The Fifth Open Seminar '08 Laboratory of Agricultural Process Engineering, Kyoto U.
Title: Energy-Efficient Greenhouse Production of Ornamental Crops
Presenter: Associate Prof. Erik Runkle (Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University, USA)
Date and Time: March 4 (Wed.),13:00-14:00
Place: Room W-306
Abstract: The cost of fuel is an increasingly significant
production expense for greenhouse growers in temperate
climates. High heating costs have motivated growers to
improve the efficiency of crop production to minimize energy
inputs. We have been performing experiments to understand
how temperature and photosynthetic daily light integral
influence production time and quality of numerous flowering
ornamental plants. Using a decision-support computer
program called Virtual Grower, we can estimate energy
consumption in different commercial greenhouse environments
throughout the United States. With this information, we are
able to predict the growing temperature that consumes the
least amount of energy on a per-crop basis. Additional
energy-efficient greenhouse production strategies will also
be briefly presented.