Advantages of Growing Vegetable Crops in Modern Greenhouses

Abstract

There are numerous advantages in growing vegetable crops in modern-equipped greenhouses and protected spaces without daylight, compared with the traditional production (open-field), or with the production in ordinary greenhouses. In modern greenhouses, particularly in the glass ones, it is possible to control the climate conditions entirely, plant nutrition, implementation of CO2 and other necessary installations, or automation of production process. That enables all-year round and/or off-season production, which is increasingly in demand in markets all over the world. It particularly goes for vegetables crops typical of warm season (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers), but also for those of cool season (lettuce, spinach, radishes, broccoli). The USDA organization has developed a software program, which is titled a Virtual Grower. It helps growers to calculate the heating costs of their greenhouse. The software can be used to predict heating and energy consumption specific for the location, greenhouse design, crop produced, and preferences of management. The software program, and a short video, too, can be downloaded for free from the following Web site: https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/fact-sheets/virtual-grower-link-to-usda-software. There is a widespread question among the expert circles whether the vegetable crops are going to be “moved” to greenhouses due to the large-scale climate changes, and in this sense, what the possibilities are for the vegetable crop production. Therefore, any innovation in science is highly important for future patents that may be applicable in agriculture and consequently in vegetable crop growing practice.