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Cultivation in protected environments and containers culminated in the need of the use substrates with specific chemical and physical characteristics; assuming that a fundamental role in cultivation of horticultural plants. In this way, the objective was to describe the main physical and chemical characteristics of substrates, as well as the main methodologies for analysis. As physical characteristics we can refer as examples: density on a wet and dry basis, total porosity, air space and water retention (easily available, buffering capacity and remaining water). The most important chemical characteristics in substrates include pH, electrical conductivity and available nutrient content. These characteristics are responsible for all the nutritional dynamics and the availability of water and air in the culture medium, so they must be known, tested and managed during cultivation. Thus, it is possible to establish parameters for plant cultivation in containers, being also possible to correlate its influence on plant development for scientific research. Resumo O cultivo em ambiente protegido e recipiente culminou com a necessidade da utilização de substratos com características fisico-químicas específicas; assumindo um papel fundamental no cultivo de plantas hortícolas. Assim, o objetivo foi descrever as principais característica fisico-químicas de substratos e as principais metodologias para a sua análise. Quanto às características físicas, podendo-se referir a densidade em base úmida e seca, porosidade total, espaço aeração e retenção de água (água facilmente disponível, água tamponante e água remanescente). As características químicas mais importantes em substratos incluem pH, condutividade elétrica e teor de nutrientes disponíveis. Estas características são responsáveis por toda a dinâmica nutricional e de disponibilidade de água e ar no meio de cultivo, desta forma devem ser conhecidas, testadas e manejadas durante o cultivo. Assim é possível estabelecer parâmetros para o cultivo de plantas em recipientes e também correlacionar sua influência no desenvolvimento das plantas na pesquisa científica.

La diffusione di produzioni agricole specializzate consente di osservare il modo in cui stanno cambiando porzioni importanti della campagna contemporanea italiana. Tali produzioni difatti assumono in Italia caratteri particolari che le sottraggono a molte delle osservazioni (e delle generalizzazioni) che nella letteratura internazionale guardano gli spazi dell'agricoltura specializzata come piattaforme monofunzionali, regolate da rigide infrastrutturazioni e da sofisticati programmi logistici che le escludono dai contesti entro i quali sono collocate. Le differenze appaiono particolarmente rilevanti a Capo Pachino, dove la produzione specializzata di pomodori, seppure presente da oltre mezzo secolo, e capace di generare un'economia di grande importanza a livello non solo locale, ha costruito spazi segnati da una certa instabilità delle organizzazioni e transitorietà delle forme. Questa infrastrutturazione debole di Capo Pachino, che da un lato comporta fragilità enormi di gestione e governo del comparto produttivo, garantisce dall'altro anche il suo dinamismo, la sua apertura e la sua capacità di essere attraversato da usi e relazioni molteplici. È in ragione di questi caratteri che l'articolo muove alcune riflessioni di natura progettuale e operativa sulla relazione tra produzione specializzata e trasformazione delle campagne contemporanee

Agriculture is the basis of our economic activity. For improving agricultural production greenhouse technology was developed to prevent adverse climatic conditions. Even though higher yield and profit were obtained from greenhouse production compared to open field cultivation farmers were not satisfied with this technique due to the drastic reduction of crop yield with the aging of cladding material. To test this, an experiment was conducted in the instructional farm of Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (KCAET), Tavanur, Kerala during the period from April to June 2021. Amaranthus variety CO1 was planted inside two greenhouses where one is having cleaned cladding material and the other is an old one. Microclimatic parameters and the biometric observations of crop in both conditions were compared. Mean monthly values of temperature and light intensity were higher inside the cleaned greenhouse than the old one while relative humidity was higher inside the old greenhouse. Crop growth parameters were higher inside the cleaned greenhouse than the old one except the internodal length. From this study, it was clear that the aging of cladding material has a significantly higher influence on crop performance under greenhouse.

This study was undertaken to identify the effect of net shading technology on the total capsaicinoids, vitamin C and relative chlorophyll content expressed as SPAD (Soil Plant Analysis Development) values and total marketable fruit yield of ‘Star Flame’ chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum) for two harvesting times cultivated under modified atmosphere. ‘Star Flame’ pepper was grown under three (3) different net shading colours (white, red and green). Samples without net shading were used as control. Samples were subjected to chromatographic analyses using HPLC for the determination of total capsaicinoids and vitamin C. Interaction in shading technology and harvest times (p=0.010) had significant effect on total capsaicinoids as a result of green and white shading technologies showing higher differences when compared to control samples. Vitamin C content was observed to have increased in white and red shadings (p=0.001) after the first harvest and gradually decreased after the second harvesting time (p=0.002). Relative leaf chlorophyll content was significantly higher in white shading in the first and second harvest. Samples used as control had significantly higher marketable values when compared to white and green shadings with red recording low marketability of ‘Star Flame’ chilli peppers.

