Urbanus Ndungwa Mutwiwa

Cooling Greenhouses in the Tropics: Greenhouse Cooling Urbanus Ndungwa Mutwiwa

Greenhouses allow producers to grow plants at a time when it would be impossible to grow outside because of the adverse climate, pests and diseases. In order to achieve maximum returns from greenhouse cultivation, it is important to maintain an environment that promotes optimum plant growth and production all year round. High heat loads and humidity and the desire to achieve optimum growing conditions inside greenhouses stimulate the use of various cooling methods. Cooling the greenhouse air is an important issue for greenhouse operators during the warmest months, because the climatic conditions potentially limit crop yield and quality and constrain benefits. Greenhouse cooling can be done either actively by use of forced ventilation or passively through natural ventilation or shading. This book discusses the various options for cooling greenhouses in the tropics.