Protected Ornamentals: A demonstration of the use of advanced greenhouse environmental controls for energy saving

The principles of temperature integration (TI) have been successfully applied on 3 separate commercial nurseries to three different ornamental crops, pot chrysanthemums, begonia and zonal pelargoniums.

• Energy savings of at least 10% were demonstrated, representing a saving of £5,000 per ha per annum to the average producer of heated pot plants
• There was no perceivable difference in crop quality or disease levels
• Satisfactory humidity control was achieved with TI. However greater attention does need to be paid to humidity control when using this technique.

The Climate Change Levy, rising fuel costs and increasing pressure (both legislative and customer driven) to reduce energy use means that energy efficient production continues to be an important issue for all producers of protected crops.

A study trip to Denmark and Holland (PC 172) concluded that the use of advanced control methods is an effective way of improving energy efficiency.  Following this, work carried out at HRI Efford (PC 190) showed that the principles of temperature integration could be applied to a crop of pot chrysanthemum with minimal effect on plant quality and scheduling whilst delivering energy savings as high as 25%.  This project builds on the findings of PC 190 by demonstrating the application of temperature integration strategies on commercial nurseries.  More specifically the objectives were to:

• Demonstrate the effectiveness of temperature integration on a commercial scale by monitoring energy use and crop performance
• Further illustrate to growers the commercial & economic advantages of making better use of energy saving environmental control technologies
• Extend the knowledge on temperature integration to a wider range of pot plant crops.

It is intended that, as a result of this project, growers will have increased confidence in temperature integration as an energy saving tool that does not compromise crop performance.  Furthermore, it will quantify the financial benefits to be gained and provide a sound basis for investment decisions where this is required.

Practical experience gained during this project will also help growers to realise the full benefits of the technique more quickly.