Located in the Mediterranean region, Erdemli district has been on its way to becoming a greenhouse production center in recent years, with the effect of favorable climatic conditions. In the study, it was aimed to determine the current situation in Erdemli, where greenhouse cultivation is carried out intensively, the characteristics of the greenhouses, the problems encountered in production and to develop suggestions for their solution. For this purpose, a questionnaire application prepared by the researcher was carried out in order to reveal the current situation of greenhouse operators in the district. The data were analyzed using the SPSS program and tables were created. Maps showing the location, topography and land use status of the region were produced with the ArcMap 10.4 package program. Face-to-face meetings were held with greenhouse operators, brokers and traders. As a result, it has been observed that especially greenhouse agricultural activities in the region are carried out with traditional agricultural methods in smaller scale family businesses, mostly plastic greenhouses are used to produce tomatoes and cucumbers, and they are negatively affected by natural disasters and cost increases. Solutions for the detected problems are presented. Key Words: Greenhouse Agriculture, Vegetable-Fruit Production, Erdemli, Mersin.

Tokat, which is located between the Black Sea Region and the Central Anatolia Region and has a transition climate, is one of the provinces with high agricultural potential. This potential also provides important advantages in terms of vegetable agriculture. In Tokat, where the vegetable cultivation dates back to many years, many types of vegetables can be grown. While the farmers engaged in vegetable cultivation until the beginning of the 2000s were satisfied with their situation, in the last 15 years, growers have started to turn to alternative products due to the decrease in quality, productivity and profitability. There are significant difficulties and decreases in competitiveness of vegetable farming in the field and greenhouse cultivation. In the study, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of vegetable cultivation of Tokat were analysed. Solutions for the improvement of vegetable cultivation have been discussed by making determinations.

Water consumption in agriculture is impossible without considering relations between water, soil and plant. In this regard, there are various models and developed software in order to evaluate relation between soil, water and crop growth stages. These models can be used for irrigation planning if properly optimized and applied. AquaCrop is one of the known crop models, which was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In order to optimize this model for crop production and irrigation management, an experiment was developed in a hydroponic cucumber greenhouse. Various parameters including water consumption volume, crop yield and leaf area index were measured during a season. A fuzzy control system was utilized for controlling temperature, relative humidity, planting bed moisture, light intensity and carbon dioxide values. The main purpose of designing a control system in the greenhouse is to achieve the desired values of temperature and relative humidity. In this model, evapotranspiration, irrigation requirements and crop yield were simulated. The results show that the AquaCrop model can estimate evapotranspiration with the least error in the greenhouse environment, which is controlled by a fuzzy controller. Also the system has estimated the crop yield and biomass of the product with a good degree of precision and it may support crop production in a greenhouse, including crop management and environmental control.

La presente investigación de nuevos cultivares de melón (Cucumis melo L.) para cultivo invernadero para Puerto La Boca, Manabí, tuvo como objetivos: i) Evaluar y seleccionar cultivares de melón (Cucumis melo L.) en condiciones de invernadero, ii) realizar un análisis parcial de costo/beneficio de tratamientos objetos de estudio. Se implementó en invernadero una parcela en diseño experimental de parcelas dividas en franja con cuatro repeticiones, donde los tratamientos fueron los cultivares [A1: karametza, A2: kazta, A3: kapaz, A4: kazik y A5: primo (testigo)] y los subtratamientos los tipos de manejo (B1: Tutorado y B2: Rastero). Las variables de respuesta evaluadas fueron: Peso de frutos (g), número de frutos comerciales por planta, volumen total de frutos (cm3) y una estimación económica de tratamientos. Los resultados permitieron concluir que el melón con mejor promedio de número de frutos fue donde se utilizó sistema rastrero con 1,95 en promedio, y el mayor peso de frutos (g) correspondió al sistema de tutorado con 1,06 en promedio. Los mejores cultivares fueron Kapaz y kazik, y el mejor sistema fue el tutorado. La estimación económica mostró que los cultivares fueron rentables cuando se vendieron a supermercado con una relación B/C entre $2,17 y $2,03 respectivamente.

Determining the optimal area of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production under protected culture can improve production efficiency. Thirty-five greenhouse tomato growers were randomly selected a...

Land and water are the two basic important natural resources, play an important role in agriculture production. After globalization, crop cultivation under greenhouse conditions has emerged to cultivate crops under controlled environmental conditions. Polyhouse is designed to provide all the needs of the plants throughout the year without considering the climatic changes and natural weather. Micro irrigation is essential under polyhouse conditions for the precise application of water and nutrients at frequent intervals matching with crop growth curve to achieve higher water and nutrient use efficiency. This review deals with the water use efficiency under controlled environmental conditions.

Determining the optimal area of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) production under protected cultivation can maximize the efficiency. Thirty-eight cucumber growers who use greenhouses for production we...

Antifogging films are used in an increasing number of applications in greenhouse cultivation because fog formation affects transmission. Here, we summarize a way to improve the antifogging duration...

Algeria has recently experienced an important agricultural development in terms of gardening in plastic greenhouses thanks to the favourable factors (climatic conditions, etc.). In order to optimize the energy requirements, data from 29 farmers were collected, who qualitatively represent the greenhouse vegetable producers from the most productive sub-provinces of Biskra region (south of Algeria). Considering the various parametric and non-parametric methods for energy consumption optimization, data envelopment analysis is the most common non-parametric method applied. Results showed that the mean radial technical efficiency assumptions of the samples under constant returns to scale and variable returns to scale models were 0.88 and 0.98, respectively. The 51.72% of decision-making units were efficient on the basis of the constant returns to scale model; 79.31% decision-making units were observed efficient on the basis of variable returns to scale model. Calculation of optimal energy requirements for vegetable greenhouse indicated that 108.50 GJ·ha−1 can be saved on machinery (1.38 GJ·ha-1); diesel fuel (4.68 GJ·ha−1); infrastructure (9.35 GJ·ha−1); fertilizers (17.08 GJ·ha−1); farmyard manure (12.05 GJ·ha−1); pesticides (3.93 GJ·ha−1); and electricity (60.03 GJ·ha−1).

