Towards a Sustainable Greenhouse: Review of Trends and Emerging Practices in Analysing Greenhouse Ventilation Requirements to Sustain Maximum Agricultural Yield

Mohammad Akrami, Alaa H. Salah, Akbar A. Javadi, Hassan E.S. Fath, Matthew J. Hassanein, Raziyeh Farmani, Mahdieh Dibaj and Abdelazim Negm
Additional contact information
Mohammad Akrami: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Alaa H. Salah: City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Akbar A. Javadi: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Hassan E.S. Fath: Environmental Engineering Department, School of Energy Resources, Environment, Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering (EECE), Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Matthew J. Hassanein: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Raziyeh Farmani: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Mahdieh Dibaj: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Abdelazim Negm: Water and Water structures Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Cultivation in open fields mainly depends on the location and time of farming, which itself highly depends on the quality and quantity of water for irrigation, weather conditions and soil characteristics. Water resources are highly dependent on the limited freshwater resources from the groundwater system, or rainwater. Countries in MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) rely mostly on desalination technologies for agriculture, due to water scarcity. Therefore, greenhouse (GH) agriculture can be developed to succeed in dealing with the water scarcity and provide sufficient sources of agricultural products as a sustainable solution. These indoor agriculture facilities, which are enclosed by transparent covers, can produce different sources of fruits and vegetables, using a controlled amount of water. By reducing the exchange rate of air with the outside environment, which is known as the confinement effects, greenhouses generate a suitable environment for the plants to grow under transparent covers to trap the sunlight. This raises the inside temperature above the maximum threshold levels, especially within the warm season, due to the high solar radiation intensity, having an adverse influence on the microclimate conditions and consequently the crop growth. In order to sustain maximum agricultural yield, greenhouse ventilation is an important parameter in which its trends and emerging practices were reviewed in this study.

Keywords: greenhouse; sustainability; ventilation; agriculture; energy and water efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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