RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE USE OF ELECTRICITY IN HORTICULTURE IN THE USA

An eminent electrical engineer once remarked that in the development of any electrical device an expert in another discipline is required before applied operation is entirely satisfactory. It follows that in applying new technology to horticulture some expertise other than strictly hortcultural science is involved. While electricity is common to much of the new technology, engineering efforts for horticulture have been comparatively small in the United States. Most of the new technology involves adaptations or modifications of technology from other industries. This paper is a look at the changing trends in the use of electricity in horticulture.

For years greenhouses were considered as places to produce flowers out-of-season. Cut flowers and potted plants were the major commercial products. This has been changing in the United States. The greenhouse industry now comprises of four main groups of workers: commercial florists, bedding plant producers, nurserymen, and vegetable crop producers. Each of these enterprises involves cultural practices, management, mechanization, and environmental control. Electricity is a primary source of energy for mechanization and environmental control. Research, development, and experimentation, combined with sociological and economic developments, have resulted in greatly expanded use of electricity and electrically-operated equipment. These will be discussed under three headings: 1) Field production; 2) Greenhouse production; 3) Controlled environment production in growth rooms and growth chambers.