Polymeric films are increasingly used in greenhouse cultivation because dripping agents can improve the hydrophilicity of film surface. Here, we summarize a way to a new reactive type dripping agen...

The greenhouse cultivation system in European countries represents one of the most energy-intensive sectors in the agriculture and agro-industry sector. In this regard, renewable energies represent an innovative solution to reduce energy costs and environmental impacts. Both, the energy demands and the economic aspects are analyzed with regard to the main energy users, i.e.: heating and cooling systems, lighting and pumping for irrigation. This work considers the use of solar photovoltaic and thermal energy. The use of semi-closed greenhouses is also considered.

Objective: To produce Serrano peppers using a new cultivation technique that mixes the best of hydroponic cultivation and traditional cultivation. Design/methodology/approach: We set up a growing system where the Serrano pepper grew from seedling to its full-fledged state, in a growbag containing sand (as support material), potassium polyacrylate (as water retention material), and a nutrient solution for vegetable gardens, under greenhouse conditions. The humidity level of the growbag is controlled by adding as much water with nutrient solution as needed. This technique has generated 100% harvestable plants (total: 20 plants); more than 90% of the water can be saved in comparison to regular and hydroponic cultivation. Results: Once the harvest began, at least 22.857 kg of Serrano pepper were obtained in 3 m2 of soil in a system with a pyramidal structure in which the 20 plants were placed. If we extrapolated this data, approximately 93,000 kg of Serrano pepper could be harvested from a 1 ha system. Study Limitations/implications: This technique tries to tackle the water access limitations that may exist in some areas of Mexico. However, it does not mitigate the initial costs of a greenhouse system. Nevertheless, this technique can be reused up to 10 times without requiring maintenance. Findings/conclusions: Experience has shown that hydroponic crops are truly profitable, despite their vast water requirements, which is precisely what prevents their global expansion. However, our modification of this method saves more than 90% of the water, using potassium polyacrylate as a retention agent and sand as a support material. Therefore, this technique could be implemented even in places where water is scarce

Light composition modulates plant growth and defenses, thus influencing plant–pathogen interactions. We investigated the effects of different light-emitting diode (LED) red (R) (665 nm) and blue (B) (470 nm) light combinations on Actinidia chinensis performance by evaluating biometric parameters, chlorophyll a fluorescence, gas exchange and photosynthesis-related gene expression. Moreover, the influence of light on the infection by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), the etiological agent of bacterial canker of kiwifruit, was investigated. Our study shows that 50%R–50%B (50R) and 25%R–75%B (25R) lead to the highest PSII efficiency and photosynthetic rate, but are the least effective in controlling the endophytic colonization of the host by Psa. Monochromatic red light severely reduced ΦPSII, ETR, Pn, TSS and photosynthesis-related genes expression, and both monochromatic lights lead to a reduction of DW and pigments content. Monochromatic blue light was the only treatment significantly reducing disease symptoms but did not reduce bacterial endophytic population. Our results suggest that monochromatic blue light reduces infection primarily by modulating Psa virulence more than host plant defenses.

Protected cultivation is gaining momentum in (semi) arid regions to ameliorate the adverse environmental impacts on vegetable crops, besides ensuring high resource use efficiency in resource-limiting environments. Among the less techno-intensive protected cultivation structures, naturally ventilated polyhouses (NVP), insect-proof net houses (IPN) and shade net houses (SNH) are commercial structures in India. With the aim to find the best-protected structure, together with optimum irrigation level, for high yield and water productivity of the tomato crop, the most popular crop in hot arid regions, we evaluated tomato performance in low-tech protected structures (NVP, IPN and SNH) in interaction with three irrigation levels (100, 80 and 60% of crop evapotranspiration, ETc) during spring–summer of 2019 and 2020. The NVP was found superior to both the net house structures (IPN and SNH) for different performance indicators of tomatoes under investigation. The components of plant growth (leaf and stem dry mass) and fruit yield (fruit size, weight, yield), as well as fruit quality (total soluble solids, fruit dry matter and lycopene content) were higher in NVP, regardless of irrigation level. The yield as well as water productivity were significantly higher in NVP at 100% ETc. However, there was no statistical variation for water productivity between NVP and IPN. Microclimate parameters (temperature, relative humidity and photosynthetic active radiation) were markedly more congenial for tomato cultivation in NVP followed by IPN in relation to SNH. Consequently, plants’ physiological functioning with higher leaf relative water content (RWC) and lower leaf water potential concomitantly with better photosynthetic efficiency (chlorophyll fluorescence, Fv/Fm), was in NVP and IPN. Most growth and yield attributes were depressed with the decrease in water application rates; hence, deficit irrigation in these low-tech protected structures is not feasible. For tomato cultivation in resource-scarce arid regions, the combination of the normal rate of irrigation (100% ETc) and NVP was optimal for gaining high yield as well as water productivity as compared to net houses.

