Retractable roof greenhouse production system
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Transcript of Retractable roof greenhouse production system
1
The
Retractable Roof Production System
(RRPS)
The most profitable and sustainable production system for mild and hot
climates
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Outline• Video of a retractable roof• Summary of results from INIFAP, Culiacan, Sinaloa
• Impact on harvest season, yields, quality and shelf life
• Video of the impact of the sun on soil temperatures
• How to control the retractable roof
• Specific strategies and best practices which help
growers achieve a 2 to 5 year return on investment.
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When growing in the open field with no roof, the yield, quality, and timing is reduced
due to excessive:• cold• heat• rain• wind• insects
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When growing under a stationary greenhouse roof the plants are protected from excessive cold,
rain and wind, but the roof covering now causes:• excessive heat in the greenhouse• insufficient light during the early morning and late afternoon• insufficient levels of C02• insufficient transpiration• insufficient water stress• plants to be more susceptible to insects and disease
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The open field and a stationary roof each have both advantages and disadvantages.
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Retractable roofs are designed to allow growers in warm or hot climates to have the best of both the open field and a closed greenhouse.
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Taking advantage of both the
natural outdoor environment
and a controlled greenhouse
environment allows growers to...
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•Extending harvest seasons in order to realize the higher prices of the shoulder seasons and extend supply season to distributors
•Increasing yields which reduces the fixed costs per case
•Eliminating the supply disruptions due to erratic weather… so that growers never lose a customer
•Growing organically or chemical free in order to achieve higher revenues and lower production costs
•Increasing the shelf life
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This is a result of the growers
ability to use the roof to
manipulate:
•Light quantity
•Light quality
•Leaf, fruit and soil temperatures
•Humidity
•C02
•Transpiration
•Water stress
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These DeRuiter 2180 roma tomatoes were transplanted from
the same tray at INIFAP on January 20, 2008 in Culiacan.
Pictures were taken April 26, 2008
Retractable Roof Stationary Nethouse Open Field
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The differences in
the growing
environment
changed the balance
between leaves and
fruit…
By changing the
transpiration rate
and water stress.Retractable Stationary Net No Roof
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Retractable Stationary Net No Roof
Retractable roof has the
optimal balance between
leaves and fruit due to optimal
transpiration.
Nethouse has excessive
vegetative growth and small
fruits due to insufficient
transpiration.
Open field has a small plant
canopy and a few small fruits
due to the excessive
transpiration outside.
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RetractableStationary NetNo Roof
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Plantation date: January 20,2008 Export Quality Total Cases per hectare
Company- hybrid Production House x- large large medium small Export National Culls Total SalableDeRuiter 2180 Nethouse 278 837 1045 831 2991 2613 3722 5604
% of total production 5% 15% 19% 15% 53% 47%
DeRuiter 2180 Retractable Roof 486 2012 2735 1279 6512 5536 5041 12048 % of total production 4% 17% 23% 11% 54% 46%
increase in cases in the
retractable roof 208 1175 1690 448 3521 2923 1319 6444
% Increase in the retractable roof 75% 207% 162% 54% 118% 112% 35% 215%
Company- hybrid Production house x- large large medium small Export National Culls Total Salable
Harris Moran El Cid Nethouse 417 1033 1589 908 3946 2978 3194 6924 % of total production 6% 15% 23% 13% 57% 43%
Harris Moran El Cid Retractable Roof 2963 3561 2763 1258 10544 3654 1417 14198 % of total production 21% 25% 19% 9% 74% 26%
increase cases in the
retractable roof 2,546 2,528 1,174 350 6,598 676 - 1,777 7,274
% Increase in the retractable roof 611% 245% 74% 39% 167% 23% -56% 105%
75%-611% increase in extra large
and a 207%-245% increase in large
fruit
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Plantation date: January 20,2008 Export Quality Total Cases per hectare
Company- hybrid Production House x- large large medium small Export National Culls Total SalableDeRuiter 2180 Nethouse 278 837 1045 831 2991 2613 3722 5604
% of total production 5% 15% 19% 15% 53% 47%
DeRuiter 2180 Retractable Roof 486 2012 2735 1279 6512 5536 5041 12048 % of total production 4% 17% 23% 11% 54% 46%
increase in cases in the
retractable roof 208 1175 1690 448 3521 2923 1319 6444
% Increase in the retractable roof 75% 207% 162% 54% 118% 112% 35% 215%
Company- hybrid Production house x- large large medium small Export National Culls Total Salable
Harris Moran El Cid Nethouse 417 1033 1589 908 3946 2978 3194 6924 % of total production 6% 15% 23% 13% 57% 43%
Harris Moran El Cid Retractable Roof 2963 3561 2763 1258 10544 3654 1417 14198 % of total production 21% 25% 19% 9% 74% 26%
increase cases in the
retractable roof 2,546 2,528 1,174 350 6,598 676 - 1,777 7,274
% Increase in the retractable roof 611% 245% 74% 39% 167% 23% -56% 105%
118% and 167% increase in export
cases per week compared to a
nethouse.
