Tag Archives: Greenhouse Floriculture

Xiuming Hao, AAFC, Youbin Zheng, University of Guelph, Mike Dixon, University of Guelph

Conserving energy is a top priority for flower greenhouse operators. With this objective in mind, Dr. Xiuming Hao with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada developed and assessed greenhouse heating and climate control strategies that would conserve energy without sacrificing timely production and maximum plant quality. The resulting Temperature Integration Strategy incorporates early morning and pre-morning temperature reductions producing a high quality, compact poinsettia plant that maintained leaf area, bract area and biomass while saving energy. The study also identified that higher root zone heating temperatures could be used with the new Temperature Integration Strategy for additional energy savings but irrigation management may need to be adjusted.

Further reading:
Response of poinsettias to dynamic temperature integration with pre-morning and early morning temperature drop and root zone heating.

Damien de Halleux, Laval University; André Gosselin, Laval University; Xiuming Hao, AAFC Harrow

Damien de Halleux and his team at the Université Laval have developed a successful method of reducing energy costs in the production of potted plants such as poinsettia, hydrangea and petunia. Researchers have found that significant energy reductions of up to 20% can be achieved by a combination of reduced night time temperature, morning CO2 injections and ventilation control. The specific combination of these climatic adjustments enables average temperatures to be maintained at the optimal level and produces more vigorous plants that are ready for holiday delivery dates.