Forchlorfenuron is a widely used plant growth regulator. The uptake of forchlorfenuron and its major metabolites poses a potential risk for human health. However, little is known about the dissipation of forchlorfenuron and its major metabolites in agricultural food. In this study, the metabolite 4-hydroxyphenyl-forchlorfenuron was first identified in oriental melon, which exhibited the highest level of residues of 4.42–5.12 μg/kg on the 4–7th days after application. Forchlorfenuron was found to be dissipated rapidly in melon at the recommended application rates, with half-lives ranging from 1.20 to 1.33 days. The rate of dissipation of 4-hydroxyphenyl-forchlorfenuron was greater than that of metabolism from forchlorfenuron in the oriental melon. However, the other metabolite, 3-hydroxyphenyl-forchlorfenuron, was not detected in oriental melon. The risk assessment showed that the acute and chronic dietary exposure risks of forchlorfenuron in oriental melon were 0.0011–0.0037% and 0.06–0.12%, respectively, suggesting little health risk to Chinese consumers.

The aim of this study is to determine theeffects of the agricultural trainings for environmental protection on farmerbehavior. The data of the studywere obtained from the surveys conducted with 56 farmers who participated inagricultural trainings for environmental protection in Bafra district ofSamsun. In addition to agricultural training forenvironmental protection; farmers participated in training for animal husbandry(10.71%), medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation (8.93%), fruit production(5.36%), greenhouse cultivation (3.57%) and beekeeping (3.57%). Of the farmers,57.14% stated that they found the training about agricultural techniques forenvironmental protection useful and very useful. Farmers stated that they wouldlike to receive training on pests and diseases control, followed by paddycultivation and fertilization, respectively. The most important behavioralchange that the farmers showed at the end of the agricultural training forenvironmental protection was the preservation of fertilizers and pesticides soas not to contaminate food products. The benefits expected from agriculturaltraining depends on the application of the information obtained by farmers intheir enterprises. For this purpose, agricultural practices for environmentalprotection should be capable of increasing operational profit. The results ofthe research show that farmers are willing to participate in environmentalprotection trainings and they apply the information obtained from the trainingsto a large extent in their enterprises., Bu araştırmanın amacı, çevre koruma amaçlıtarımsal eğitimlerin çiftçi davranışlarına etkisini ortaya koymaktır. Araştırmanınverileri, Samsun ili Bafra ilçesinde çevre koruma amaçlı tarımsal eğitimlerekatılan 56 çiftçiyle yapılan anketlerden elde edilmiştir. Çiftçiler çevrekoruma amaçlı tarımsal eğitimlerin dışında; hayvancılık (% 10.71), tıbbi ve aromatikbitki yetiştiriciliği (% 8.93), meyvecilik (% 5.36), seracılık (% 3.57) vearıcılık (% 3.57) eğitimlerine de katılmışlardır. Çiftçilerin % 57.14’ü çevrekoruma amaçlı tarım teknikleriyle ilgili eğitimleri faydalı ve çok faydalıbulduklarını ifade etmişlerdir. Çiftçiler, en fazla hastalık ve zararlılarlamücadele konusunda eğitim almak istediklerini belirtirken, bunu sırasıylaçeltik yetiştiriciliği ve gübrelemeyle ilgili eğitimler izlemektedir.Çiftçilerin çevre koruma amaçlı tarımsal eğitimin sonunda gösterdikleri enönemli davranış değişimi, gübre ve tarım ilaçlarının gıda ürünlerinebulaşmayacak şekilde muhafaza edilmesi olmuştur. Tarımsal eğitimden beklenenfaydanın sağlanması, çiftçilerin elde ettikleri bilgileri işletmelerinde uygulamalarınabağlıdır. Bunun için, çevre koruma amaçlı tarımsal uygulamaların işletme kârınıartırıcı özelikte olması gerekir. Araştırma sonuçları, çiftçilerin çevrekorumayla ilgili eğitimlere katılma konusunda istekli olduklarını ve eğitimlerdenelde ettikleri bilgileri büyük ölçüde işletmelerinde uyguladıklarınıgöstermektedir.

