Assessing heat management practices in high tunnels to improve organic production of bell peppers

Zheng, Muzi; Leib, Brian G.; Butler, David M.; Wright, Wesley C.; Ayers, Paul D.; Hayes, Douglas G.; Haghverdi, Amir; Liu, Feng; Grant, Timothy; Vanchiasong, Phue; Muchoki, Duncan

doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2018.10.046

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Rain water, surface mulch, row covers, and cover crops have many benefits, but this study will focus on the benefits to heat management. Zheng et al [21]'s study showed how thermal energy conservation benefited spring pepper production, while this study aims to assess the yield performance of fall Romaine lettuce using the same thermal energy conservation practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Heat Management Practices in High Tunnels to Improve the Production of Romaine Lettuce

et al. 2019

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A three-year experiment evaluated the beneficial effects of independent and combined practices on thermal conditions inside high tunnels (HTs), and further investigated the temperature impacts on lettuce production. Specific practices included mulching (polyethylene and biodegradable plastic films, and vegetative), row covers, cover crops, and irrigation with collected rainwater or city water. The study conducted in eastern Tennessee was a randomized complete block split-split plot design (RCBD) with three HTs used as replicates to determine fall lettuce weight (g/plant) and lettuce survival (#/plot), and the changes in soil and air temperature. The black and clear plastic mulches worked best for increasing plant weight, but when compared to the bare ground, the higher soil temperature from the plastics may have caused a significant reduction in lettuce plants per plot. Moreover, the biodegradable mulch did not generate as much soil warming as black polyethylene, yet total lettuce marketable yield was statistically similar to that for the latter mulch treatment; while the white spunbond reduced plant weight when compared with black plastic. Also, row covers provided an increased nighttime air temperature that increased soil temperature, hence significantly increased lettuce production. Cover crops reduced lettuce yield, but increased soil temperatures. Additionally, irrigation using city water warmed the soil and provided more nutrients for increased lettuce production over rainwater irrigation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Heat Management Practices in High Tunnels to Improve the Production of Romaine Lettuce

et al. 2019

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“…A high tunnel is a solar-heated, passively ventilated, plastic-covered structure that is used to produce high-value specialty crops (Jett, 2017;Lamont, 2009), and small-scale growers serving local markets are the primary users of high tunnels (Carey et al, 2009;Zheng et al, 2019). In the Midwest, high tunnels are an especially important tool for growing solanaceous crops (Carey et al, 2009;Lamont, 2009) because they extend the growing season substantially (Lamont, 2009;Reeve and Drost, 2012) while increasing yield (Waterer, 2003) and improving fruit quality (O'Connell et al, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…While high tunnels are an important production tool for solanaceous crops, farmers continue to struggle with management challenges within high tunnels, as recently reported by Bruce et al (2019). Challenges within high tunnel production systems are wide-ranging (Bruce et al, 2019;Zheng et al, 2019), but they include management of heat-related stress (Díaz-P erez and Smith, 2017). Excess heat can increase bell pepper flower and fruit abortion (Bosland and Votava, 2000;Deli and Tiessen, 1969) as well as increase the incidence of physiological disorders including sunscald (Barber and Sharpe, 1971) and blossom-end rot (BER) (Olle and Bender, 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In temperate climates, producers experience heat-related crop challenges within high tunnels in the summer production months (Díaz-P erez and Smith, 2017). Techniques to manage excess heat within high tunnels include the use of either forced or natural ventilation (Zheng et al, 2019), whitewashing of the high tunnel (Díaz-P erez and Smith, 2017), and shadecloth (shade netting) (Díaz-P erez and Smith, 2017;Drost and Maughan, 2018).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While ventilation including gables, fans, and roof vents have been identified as important tools for heat management in high tunnels (Zheng et al, 2019), these may be costprohibitive for many small-scale growers. The use of shadecloth may be the most economically feasible option on many farms (Díaz-P erez, 2014;Drost and Maughan, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Cultivar Selection and Placement of Shadecloth on Midwest High Tunnels Affects Colored Bell Pepper Yield, Fruit Quality, and Plant Growth

