Effect of Glazing Materials on Warming up Automated Commercial Greenhouses | ||
| Journal of Soil Sciences and Agricultural Engineering | ||
| Article 1, Volume 10, Issue 10, October 2019, Pages 541-550 PDF (958.41 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jssae.2019.58560 | ||
| Author | ||
| N. M. El Ashmawy* | ||
| Agricultural Engineering Research Institute (ARC), Giza, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| The influence of greenhouse glazing materials on automated greenhouses based on complete solar heating system was studied in two identical greenhouses for producing cucumber crop. Two different glazing materials; polycarbonate plates and double layer of polyethylene sheets were used. The indoor microclimatic conditions (air temperature, relative humidity, dew-point temperature, and intensity of solar radiation) can be monitored, controlled and recorded on a data-logger for analysing that unit with cucumber crop yield response. A mathematical model was developed to simulate the microclimate conditions at and around the leaves surface. The obtained results revealed that, during the growing season at night-time the greenhouse covered with the polycarbonate plates reduced the total heat energy consumption by 27.89% as compared with the greenhouse covered by polyethylene sheets. Using the solar heating system for both greenhouses provided 44.83% and 32.33% of the total heat energy consumption during the growing season, respectively. The obtained resultsalso indicated that,the use of a mixed system (solar and electrical energy) was favourable in providing microclimatic conditions for both greenhouses since the indoor air temperature, relative humidity, and vapour pressure deficit were at and around the desired level. Due to the optimal level of microclimatic conditions for the two greenhouses, the production rates of cucumber fresh yield were 6.529 and 4.933 kg/m2 of floor area. However, the annual costs of polycarbonate cover and the double layer of polyethylene cover are 2,831.25 and 2,432 EGP, respectively, with an increasing percentage of 16.42%. | ||
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