Although the family Caricaceae has about 48 species, only Carica papaya produces edible fruits. A large number of cultivars are grown in different papaya-producing countries. The number of cultivars is quite large because of out-crossing in papaya, and these cannot be called cultivars. In India, more than 30 cultivars and hybrids are grown in different states, of which ‘Coorg Honey Dew’, ‘Washington’, ‘Ranchi’, ‘Taiwan’ hybrids, ‘Solo’, CO cultivars (‘CO1’, ‘CO2’, ‘CO3’, ‘CO4’, ‘CO5’, ‘CO6’), ‘Pusa Majesty’ and ‘Pusa Delicious’ are popular. Solo cultivars ‘Kapoho’, ‘Sunrise’, ‘Sunset’ and ‘Waimanalo’ are grown in Hawaii, USA. In the Philippines, ‘Cavity Special’, ‘Sunrise Solo’, ‘Waimanalo’ and ‘Sinta’ (hybrid) are the cultivars. The main cultivar of Taiwan is ‘Tainung 2’, which occupies more than 90% of papaya in Taiwan. There are a few other cultivars, including ‘Sunrise’ (5%), ‘Red Lady’ (4%) and newly released cultivar ‘Tainung 10-OrangeBaby’ (1%). In Vietnam, the most popular cultivar is ‘Dai Loan Tim’, the main purple Taiwan cultivar. The other cultivar grown is ‘Sieu Lun Cao San’, ‘Tainung 01’ occupies 99% of Formosa papaya and 1.0% of Bela Vista in Brazil. Among the Solo group of papaya, ‘Sunrise Solo BS’ is grown for the internal market and ‘Golden THB’ for the export market in Brazil. Australian papaya growers mainly grow red papaya, ‘RB1’, ‘RB2’, and ‘Skybury’, as commercial cultivars, and ‘IB’ and ‘Hybrid 13’ for yellow-fleshed papaya. ‘Khaek Dam’, ‘Khaek Nuan’ and ‘Dampit’ are popular in Indonesia. Mexican cultivars are ‘Mexican Red’, ‘Caribbean Red’, ‘Maradol’, ‘Royal’, ‘Star Papayas’, ‘Singapore Pink’, ‘Higgins’ and some genetically modified cultivars. The mayor cultivars of Malaysia are ‘Batu Arang’, ‘Sitiawan’ and ‘Subang 6’. Other cultivars developed and used as dessert fruit for export are ‘Eksotica’, ‘Eksotica II’ and ‘Sekaki’. In South Africa, ‘Hortus Gold’, ‘Honey Gold’ and ‘Kaapmuiden’ are the major cultivars grown. Thailand growers prefer hermaphrodite red-fleshed cultivars ‘Sai-nampueng’, ‘Khaek Dam’ and ‘Kheg Nuan’. In greenhouse cultivation at Okinawa, Japan, cultivars including ‘Solo’, ‘BH-65’, ‘Tainung 1’, ‘Tainung 2’, ‘Tainung 5’, ‘Maradol’, and ‘Wonder Flare’ are cultivated. This paper will discuss the characters of papaya cultivars growing in different countries of the world.

The microbial community structure is an important indicator for evaluating the water quality of the aquaculture environment. In this study, V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene of pond (PC) and greenhouse cultured (GC) C. reevesii were sequenced. Results showed that a total of 1,993,090 high quality counts and 105,159 observed OUTs were obtained; and the Chao1 richness estimator of PC was significantly higher than that of GC groups. Beta-diversity showed that the microbiota of two groups were isolated from each other. In addition, the correlation analysis of environmental factors showed that NO2-N, PH, PO4-P, and stocking density played significant roles in the bacterial community composition. The dominant phyla in PC groups were cyanobacteria, proteobacteria, actinobacteria, bacteroidetes, verrucomicrobia, planctomycetes; and in GC groups were proteobacteria, bacteroidetes, firmicutes, cyanobacteria, chloroflexi, actinobacteria. The functional prediction showed that the top5 Picrust prediction gene functions were protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum, retinol metabolism, proteasome, glycan binding proteins, and stilbenoid, diarylheptanoid and gingerol biosynthesis. Meanwhile, the numbers and types of KEGG pathway annotations showed a significant difference between the two cultivation environments. The prediction of bacterial phenotype implied that the GC environment is more likely to deteriorate, and turtles are more susceptible to pathogens than those of PC environment. This is the first report to explore and understand the difference of microbiota characteristics between different cultivation environments in different growth stages of C. reevesii, which will provide basic data for water quality adjustment, disease prevention, and healthy breeding of turtle.

Due to the high cropping index and substantial agricultural inputs in greenhouse cultivation systems (GCS) compared to traditional farming methods, the environmental problems caused by heavy metals in GCS are becoming increasingly serious. The concentration of the heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in soil and food crops were analyzed and assessed in two study areas. There were greater accumulation of heavy metals in soils from Central Shaanxi (CS) than that from Northern Shaanxi (NS). However, heavy metal concentrations in leafy vegetables were higher in NS compared to CS, particularly Cr accumulation in leafy vegetables. Overall, leafy vegetables contained higher concentrations of heavy metals than fresh fruits and fruit vegetables from both areas. The heavy metal transfer factors (TF) for fresh fruits and fruit vegetables were as follows: Cu > Zn > Cd > Cr > As > Pb. However, in leafy vegetables, Cd had a higher TF value than the other metals tested. The target hazard quotient (THQ) values were less than 1 for fruits and vegetables, except for As in leafy vegetables from NS. The THQ values indicated that As contamination was the most serious concern, followed by Cu > Zn > Cd > Pb > Cr in both areas. The soil threshold value (STV) based on THQ showed that the level of As in leafy vegetables grown in alkaline soil was 10.85, which was inferior to the current standards. This study demonstrates the health risks associated with the heavy metal content of fruits and vegetables grown in GCS and suggests that necessary measures should be taken to reduce the accumulation of heavy metals in GCS crops in northwest China.

