SUPPLEMENTAL LIGHTING IN HIGH-WIRE CUCUMBER PRODUCTION ON RAISED-TROUGHS
Consumers demand year-round production and supply of high quality produce.
However, wintertime greenhouse crop production in northern regions is usually limited due to low solar radiation.
A study was conducted over two years to develop a high-wire cucumber production system on raised-troughs with supplemental lighting for year-round production.
It was found that the optimum fruit to leaf ratio for the high-wire cucumber grown on raised-troughs was 1:2. Supplemental lighting (44 W PAR, 17 hours per day (average), 2.6 MJ m-2 day-1), increased the fruit production in winter by more than 100%. The supplemental lighting system also provided 60-90% of the heat requirement by double-polyethylene greenhouses in the winter.
Energy use efficiency (unit produce per unit of input energy) was higher with supplemental lighting from Nov. to Feb. (4 months). A preliminary economic analysis conducted based on the yield data from this 2-year of study and a preliminary energy analysis indicated that supplemental lighting in high-wire cucumber production may be economically feasible in Ontario, Canada.
Hao, X. and Papadopoulos, A.P. (2005). SUPPLEMENTAL LIGHTING IN HIGH-WIRE CUCUMBER PRODUCTION ON RAISED-TROUGHS. Acta Hortic. 691, 209-216
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.691.24
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.691.24
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.691.24
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.691.24
lighting, cucumbers, yield, energy use efficiency, high pressure sodium lamps
English