Microclimatic Characteristics of Different Types Protected Structures

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.