Ülkemizde seralarda üretim teknikleri, gün geçtikçe zorlaşan pazar ve talep şartları doğrultusunda gelişmek zorundadır. Bunun için insan gücüne yardımcı olmak ve işleri kolaylaştırmak ve hızlandırmak amacıyla otomatik kontrol ve bilgisayar sistemleri kullanılmaktadır. Seralar; bitkisel üretimin iyileştirilmiş çevresel koşullarda gerçekleştirildiği, diğer anlamda dış ortamın bitkilere olumsuz etkilerinin olabildiğince sınırlandığı kontrollü ortamlardır. Sera tarımında üretim alanından en verimli şekilde yararlanılmakta, yani üretim yoğun olarak yapılmaktadır. Buna bağlı olarak birim alandan daha fazla ürün elde edilmektedir. Seralarda bitki ihtiyaçlarının (su, gübre, diğer bitki besin maddeleri, ışık, sıcaklık, nem vb.) kontrollü olarak verilebilmesi, hastalıkların daha kısa sürede tespit edilebilmesi, bitki üretiminin iplere alınarak yukarı doğru yapılabilmesi kütlesel üretime olanak sağlamaktadır. Günümüz modern sera tarımı, yoğun bitkisel üretim kapasitesi ve topraksız tarım teknolojinin kullanıldığı endüstriyel anlamda gelişmiş yapısıyla dikkat çekmektedir. Sera endüstrisinin ekonomik getirisi, bitkisel üretim ve maliyeti arasındaki dengelere bağlı olduğu için, üretimi istenen düzeyde tutmak ve ürün kalitesini iyileştirmek için sera ikliminin ve kaynaklarının rasyonel olarak işletilmesi gereklidir. Seraların etkili yönetilebilmesi, işletilebilmesi için bilgisayar, mikroişlemci kontrollü bilgi işleme ve otomasyon sistemlerine gereksinim duyulmaktadır. Topraksız Modern seralarda üretilmesi planlanan bitki türüne göre isteklerin karşılanabilmesi için aşağıda sıralanan; sinyal- algılama sistemi, Isıtma sistemi, Havalandırma sistemi, Gölgeleme sistemi, Sulama sistemi, Gübreleme sistemi, Sisleme-serinletme sistemi, Karbondioksit gübreleme sistemi ve sera genel iklim kontrol sistemi gibi donanımlara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Seralarda bitkilerin büyümesi ve gelişimi için uygun klimanın oluşturulması, sera içindeki sıcaklık, bağıl nem, güneş ışınımı gibi değişkenlerin kontrol altına alınmasıyla sağlanmaktadır. Ancak sera içinde olması istenen iklimsel veriler, sera dışındaki güneş, sıcaklık, yağmur vb. etkilerden dolayı sürekli değişmektedir. Sera üzerine gelen enerjinin bir kısmı depolanmaktadır; bir kısmı dışarıya transfer edilmektedir. Örneğin, eğer yaprak sıcaklığı yüksek ise, bu, bitkide depolanan enerjinin fazla olmasından kaynaklanmaktadır. Fazla enerji birikimi, havalandırma ya da serinletme sistemlerinin stratejik olarak devreye alınmasıyla çözümlenebilmektedir. Eğer serada sıcaklık düşerse istenen sınırlar arasına ısıtma sisteminin nasıl çalıştırılacağı önem arz etmektedir. Sera içindeki donanımların algılayıcılardan gelen sinyallere göre yönetilmesi, yönlendirilmesi, bitki büyüme döneminde anlık, günlük ve aylık üretim verilerine göre stratejik olarak şekillenmektedir.Modern sera kontrol sistemleri dış etkilere cevap olarak sadece kısa dönem eylemlerini komuta etmemektedir; aynı zamanda yetiştirici tarafından tarif edilen uzun dönem stratejisinin kurulmasında da katkıda bulunmaktadır. Günümüz bilgisayarlı sera otomasyon sistemleri, analog kontrol birimlerinin sayısallaştırılmış versiyonlarıdır. Anlık, günlük, aylık klimatolojik ve üretim bilgilerinin sürekli kaydedilebilmesi ve bunları üreticinin kullanımına sunabilmesi üstün taraflarıdır. Klasik otomasyon uygulamasında, sadece sera klimasının izlenmesi ve kontrolü yapılarak otomasyon sağlanabilmektedir. Bilgisayar, bitkisel üretimin her aşamasında – anlık günlük, haftalık, aylık ve üretim döneminde stratejik olarak kullanılmalıdır. Bitkinin isteklerine göre sera içinde olması istenen klimaya (bioklima) uygun alt donanımlar (çatı pencereleri, ısıtma, sulama, serinletme, gölgelendirme, fan havalandırma gibi) algılayıcılardan gelen sinyallere göre çalışmalıdır. Sera bioklimasıyla ilgili ayarlamalar, günlük bitki büyümesine göre yapılmalıdır. Günlük bitki büyümesiyle ilgili planlama, aylık bitki gelişimi, hasat durumu, piyasa durumu vb. ekonomik veriler dikkate alınarak yapılmalıdır. Bu çalışmada, yukarıdaki verilen bilgiler esas alınarak, Antalya, Afyon ve Uşak bölgelerindeki bazı topraksız modern seraların ticari otomasyon sistemleri incelenmiş ve kıyaslanmıştır.Çalışma sonunda, 4 adet farklı otomasyon markası ve 5 adet farklı modern seranın otomasyon verileri ve ekran görüntüleri elde edilmiştir. Elde edilen veriler birbirleri ile kıyaslanmış ve değerlendirilmiştir. Bu kapsamda 4 adet anket `durum tespit` çalışması yapılmıştır ve sonuçları bu çalışmada paylaşılmıştır. Bu araştırma, sera otomasyonun anlaşılması ve akabinde yerli sistemlerin geliştirilmesine hizmet edeceğinden, sonraki aşamalarda ülkemiz ekonomisine katma değer sağlayacaktır. Ayrıca, sera otomasyon sistemi seçimi yapılırken işletmelerimize doğru seçimleri yapması için yardımcı olacaktır. Production techniques in greenhouses in our country have to develop in line with the market demands and conditions. For this purpose, automatic control and computer systems are used to assist manpower and to facilitate and accelerate the works. Greenhouses are controlled environments in which plant production is carried out in improved environmental conditions, in other words, where the negative effects of the external environment on plants are limited. In the greenhouse agriculture, the production area is utilized in the most efficient way; therefore, production is made intensively. Accordingly, higher yields are obtained per unit area. In greenhouses, plant needs (such as water, fertilizer, other plant nutrients, light, temperature, humidity, etc.) can be provided in a controlled manner, diseases can be detected in a shorter period of time, and plant production can be carried up by high wire systems. All these allow mass production. Today's modern greenhouse cultivation attracts attention with its intensive crop production capacity and industrially developed structure using soilless agricultural technology. Since the economic return of the greenhouse industry depends on the balance between crop production and cost, it is necessary to rationally operate the greenhouse climate and resources to keep production at the desired level and improve product quality. Computer and microprocessor controlled information processing and automation systems are required for efficient management and operation of greenhouses. In order to meet the requirements according to the plant species planned to be produced in soilless modern greenhouses; signal-detection system, heating system, ventilation system, shading system, irrigation system, fertilization system, fogging-cooling system, carbon dioxide fertilization system and greenhouse general climate control system are needed. The use of suitable air conditioners for the growth and development of plants in greenhouses takes control of variables such as greenhouse temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation. However, the climatic data required in the greenhouse are constantly changing due to the effects of sun, temperature and rain outside the greenhouse. Some of the energy coming into the greenhouse is stored; some part is transferred outside. For example, if the leaf temperature is high, this is due to the excess energy stored in the plant. Excessive energy accumulation can be solved by the strategic commissioning of ventilation or cooling systems. If the temperature drops in the greenhouse, it is important to operate the heating system within the required limits. The management and direction of the equipment in the greenhouse according to the signals coming from the sensors is strategically shaped according to the instant, daily and monthly production data during the plant growth period.Modern greenhouse control systems not only command short-term actions in response to external influences, but also contribute to the establishment of the long-term strategy described by the grower. Today's computerized greenhouse automation systems are digitilized versions of analogue control units. The outstanding advantages are the ability to record instant, daily, monthly climatological and production data and to make them available to the manufacturer. In the classical automation application, automation can only be achieved by monitoring and controlling the greenhouse air conditioner. The computer should be used strategically at every stage of crop production - instant, daily, weekly, monthly and during production. Bioclimate sub-assemblies, such as roof windows, heating, irrigation, cooling, shading and fan ventilation, should operate according to the signals from the sensors. Greenhouse climate adjustments should be made according to daily plant growth. Planning for daily plant growth should be based on the economic data such as monthly plant growth, harvesting and market conditions.In this study, the commercial automation systems of some hydroponic modern greenhouses in Antalya, Afyon and Uşak regions are examined and compared based on the information given above.At the end of the study, automation data and screenshots of four different automation brands from five different modern greenhouses were obtained. The data were compared with each other and evaluated in terms of what and how they control the parameters. Since this research will serve to understand greenhouse automation and to develop national and domestic automation systems, it will provide a crucial value to the economy of our country in the following stages of this type of researches. It will also help greenhouse potential investers to make the right choices when selecting a greenhouse automation system. 128

