Analysis of the Effect of Concentrations of Four Whitening Products in Cover Transmissivity of Mediterranean Greenhouses

Alejandro López-Martínez, Diego Luis Valera-Martínez, Francisco Domingo Molina-Aiz, María de los Ángeles Moreno-Teruel, Araceli Peña-Fernández and Karlos Emmanuel Espinoza-Ramos
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Alejandro López-Martínez: CIAIMBITAL Research Centre, University of Almería, Ctra. de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain
Diego Luis Valera-Martínez: CIAIMBITAL Research Centre, University of Almería, Ctra. de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain
Francisco Domingo Molina-Aiz: CIAIMBITAL Research Centre, University of Almería, Ctra. de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain
María de los Ángeles Moreno-Teruel: CIAIMBITAL Research Centre, University of Almería, Ctra. de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain
Araceli Peña-Fernández: CIAIMBITAL Research Centre, University of Almería, Ctra. de Sacramento s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain
Karlos Emmanuel Espinoza-Ramos: Departmento de Ingenierías, Centro Universitario de la Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara. Av. Independencia Nacional 151, Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco 48900, Mexico

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: The present work analyses the traditional method of applying whitening products on Mediterranean greenhouses. Four commercial whitening products (agricultural solar protectors, ASPs), applied at four doses, were compared with a non-whitened cover. The traditional product “Blanco de España” with 99% calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) and other three products with 97% CaCO 3 that incorporate adhesives were tested. The use of adhesives in ASP did not influence the effect of the different products on the inside temperature, and at the same dose all four products show a similar behaviour. The findings support the maximum dose recommended by other authors of 0.50 kg L −1 (50/100), above which the transmissivity of the greenhouse cover decreases by over 50%. The effect of ASP on the transmissivity of the cover depends principally on the dose applied, but also on the climatic conditions (solar radiation, cloud cover, etc.) and on the time of year (solar elevation). The habitual use of a constant dose throughout the year does not seem to be the most adequate. Recommended doses should vary according to the time of year and the desired degree of transmissivity reduction. The adhesive components are shown to provide a high degree of protection against heavy rain. The study recommends a standardised method of ASP application, establishing a method that allows the grower to verify the concentration of the product that will remain on the greenhouse cover.

Keywords: greenhouse; agricultural solar protector; crop protection; cover transmissivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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