Lang¹,

Nair²,

Moore³

2020

horts

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Additional index words. black shadecloth, Capsicum annuum, leaf area, soluble solids concentration (SSC), SPAD, total titratable acidity (TTA)Abstract. Growing colored bell peppers in high tunnels enhances fruit quality and accelerates ripening. While there are benefits to high tunnel pepper production, increased heat inside the structures can lead to plant stress, blossom drop, sunscald, and reduced marketable yields. The objective of this study was to test shadecloth treatments placed on high tunnels to mitigate heat stress and improve colored bell pepper yield and fruit quality, while also identifying cultivars that perform well within Midwest high tunnel systems. . Six single-poly passively ventilated Quonset high tunnels were used for the experiment. The shade treatments (no shadecloth, 30% light-reducing shadecloth, and 50% light-reducing shadecloth) were applied in June of each season. Within each shade treatment, there were three randomized complete blocks of the seven colored bell pepper cultivars (Archimedes, Delirio, Flavorburst, Red Knight, Sirius, Summer Sweet, and Tequila). Data were collected on yield, fruit quality, and plant growth characteristics. Environmental parameters were monitored throughout the growing season. Both the 30% and 50% shadecloth treatments reduced monthly average and maximum air temperatures within high tunnels, with the largest differences occurring in the months of July and August. The use of a shadecloth reduced the incidence of sunscald by 59% between no shade and 50% shadecloth treatments. While there was no difference between 30% and 50% shade treatments, the use of 50% shadecloth caused a decrease in both marketable number (32%) and weight (29%) of pepper fruit compared with the control. 'Tequila', 'Delirio', and 'Flavorburst' had more marketable fruit per plant. Shade treatments did not affect fruit soluble solids content (SSC), pH, or total titratable acidity (TTA). Shade treatments had no effect on Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) readings, shoot biomass, the number of leaves per plant or the total leaf area per plant; however, plant height increased by an average 14.5 cm for plants under shadecloth treatments. Average leaf size was 11.2 cm 2 larger on plants grown under the 50% shadecloth, compared with the control. Several cultivar differences existed for each fruit quality and plant growth parameter. While differences in fruit quality and plant growth parameters were limited among shade treatments, decreasing marketable yield is concerning. Our research suggests that Midwest growers should not exceed 30% light-reducing shadecloth on their high tunnels for colored bell pepper production.

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The effects of biodegradable and plastic film mulching on nitrogen uptake, distribution, and leaching in a drip-irrigated sandy field

Chen

Šimůnek

et al. 2020

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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Drip irrigation under plastic film mulching with applications of the N-fertilizer is an excellent agricultural strategy, resulting in saving irrigation water, improving N use efficiency, and increasing crop yield. However, the film residue and nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3-N) losses are the leading cause of non-point pollution in agricultural fields. To promote the development of sustainable agriculture, the HYDRUS (2D/3D) model was first calibrated and then validated using experimental data from 2016 and 2017, respectively, collected in the drip-irrigated sandy field with plastic film mulching (PFM), biodegradable film mulching (BFM), and no film mulching (NFM). Additionally, the NO 3-N spatial and temporal distributions, uptake, leaching, and use efficiency (NUE) under PFM, BFM, and NFM with 280 kg ha −1 of the N-fertilizer (the local recommendation) were evaluated using both observed and simulated data. These factors were also assessed under BFM with 210 (75 % of the recommended value) and 140 kg ha-1 (50 % of the recommended value) of the N-fertilizer. The results of numerical simulations were in good agreement with observations, with the RMSE, R 2 , and NSE during verification being 0.01-0.08 mg cm-3 , 0.62-0.87, and 0.68-0.94, respectively. When the same amount of the N-fertilizer (280 kg ha −1) was applied in each treatment, there were no apparent differences in NO 3-N concentrations in the soil profile, cumulative NO 3-N uptake by corn (CNU), and cumulative NO 3-N leaching (CNL) in the 100-cm soil depth between the BFM 280 and PFM 280 scenarios (the subscript indicates the amount of the N-fertilizer) during the early growing season (Day After Sowing [DAS] of 0-78 in 2016 and DAS of 0-92 in 2017). However, CNU and CNL were higher, and the NO 3-N concentrations in the upper soil layer (0−40 cm soil layer) lower in these two scenarios than in the NFM 280 scenario. The NO 3-N concentrations in the topsoil layer (the 0−20 cm soil layer) in the BFM 280 scenario were 3.9 % higher than in the PFM 280 scenario during DAS 93-154 in 2017 due to the disintegration of the biodegradable film and 26.3 % lower during DAS 79-155 in 2016 because of intensive rainfall. Additionally, the highest NUE (50.9 kg kg-1 , the average value for two years) was found when 75 % of the recommended N-fertilizer (210 kg ha −1) was applied. Therefore, an application of 210 kg ha −1 of the Nfertilizer in the BFM scenario can be recommended for sandy farmland to avoid plastic pollution, increase NUE, and effectively promote the development of sustainable agriculture.

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Assessing heat management practices in high tunnels to improve organic production of bell peppers

Cited by 6 publications

References 29 publications

Assessing Heat Management Practices in High Tunnels to Improve the Production of Romaine Lettuce

Assessing Heat Management Practices in High Tunnels to Improve the Production of Romaine Lettuce

Cultivar Selection and Placement of Shadecloth on Midwest High Tunnels Affects Colored Bell Pepper Yield, Fruit Quality, and Plant Growth

The effects of biodegradable and plastic film mulching on nitrogen uptake, distribution, and leaching in a drip-irrigated sandy field

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