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an important crop grown worldwide for its immature fruits. Conventional breeding methodologies were instrumental in developing improved varieties with several desirable traits. In the last two decades, very systematic efforts were made after wide application of molecular tools and availability of draft genome sequence of this crop. The cultivated genotypes of cucumber are originated from the wild type, C. sativus var. hardwickii, widely distributed in the northern foothills of Himalayas. This wild progenitor possesses several desirable traits related to fruit yield and stress tolerance. However, bitterness due to the presence of cucurbitacins in this wild species restricts its utilization in cucumber improvement programme. It was found that three major and two minor genes are responsible for sex expression in cucumber, and it is possible to manipulate the sex ratio to develop cultivars with higher fruit yield. A large number of molecular markers were developed and identified related to different stress resistance and important agronomic traits to accelerate the genomics-based breeding in cucumber. Significant progress has been made to develop complete homozygous lines through induction of haploids through both androgenesis and gynogenesis. However, application of high-throughput phenotyping, induced mutation and rapid generation cycling through greenhouse cultivation and in vitro flowering are the areas need to be focussed for future speed breeding strategies in cucumber. The available genomics-based information will be instrumental in the future accelerated breeding of cucumber.

Pot grown herbs are often cultivated as certified organic products, and there is an increasing demand for organically certified ornamental plants. Supplying the required nutrients using organic fer...

The term ‘Hydroponics’ was derived from Greek word ‘hydro’ means water and ‘ponos’ mean labor. Hydroponics is a modern agriculture technique that uses nutrient solution rather than soil for crop production. Humans need water, food and living habitat to endure. As population increases the food demand also increases. The worry is that the existing system of agriculture will not be able to meet the food requirement near future as this system is facing many challenges. The objectives of this review paper are to discuss the hydroponic greenhouse technologies, impact of environmental factors on hydroponic greenhouse cultivation, advantages and challenges of hydroponic greenhouse system. This study revealed that hydroponic greenhouse cultivation is better option in the sense of utilization of inputs and improved crop production.

