum for plant growth. Aerosol ions, including potassium, dissolved in water collected by foliar structures or tender stems, may come into contact with intercellular stroma and improve chloroplast activity or ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/ oxygenase (Rubisco) levels, such as potassium, thereby influencing Ls and Lns. Moreover, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen and sodium in aerosols appeared to increase Pn, and this may be due to nutrient compounds in aerosols, which may have a similar effect to spraying fertilizer on leaves. In addition, the high relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in air during floating dust weather may facilitate an increase in Pn.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2660
Author(s):  
Kelly Gude ◽  
Martin Talavera ◽  
Audra M. Sasse ◽  
Cary L. Rivard ◽  
Eleni Pliakoni

Leafy green production in high tunnels (HTs) results in increased yields, improved visual quality, and extended production with polyethylene (poly) film and/or shade cloth coverings. However, altering visible and ultra-violet light with HT coverings may reduce phytochemicals, thus influencing plant pigmentation and taste. The objective of this study was to examine various HT coverings on the sensory perceptions, soil temperature, color, and anthocyanin accumulation of red leaf lettuce. The coverings included standard poly, standard poly with removal two weeks prior to harvest (movable), diffuse poly, clear poly, UV-A/B blocking poly (block), standard poly with 55% shade cloth, and the open field. A highly trained descriptive panel evaluated the samples using a scale from 0 (none) to 15 (extremely high) and determined a list of 20 sensory attributes. The color intensity attribute had the most differentiation between coverings, and the open field was higher (i.e., darker) than the others at 7.5 (p < 0.0001), followed by clear and movable coverings at 6.8, and the shade covering scored a 2. Strong relationships existed between both colorimetric (hue°) and anthocyanin analysis to panelist-based scores (R2 = 0.847 and 0.640, respectively). The initial crispness was similar for movable, standard, diffuse, and block coverings at 5.3 on average, which was higher than the open field at 4 (p < 0.01). The open field lettuce grew under cooler soil temperatures, which may have slowed down maturation and resulted in softer tissue. Based on this study, HT growers can implement specific coverings to cater to markets that value visual quality.


HortScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 840-845
Author(s):  
Kristine M. Lang ◽  
Ajay Nair

High tunnels allow vegetable growers to extend the growing season, increase crop production, and improve produce quality. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are the most widely grown crops in high tunnels; however, tomato production in high tunnels can be challenging. Continuous cropping in high tunnels can increase soil-borne disease pressure and can lead to soil salinity or nutrient depletion issues. Based on preliminary research, we hypothesized that use of the rootstock ‘RST-04-106-T’ would increase yield and quality of heirloom and hybrid tomato scions compared with nongrafted plants. To test this hypothesis, our research objectives were to assess marketable yields, fruit quality and nutritional value, and plant growth of grafted and nongrafted hybrid and heirloom tomatoes in a high tunnel production system. Grafted and nongrafted ‘Cherokee Purple’ (heirloom) and ‘Mountain Fresh Plus’ (hybrid) tomatoes were grown in the same high tunnel for two seasons (7 May–20 Oct. 2015 and 29 April–7 Oct. 2016) at the Horticulture Research Station in Ames, IA. Grafted plants produced significantly more marketable fruit, although marketable and total fruit weight did not increase significantly. Individual fruit size was unaffected by grafting. Across cultivars, mean soluble solids content (SSC) in fruit was 0.3 °Brix lower in grafted plants as compared with the nongrafted control. Grafting did not affect lycopene content of fruit. Grafting increased stem diameter by an average of 0.8 mm, but overall plant biomass was unaffected. The effect of grafting on leaf chlorophyll concentration (SPAD readings) was mixed. In addition, grafting increased leaf chlorophyll concentration in ‘Cherokee Purple’ but decreased it in ‘Mountain Fresh Plus’ plants. Grafting is a valuable tool in tomato production, but the impact of ‘RST-04-106-T’ rootstock use appears to be specific to certain soil types with high incidence of bacterial wilt.


HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1074C-1074
Author(s):  
Heidi Rader ◽  
Meriam Karlsson

Two snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars, `Provider' and `Concesa', were planted successionally in a high tunnel in Fairbanks, Alaska (64°49'N and 147°52'W), from late May to late July. For the entire growing season, air/soil temperatures averaged 1.7 °C/1.1 °C higher in the tunnel than the field. The temperature differential was, however, largely dependent on amount of high tunnel ventilation. With tunnel ends not yet erected in May, the air temperature difference averaged 0.5 °C while in September the difference was 2.5 °C in the enclosed tunnel. On average, both cultivars flowered 4 days earlier in the tunnel compared to the contiguous open field. `Provider' had high overall yields with no significant difference between the tunnel and the field, although the tunnel did offer protection from an early frost. `Provider' produced an average of 3454 g·m-2 in the tunnel and 2860 g·m-2 in the field. Average yields of `Concesa' inside the tunnel were significantly greater (P < 0.01), with 1719 g·m-2 compared to 756 g·m-2 in the open field. `Provider' pods were larger in diameter and more fibrous than `Concesa' pods, which we concluded were of improved quality with higher soluble solids content (°Brix refractometer readings). High tunnels could be an important way to provide an advantageous production environment for high quality cultivars without sacrificing the reliability of cold-tolerant cultivars. To consistently produce high quality snap beans to meet local Alaska fresh market demands, cultivars suited for high tunnel production need to be identified.


2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Both ◽  
E. Reiss ◽  
J.F. Sudal ◽  
K.E. Holmstrom ◽  
C.A. Wyenandt ◽  
...  

The impact of a manually operated energy curtain on the recorded nighttime inside air and soil temperatures, relative humidity (RH), and daily light integrals during early-season high tunnel tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) production in central and southern New Jersey were examined. Environmental data (air and soil temperatures, RH, and photosynthetically active radiation) were collected from late March through mid-May at two New Jersey locations for the 2004 and 2005 growing seasons. The continued impact of the early use of an energy curtain was further evaluated by collecting light, temperature, and marketable fruit yield data for the remainder of both growing seasons for one of the two experimental sites. Results showed that although the use of the curtain modestly increased early season nighttime inside air and soil temperatures and RH, the curtain reduced accumulated light integral during the first 7 weeks after transplanting and resulted in a marginal early yield increase. The main benefit of the energy curtain occurred on cold nights when an early season crop might otherwise be exposed to potentially damaging low temperatures.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-79
Author(s):  
Wenjing Guan ◽  
Daniel S. Egel ◽  
Larry D. Sutterer ◽  
Alexander D. Plummer

Seedless cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a popular and high-value crop found in many local food markets. Worldwide, it is the third most important high tunnel crop after tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and pepper (Capsicum annuum). One challenge of growing seedless cucumbers in high tunnels is low soil temperatures in the early season that suppress plant growth even when air temperatures would be adequate. Grafting cucumbers to enhance crop tolerance to suboptimal temperature stresses has been widely used in Asian countries. However, little information is available in the United States about graft compatibility, cold hardiness, and seasonal extension potential of growing grafted seedless cucumbers in high tunnels. In this study, we tested the effects of grafting with two winter squash (Cucurbita moschata) rootstocks (‘Titan’ and ‘Marvel’) on vegetative growth and yield of three seedless cucumbers (‘Excelsior’ pickling cucumber, ‘Socrates’ Beit Alpha cucumber, and ‘Taurus’ long-type cucumber) in the spring seasons of 2016 and 2017 in high tunnels located in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hardiness zone 6. Nongrafted plants were included as controls. All grafted plants survived the suboptimal temperature stress during transplant period, whereas 59% of nongrafted plants died in the 2016 season. Irrespective of rootstock and cucumber cultivar, vine growth rates of nongrafted cucumbers in April of both years were lower than those of the grafted crops. Cucumber cultivars Excelsior and Taurus grafted onto Marvel winter squash rootstock had higher yields in May 2016 compared with the yields of the nongrafted plants in the same month. The enhanced early-season yields of grafted plants were observed on cucumber cultivars Excelsior and Socrates in 2017 regardless of rootstocks. Grafting also increased the entire season’s yields of the three cucumber cultivars in 2017, but not in 2016. More comprehensive evaluations about cold tolerances of newly released cucumber rootstocks are needed. Further studies are also warranted to improve our understanding of effects of rootstock and scion interactions on cucumber growth and yield in high tunnel production.


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