Result overview
Low light transmitting greenhouse gave a 37% lower cucumber production than the high light-transmitting glass greenhouse.
| Polycarbonate Greenhouse |
Production (kg/m²) |
St. deviation (4 plots)
|
| Khassib low stem density
|
9.47 |
0.88 |
| Khassib low stem density |
10.22 |
0.59 |
| Khassib high stem density |
8.66 |
0.82 |
| Alfrid low stem density |
8.49 |
0.54 |
| Polycarbonate Greenhouse |
Production (kg/m²) |
St. deviation (4 plots)
|
| Khassib low stem density |
14.50 |
0.63 |
| Khassib high stem density |
16.12 |
1.15
|
| Alfrid low stem density |
13.26 |
0.96 |
| Alfrid high stem density |
8.49 |
0.87
|
Low light-transmitting greenhouse used 9% less water for cooling, but as the production dropped more than the water consumption, the water use efficiency of the low light-transmitting greenhouse was less than the highly transparent glass greenhouse.
|
|
From 8 April Till 9 July |
|
|
|
Clear Glass Greenhouse |
Polycarbonate Greenhouse
|
| Irrigation |
321 |
256 |
| Drain |
78 |
58 |
| Irri-drain |
243 |
198 |
| Cooling |
476 |
458 |
| Net water use |
719 l/m² |
656 l/m²
|
| Yield |
14.6 kg/m² |
9.2 kg/m²
|
| WUE |
49 l/kg |
72 l/kg
|
Recommendation
- As long as the temperature can be well controlled (which is the case in the dry arid climate conditions in the Riyadh region) high light levels are no problem for cucumber
- The variety Khassib gives a higher production than the variety Alfrid
- Therefore, ensuring a high light transmissivity of the greenhouse (60%) gives a better water use efficiency than using an insulating low transmission greenhouse (35%).