Greenhouse technology is a flexible solution for sustainable year-round cultivation of Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), particularly in regions with adverse climate conditions or limited land and resources. Accurate knowledge about plant requirements at different growth stages, and under various light conditions, can contribute to the design of adaptive control strategies for a more cost-effective and competitive production. In this context, different scientific publications have recommended different values of microclimate parameters at different tomato growth stages. This paper provides a detailed summary of optimal, marginal and failure air and root-zone temperatures, relative humidity and vapour pressure deficit for successful greenhouse cultivation of tomato. Graphical representations of the membership function model to define the optimality degrees of these three parameters are included with a view to determining how close the greenhouse microclimate is to the optimal condition. Several production constraints have also been discussed to highlight the short and long-term effects of adverse microclimate conditions on the quality and yield of tomato, which are associated with interactions between suboptimal parameters, greenhouse environment and growth responses.

A two time-scale, receding horizon, optimal controller for greenhouse lettuce cultivation is extended with on-line parameter estimation to handle ill-known or time-varying parameters of the greenhouse-crop model. By means of simulations, the possible improvement of performance and reduction of constraint violation, introduced by this extension, are investigated. Moreover, uncommon issues in the adaptive controller design due to the two time-scales are considered and handled in this paper. The estimated parameters are selected based on their uncertainty and performance sensitivity. Using a recently developed very efficient algorithm, the selected parameters are checked for identifiability first. Finally the possibility of real-time implementation of the adaptive two time-scale receding horizon optimal controller is investigated.

With development of internet and information technology, the traditional agricultural production cannot meet people's demand. The IoT (Internet of Things) technology is now taking this opportunity to modernize agriculture especially the greenhouse planting industry. This paper proposed a novel intelligent greenhouse cultivation system which not only liberate the farmers' labor force but also break constraints on disastrous weather shock, pest outbreak and other undesirable environment limitations. This system have been put into practice in southeastern China, including four functional parts, which are environmental parameters collection, data transmission, information processing, and data regulation and feedback control. These useful data acquired from IoT sensors were utilized to evaluate plant growth and predict the amount of liquid fertilizer to minimize waste of resources. Besides, a reliable PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) was adopted to enhance resistance to interference. Meanwhile, remote computers were adopted as a monitoring center to guarantee the flexibility of whole control system.

The paper deals with seminal changes in the socio-economic life of the Roma community in the village of Cserdi in Hungary, brought about by a host of strategic programs of a dynamic Roma Mayor. It suggests several measures to develop a viable development model by consolidating his programs with a few modifications to suit the Roma, who constitute the majority population in the village, as well as their counterparts living elsewhere in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe. It also illustrates how such a model has proven to be a successful strategy in developing and empowering marginalized groups in India, while arguing its efficacy for the Roma situation in Hungary.

The accumulation of some harmful elements in greenhouse vegetables has caused a serious threat to human health. Comparing tests with cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) and tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) were conducted between greenhouse (GH) and open field (OF) cultivation with objective to determining the effects of greenhouse cultivation on transport and distribution of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Cd in soil–vegetable system. The results showed that Cd, Mn and Zn contents in most tissues of the vegetables in GH were significantly higher than those in OF, Fe contents reduction occurred in all parts of GH plants, while Pb contents decreased only in aboveground parts of GH plants. Most elements bioaccumulated in GH vegetable roots, except Fe, but exhibited lower transportation from root to aboveground parts in GH than in OF. Fe fractions extracted with ethanol and acid expressed significantly higher percentages in some parts of GH vegetables than in OF vegetables. Element interactions between Fe, Cd and Mn were significant and played an important role on metal elements transportation in vegetables. In conclusion, greenhouse cultivation could threaten vegetable production safety through changing the transportation of most metals in soil–vegetable system.

Some halophyte plants are currently used in gourmet cuisine due to their unique organoleptic properties. Moreover, they exhibit excellent nutritional and functional properties, being rich in polyphenolics and vitamins. These compounds are associated to strong antioxidant activity and enhanced health benefits. This work compared the nutritional properties and antioxidant potential of three species (Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum, Suaeda maritima and Sarcocornia fruticosa) collected in saltmarshes from Portugal and Spain with those of cultivated plants. the latter were generally more succulent and had higher contents of minerals than plants obtained from the wild and contained less fibre. All species assayed are a good source of proteins, fibres and minerals. Additionally, they are good sources of carotenoids and vitamins A, C and B-6 and showed good antioxidant potential particularly S. maritima. Chromatographic analysis of the phenolic profile revealed that ferulic and caffeic acids as the most relevant phenolic compounds detected in the halophytes tested. XtremeGourmet project [ALG-010247-FEDER-017676] FCT Foundation for Science and TechnologyPortuguese Foundation for Science and Technology [UIDB/04326/2020] Portuguese National Budget FCTPortuguese Foundation for Science and TechnologyEuropean Commission [SFRH/BD/123658/2016, SFRH/BD/140143/2018, SFRH/BD/115325/2016, SFRH/BPD/86071/2012, UID/MULTI/00612/2013] info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion