Abstract:
Greenhouses are framed or inflated structure covered with transparent or
translucent material large enough to grow crops under partial or fully controlled
environmental conditions to get optimum growth and productivity. Greenhouse have
many advantages and some limitations also. Due to this, farmers are abandoning this
cultivation method citing crop failures after the initial phase. One significant issue is
the reduction of light transmission caused by algal growth and dust deposits on the
cladding material, which negatively impacts the microclimate and growth and yield
parameters within the greenhouse.
To investigate this problem, an experiment was conducted at the Precision
Farming Development Centre (PFDC) at KCAET Tavanur. The study compared the
performance of cladding material in different protected structures, including an old
polyhouse, a new polyhouse, and cleaned and uncleaned rainshelter. The findings
indicated that even a small layer of algae on the cladding material could hinder the
light intensity and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to the plants by as much
as 50%. Additionally, temperature exceedance ranging from 12°C to 14°C from the
desirable limit were observed among different protected structures during the summer
season. Regular cleaning of the cladding material was felt as essential to reduce the
light transmission loss into the protected structures for effective crop growth and
yield. Hence it is imperative to develop cleaning protocols for the protected structures
to make this technology viable in Kerala conditions.
