The greenhouse production sector has highly developed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the recent years. The weather condition in the Kingdom is characterized by long hot summer and limited water recourses. As well, protected cultivation is a necessity for a year-round production of essential vegetable crops. Protected cultivation improves water use efficiency, production per unit area and labor. It also protects crops from prevailing weather conditions and sustainable crop intensification.
There is a wide range of greenhouse technology in the Kingdom, starting from original houses with minimal climate control (furnaces and vents) to the modern multi-span glasshouses with high-tech climate controls, including sophisticated and powerful heating systems, evaporative cooling pads, exhaust fans, roof vents, thermal/shade curtains, artificial lighting, computer controls and light sensors.
Furthermore, the modern cost-effective greenhouse structures with greater investment in the height, volume, cooling and ventilation efficiency of the structure require less pesticides spraying. In addition, they provide better quality production, healthier crops and better yield. They also have a better cost-benefit ratio and allow environment friendly production.
It is well known that greenhouse cultivation under warm climate conditions, as the situation in the Kingdom, requires a specific greenhouse design and climate control equipment. Therefore, in order to provide growers and investors with knowledge and good management for modern greenhouse, Estidamah research will focus on the following themes, while elaborating on the benefits of greenhouse technologies and energy use, temperature, relative humidity and light control, greenhouse design and covering materials, artificial lighting, CO2 enrichment and cooling systems.