Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
In order to achieve these objectives a
higher investment than in conventional cul-
tivation is normally required, as well as a
higher use of inputs, which may imply a
higher environmental impact if it is not
properly managed. Modern greenhouse crop
production is justifiably characterized as a
high investment, high technology, high risk
business.
greenhouses appeared, initially in England,
The Netherlands, France, Japan and China
(Enoch and Enoch, 1999). They were very
rudimentary structures made with wood or
bamboo, covered with glass or oiled paper
panes, or glass bells to cover hot beds
(Wittwer and Castilla, 1995). Later, in the
northern hemisphere the first lean-to type
greenhouses were built facing south, using a
brick wall on the north side. The first attempts
to use heating took place in such structures.
During the night the plants were protected
with straw and/or reed blankets, as insulators.
Their use was very limited, for instance in
botanical gardens (Photo 1.7). During the 19th
century, the first gable-frame greenhouses
appeared and the cultivation of grapes, mel-
ons, peaches and strawberries became com-
mon; by the end of that century tomatoes were
introduced (a fruit vegetable that, years before,
was considered poisonous).
Soon, the use of greenhouses expanded
from Europe to America and Asia, appear-
ing in areas neighbouring great cities (Enoch
and Enoch, 1999). In the 20th century, eco-
nomic development, especially after the
Second World War, boosted the construc-
tion of glasshouses. By the middle of the
century there were more than 5000 ha of
glasshouses in The Netherlands, mostly
1.4
History
The first documented attempts at protected
cultivation, as recorded by the historian
Columella, date back to the Roman Empire,
during the reign of Emperor Tiberius Caesar,
when small mobile structures were used
for the cultivation of cucumber plants, which
were taken in to the open air if the weather
was good or kept under cover when the
weather was inclement (Wittwer and Castilla,
1995). Sheets of mica and alabaster were
used as enclosure materials. The philosopher
Seneca considered these practices unnatural
and condemned their use. These growing
methods disappeared with the decline of
the Roman Empire (Dalrymple, 1973) until
the Renaissance (from the 16th to the 17th
century) when the first precursors of
Photo 1.7.
Traditional greenhouse (Brussels Botanic Garden).