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Variety Production House 26-Apr 3-May 10-May 17-May 24-May 31-May Total
De Ruiter 2180 Nethouse 61 716 398 281 1261 273
2,991
De Ruiter 2180 Retractable roof 1952 705 2155 1231 378 91
6,512
Increase in cases1891 -11 1757 950 -883 -182
3,521
% increase in the retractable roof 3000% -102% 341% 238% -170% -167% 118%
Variety Production House 26-Apr 3-May 10-May 17-May 24-May 31-May TotalHarris Moran
EL CID Nethouse 269 465 198 1042 995 977
3,946
Harris Moran EL CID Retractable Roof 3123 1711 2113 2598 587 412
10,54
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Increase in cases 2854 1246 1915 1556 -408 -565
6,598
% increase in the retractable roof
1061% 268% 967% 149% -41% -58% 167%
1061% and 3000% increase in first
harvest
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Not only does retractable roof
create an increase in the first
harvest, size and total yield…
there is also an increase in shelf
life.
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Day 2
Retractable
RetractableRetractable Retractable
NethouseNethouse
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Day 4
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Day 20
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•Extending
Day 36Retractable Retractable Retractable
RetractableNethouse Nethouse
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Tomatoes could be sold both for the fresh market and for food service.
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Tomatoes could be sold both for the fresh market and for food service.
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Grape Tomato
2008-2009, Los Mochis
Retractable Flat Roof
Conventional Nethouse
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Yield INCREASE in First Year of Production Retractable roof vs Open field: 135%
Retractable roof vs Nethouse: 60%
Open Field Net House Retractable Flat Roof
Yield lb/ha 85,000 125,000 200,000
Yield kg/ha 38,590 56,750 90,800
Grape Tomato Harvest2008-2009, Los Mochis Mexico
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Peppers in the retractable roof have a natural tendency to
produce more fruit and less leaves than a conventional
greenhouse or nethouse
Low transpiration rates cause low levels of water stress causing minimal fruit and excessive vegetative growth
Medium transpiration and water stress causes a natural balance between leaves and fruit.
Open Field Stationary roof Retractable roof
High transpiration cause high water stress which causes plants to grow slowly but have extensive reproductive growth (many fruits)
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The pepper and cucumber crops have been grown in the same soil for 12 years!
13 years in the same soil with the same roof covering13 years in the same soil with the same roof covering
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The roof can be retracted
when it is raining to:
• irrigate the crops with water
which has a low EC thereby
saving water.
• reduce the EC of the soil
media by leaching salts which
could allow growers to
continue to grow in the
ground.
The most frequent question about growing in the retractable roof production system is…
What about the insects?
8 years of experience have proven that insect pressures are easier to manage in the retractable roof… for two main reasons…
1.Insects prefer to lay eggs on weak or sick plants and plants grown in a retractable roof are stronger2.Cuticles on leaves are thicker than under a stationary roof due to the higher UV and transpiration rates.
Whitefly are present but there are no eggs or nymphs
And no virus is present
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Stationary insect net
Leaves from plants grown in a retractable roof have a thicker wax
cuticle compared to those from a plant grown in a stationary roof.
Retractable Roof
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The sun leaf is much thicker and has multiple layers of palisade cells. (Taiz and Zeiger)
A thicker wax cuticle helps plants
protect itself from excessive
transpiration and helps improve the
plants ability to naturally defend
itself against insects and disease.
Leaf in grown in full sun
Leaf grown in shade
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The majority of the insect and disease control inside a retractable roof can be accomplished using soap and garlic.
Open Field
Retractable Roof
In 2007, Dr. Triana Maranon managed a trial in Los Mochis Mexico comparing beefsteak tomatoes grown in the open field and a retractable roof.
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The following chart are the % losses due to disease and insects in the trial.
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Disease and insect pressure was also lower in the retractable roof
than in a nethouse in a trial done at INIFAP in Culiacan in 2008-09.
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Growing organically can be easier in a
retractable roof greenhouse since they are a very
effective tool to naturally:
• improve plant health and resistance to disease and
insects
• use the sun to sterilize the environment
• allow insect populations to have both pests and
their natural predators
• increasing transpiration to allow plants to more
easily absorb and distribute natural fertilizers
• reduce root problems
• prevent foliar diseases
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How do you know when to close or retract the roof?
What is the best sensor?
Where should it be located?
You need to understand the impact of the sun on temperatures to answer these questions.
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Chart of roof position by temperature to be added here!!!
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The impact of the
sun and different
coverings on soil
temperatures.
Culiacan,
March 25, 2010
Air Temp: 36C
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Direct Sun: 60C Insect Net: 57C
70% black shade: 49C 40% white roof: 49C
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Fruit temperature under insect net:
55C
Fruit temperature under insect net:
55C
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A black plate temperature sensor takes into consideration the heating effect of the direct sunlight as well as the air temperature and the cooling effect of the wind. The black plate temperature represents a more true temperature that the plants are exposed to when the roof was retracted.
The best sensor to determine when to close or retract the roof is an exposed
black temperature sensor.
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Notice how the outside surface temperature reached almost 50C (122F) when air temperatures were only around 28C (82F). The heat from the infra red radiation is warming up the sensor to better predict the temperature the plants would feel if the roof is retracted.
March 9, 2009, Culiacan
The difference between an exposed black surface and the air temperature
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With a retractable roof greenhouse, the roofs are closed to protect crops when outside conditions are:
• too cold ( below 15C)
• too hot (above 30C)
• too wet
• too windy
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Retracting the roof and walls when outside black plate temperatures are greater than 17C(62F) increases:
• Light 50%- 66%
• C02 availability
• Transpiration
• Water stress
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Notice the change in the soil temperature outside and inside the retractable roof.Notice the change in the soil temperature outside and inside the retractable roof.
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Notice the change in humidity from closing and retracting the roof which allows growers to optimize the transpiration rate.
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Optimizing the transpiration rate:
• supports a higher level of photosynthesis
• increases nutrient absorption and distribution
• optimizes water stress to influence vegetative or
reproductive growth
• builds a bigger buffer in irrigation practices
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Increasing transpiration helps reduce losses
due to nutritional deficiencies in nutrients
like calcium, magnesium and manganese.
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Transplants grown in retractable roof greenhouses experience higher transpiration rates which helps the plants develop thicker leaves, and more roots which reduces transplant shock.
The low transpiration rates in conventional greenhouses causes young plants to have small root to shoot ratios which increases transplant shock, reduces insect and disease resistance and delays the first harvest.
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Plant density can be increased due to the higher light
levels and humidity control.
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Close the roof when spraying to increase effectiveness
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Modify planting schedules to maximize production when prices are
best
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2 to 5 year paybacks are possible using retractable roof greenhouses in warm climates
to sell more #1 quality fruits...
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And to ship less to secondary markets!