Geometry is an integral part of greenhouse design. The Design of a
greenhouse has a fundamental impact on its efficiency. Greenhouse designs must
take into consideration the prevailing climatic conditions of the location,
with special consideration to the most limiting climatic factor. There has been
a general disregard for design consideration of greenhouses that are used in
the hot humid coastal Kenya, thereby leading to underperformance of greenhouses
in the region. In optimizing greenhouse designs for the study region, the
Hortipro greenhouse model was modified to design nine greenhouse prototypes
based on ventilation (25%, 50%, and 75% of floor area) and height (4 m, 4.5 m,
and 5 m) variations. The nine prototypes were evaluated alongside the open field
(the control) for their effect on the growth, yield, and quality of a tomato
crop. The experiment was conducted at Mtwapa, in coastal Kenya, for two
cropping cycles in 2018 using a randomized complete block design. The results
of the study showed that tomato plants grown in the open field received
significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher radiation than those in the greenhouse
prototypes. An increase in the size of greenhouse ventilation caused a
significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in the number of tomato fruit clusters per
plant. An increase in greenhouse height caused a significant (p ≤ 0.05)
increase in tomato fruit yield. Greenhouse prototypes expressed significant (p
≤ 0.05)
yield differences owing to varying heights. Based on the results of this study,
it can be recommended that a suitable greenhouse for the humid coastal region
of Kenya should have a height of 4.5 m or 5 m and ventilation that is 50% or
75% of the floor area, which corresponds to a greenhouse geometry that allows
between 31o and 38.7o angle of incidence.
Author(s)
Details
Luciana
Jumwa Sanzua
Pwani University, P.O. Box 195-80108, Kilifi, Kenya.
Hemedi
Mkuzi Saha
Pwani University, P.O. Box 195-80108, Kilifi, Kenya.
Joseph
Mwafaida
Pwani University, P.O. Box 195-80108, Kilifi, Kenya.
Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/crpas/v3/1739
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