Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Horticulture
Manipulating Air And Root-Zone Temperature For Energy-Efficient Floriculture Crop Production, Madeline W. Olberg
Manipulating Air And Root-Zone Temperature For Energy-Efficient Floriculture Crop Production, Madeline W. Olberg
Open Access Theses
Given the high energy costs for greenhouse floriculture production, growers are constantly searching for more energy-efficient methods of production. For example, some growers will lower greenhouse air temperature set points or grow crops in unheated high tunnels (HTs) or outdoors in order to minimize or eliminate heating costs. Unfortunately, development can be delayed and morphology can be altered if the mean daily air temperature (MDT) is reduced. We proposed that reducing MDT in combination with root-zone heating (RZH) could be an energy-efficient method for producing high-quality floriculture crops without significant delays. Unheated HT and unprotected outdoor production are very low-cost …
Using Energy-Efficient Technologies To Produce Bedding Plants And Microgreens In Protected And Controlled Environments, Joshua R. Gerovac
Using Energy-Efficient Technologies To Produce Bedding Plants And Microgreens In Protected And Controlled Environments, Joshua R. Gerovac
Open Access Theses
Gerovac, Joshua R. M.S., Purdue University, December 2014. Using Energy-Efficient Technologies to Produce Bedding Plants and Microgreens in Protected and Controlled Environments. Major Professor: Roberto G. Lopez. Production of bedding plants in commercial greenhouses (GHs) located in northern latitudes begins in late winter and continues through late spring when low outdoor temperatures generally necessitate active heating to maintain temperatures suitable for growth and development. Meanwhile, year-round production of microgreens using multi-layer systems requires sole-source (SS) photosynthetic lighting for production. Energy used to provide active heating in commercial GHs or SS lighting in multi-layer systems is second only to labor as …