Northern Field Production of Leaf and Romaine Lettuce using a High Tunnel

Rader, Heidi B.; Karlsson, Meriam G.

doi:10.21273/horttech.16.4.0649

Cited by 27 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The crop types in this study appeared to mature at different times and Asian greens grew to a suitable size for salad mix earlier than spinach or lettuce. Certain leafy green cultivars may have slower growth than others when temperatures are below optimal levels (Mansour and Raab, 1996;Rader and Karlsson, 2006;Smith et al, 2011). As a result, the mixed stand of leafy green vegetables grown in this experiment made it difficult to harvest all cultivars at their optimal market maturity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield of Leafy Greens in High Tunnel Winter Production in the Northwest United States

Borrelli¹,

Koenig²,

Jaeckel³

et al. 2013

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Season extension structures like high tunnels make it possible to produce coldtolerant crops during winter months for both a longer cropping season and a winter market season. The effects of location and planting date on the fresh yield of several cultivars of Asian greens (Brassica rapa L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) were examined at Moscow, ID/Pullman, WA, and Vancouver, WA, a cold temperate climate and a mild marine climate, respectively. In Winter 2005-06, 20 cultivars were evaluated and in Winter 2006-07 a subset of 12 cultivars were evaluated. Location impacted yield, and higher yields overall were attained at Vancouver than at Moscow/Pullman, likely as a result of more consistent, warmer soil and air temperatures as well as increasing irradiance in February and March at Vancouver. Asian green cultivars had the highest overall yield resulting from faster growth compared with spinach and lettuce cultivars at both locations. Although most lettuce cultivars grew throughout the winter, further research is needed to identify the most suitable cultivars, seeding dates, and planting densities to optimize winter production of this crop and for Asian greens and spinach. Planting date influenced yields with the highest yields obtained for the third planting date for all trials except at Moscow/Pullman in the second year. Overall, this research suggests that it is possible to grow many cold-tolerant cultivars of Asian greens, spinach, and lettuce in a high tunnel during the winter months in both mild and cold temperate northern climates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yield of Leafy Greens in High Tunnel Winter Production in the Northwest United States

Borrelli¹,

Koenig²,

Jaeckel³

et al. 2013

horts

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“…In this study, lettuce plants were grown in open field and high tunnels to provide contrasting growing conditions. High tunnels, which are unheated and passively ventilated production structures, have been widely used in Asia and Europe and are increasingly being used in the US (Lamont et al, 2003;Spaw and Williams, 2004;Wells, 1996) tunnels are known to produce higher yields and better quality of crops by extending their growth period and by providing protection from various adverse factors (Hodges and Brandle, 1996;Rader and Karlsson, 2006). Although studies on green leafy vegetables have indicated higher antioxidant capacity and phenolics in response to open field cultivation relative to high tunnels, the results have been variable in regards to species, growth stage and specific phenolic compounds (Zhao et al, 2007).…”

Section: Research Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antioxidant phytochemicals in lettuce grown in high tunnels and open field

Carey²,

Rajashekar

2011

Hortic. Environ. Biotechnol.

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Genotype along with growing and management conditions can affect the content and the composition of phytochemicals in plants. Two lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars, 'Baronet' and 'Red Sails,' were grown in an open field and high tunnels to examine the effect of growing conditions on their phytochemical content. The total phenolic concentration and antioxidant capacity of lettuce increased in response to transplanting from greenhouse to both open field and high tunnels. However, the increase was much greater when seedlings were transplanted to the open field and was more than 4 fold over the pre-transplant stage. The concentrations of two major phenolic compounds, chicoric acid and chlorogenic acid, were about 2.5-5.5 times higher in both cultivars when grown in open field than in high tunnels. Also, growing lettuce in open field resulted in a greater activation of key genes (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, L-galactose dehydrogenase and -tocopherol methyl transferase) involved in the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid and -tocopherol. 'Red Sails' accumulated caffeic acid 4 times as much in open field as it did in high tunnels and overall contained higher amount of phenolic compounds, especially in open field, than did Baronet. Although lettuce plants grown in open field were richer in phytochemicals, a significant reduction in biomass accumulation occurred when the lettuce plants were grown in open field compared to high tunnels regardless of cultivar. These results show that growing conditions, in addition to genotype, can significantly affect the content of many phenolic compounds in lettuce and that growing lettuce under open field can have a positive impact on its health-promoting qualities.

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“…High tunnel use throughout the United States is on the increase as a result of earlier crop production and the opportunity to exploit local markets with regionally grown produce (Carey et al, 2009;Knewtson et al, 2010). In regions with short growing seasons, extending the production period can have significant economic benefit (Rader and Karlsson, 2006;Rowley et al, 2010;Waterer, 2003). Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are the most commonly grown high-tunnel crop because early, local, high-quality tomatoes have a high value in the market (Knewtson et al, 2010;Ward et al, 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

Improving Growth and Productivity of Early-season High-tunnel Tomatoes with Targeted Temperature Additions

Hunter¹,

Drost²,

Black³

et al. 2012

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In northern climates where the growing season is shortened by cool spring conditions, high tunnels make it possible to plant and produce tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) at least 1 month earlier than in the field. However, limited high-tunnel research has been performed in arid high-elevation regions that experience extreme diurnal temperature fluctuations. High tunnels are designed to be passively heated; therefore, additional protection from frost may be warranted if growers wish to plant significantly earlier than normal. Low tunnels built within a high tunnel reduce the energy requirement by concentrating heat around the plants, particularly when a heat source is placed inside the low tunnel. ‘Sunbrite’ tomatoes were transplanted through black plastic mulch in four high tunnels in North Logan, UT (lat. 41.73° N, long. 111.83° W, 1382 m elevation) on 17 Mar., 30 Mar., and 7 Apr. in 2009 and on 19 Mar., 30 Mar., and 9 Apr. in 2010. Low tunnels were constructed over each row, and three supplemental heat treatments (unheated, soil-warming cables, and soil-warming cables plus 40-W incandescent lights) were tested to improve plant performance. The highest total marketable yield was achieved for earliest planting dates in both 2009 and 2010. In 2009, early-season yield was significantly greater when both the soil + air were heated, but only for the earliest planting date. In 2010, soil heat alone and in conjunction with air heat significantly improved early-season yield. Information gathered in this study on planting dates, yield, and energy costs provides valuable production and economic information to growers in arid high-elevation climates who desire the benefits of growing early-season tomatoes in high tunnels.

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Northern Field Production of Leaf and Romaine Lettuce using a High Tunnel

Cited by 27 publications

References 16 publications

Yield of Leafy Greens in High Tunnel Winter Production in the Northwest United States

Yield of Leafy Greens in High Tunnel Winter Production in the Northwest United States

Antioxidant phytochemicals in lettuce grown in high tunnels and open field

Improving Growth and Productivity of Early-season High-tunnel Tomatoes with Targeted Temperature Additions

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