Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Portas, 1986). The appearance of long shelf-
life cultivars has changed the growing and
marketing strategies.
Other cultivation techniques, such as
pruning and leaf removal, must be adapted
to the conditions of the chosen growing
cycle. The plant density, usually lower in
winter, must be increased in the short
growing cycles of spring and summer to
optimize the interception of radiation.
Chemical treatments for fruit set (tomato,
aubergine, squash) have been replaced by
the use of bumblebees and bees to facilitate
pollination, without affecting the fruit's
quality.
The location of the greenhouses is a key
issue, both for its influence on production
costs, depending on the climatic conditions,
and for its effect on the transport costs to the
markets (Plate 32).
17.6
Summary
•
The selection of greenhouse production
areas has been determined by the pro-
duction and marketing costs.
The conventional greenhouse concept,
•
based on the 'greenhouse effect', is con-
sidered obsolete nowadays. In many
areas the 'windbreak effect' or the 'shel-
ter effect' are more important than the
'greenhouse effect' itself; and depend-
ing on the local climate conditions, the
'oasis effect' or the 'umbrella effect' are
also considered very important, at least
during certain periods of the year.
Two important aspects to consider
17.5.4
Future perspectives
At the start of a new century, the main
problems of greenhouse cultivation in mild
climate areas, such as the Mediterranean,
are: (i) the production costs; (ii) consumer
questions on product quality; and (iii) soci-
ety's concerns on the environmental impact
of the entire operation (La Malfa and
Leonardi, 2001).
The globalization of the markets has
increased the competitiveness between
productive regions, highlighting the need
to increase the quality of the products, by
means of better climate control in the green-
houses. It is necessary to find a compromise
solution between higher production costs
in better-equipped greenhouses and the
agronomic performance, to produce the
required quality at competitive prices
(Castilla
et al
., 2004; Giacomelli
et al
.,
2008). It is necessary, therefore, not only to
generate information and deepen our
knowledge of these systems (Valls, 2002)
but also to transfer the proven new
information and technology to the growers
and train them on how to properly use the
new technologies.
•
when planning the development of a
greenhouse sector are: (i) the targeted
market (national or foreign markets);
and (ii) the type of production (edible
products or ornamentals).
In mild climate areas, such as the
•
Mediterranean Basin, the greenhouse
production strategies have been related
more to the biological aspects of the
crops rather than to proper greenhouse
climate control.
The globalization of the markets and
•
the increasing competitiveness between
productive regions highlight the need
to increase the quality of the products.
For this, a compromise solution must
be found between the higher produc-
tion costs in better-equipped green-
houses and the associated agronomic
performance, to provide the required
product quality to the markets at com-
petitive prices.
