Greenhouse Production Handbook

8/13/2019 Greenhouse Production Handbook

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JJaammaaiiccaaGGrreeeennhhoouusseeGGrroowweerrss

AAssssoocciiaattiioonnHANDBOOK

JamaicaGreenhouseGrowersAssociation

RADABuilding,CaledoniaRoad,Mandeville,JamaicaW.I.

Email:[email protected]


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BasicPrinciplesofLowCostGreenhouseProductioninJamaicaBy:DerrickSmithEditedby:JervisRoweIntroduction

TheTechnologyofproducinghorticulturalcrops ingreenhouseshasbeenaroundfordecades.

Greenhouseproductionprovidesgrowerswiththeabilitytoachievesignificantlyhigheryields

thanopenfieldproduction.Thisismainlyduetotheenclosedstructureandprotectiveantiviral

nettingwhichprotectsplantsfrompests,diseasesandharshelementsaswellastheuseofdrip

irrigation and a fertilization program that ensures good plant nutrition and an increased

capacitytobearmore.Thetechnologyalsoinvolvestheuseoflesslandareacomparedtoopen

fieldproduction,moreefficientuseofwaterresources;andfarlessuseofchemicalstocontrol

pestsanddiseases.

Greenhouse productionwas introduced to Jamaica on awidescale in 2005. A few farmers

planted lettuce,tomatoesandexperimentedwithothercropsbefore.AsaformofProtective

Agricultureithasshowngreatpromisehere.

TwoTypesofLowCostGreenhouse


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Management

This type of operation is intensive and needs dedication to be successful. A Low Cost

Greenhouse is one which costs below U.S. $30.00 per square meter. The minimum

recommendedaltitude

is

400

meters

above

sea

level,

when

antiviral

netting

is

used.

Below

this

elevationantiviralnetting shouldnotbeusedunlessadditionalequipment forcoolingetc. is

added.

GrowingMediums

Thesearepresentlyinusehere.

a. Soil[direct]b. Soilwithgravelinbagsc. Coird. Perlite

BasicEquipment

a. Phmeterb. ECmeterc. Thermometerd. ElectronicScale5lbs.capacity.e. MeasuringCylinderf. RelativeHumiditymeter

Water

Availabilityandqualityofwatershouldbechecked.Accesstogoodqualitywaterisoneofthe

most important inputs forgreenhouseproduction.Attheirearlystage,crops requireat least

0.75 to1 literperplant,perdayand this increasesat theblooming, fruiting,andharvesting

stages.Highyieldingindeterminatetomatoesbeforeharvestmayrequireupto2.5to3.00liters

perplantperday.

Growing

in

the

Soil

Thesoilshouldbeproperlypreparedtoallowforexcellentdevelopmentoftherootsystem.It

isbesttouseRaisedBedswhichensureslesscompactionandroomforworkerstomanoeuvre.

Bedsshouldbe1.7meters fromcentre tocentreofbeds.Thesuggestedplantingdistance is


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tworowsperbed,40centimetersbetweenplantsalongthebedand50centimetersbetween

rowsstaggeredfortomatoandsweetpepper.

]

SeedlingProduction

SeedselectionTomato Alboranisoneoftherecommendedindeterminatevarieties.

Beverleyisnematoderesistantandisgainingpopularity.

SweetPepperEarlySunsation[yellow]

KingHenry

[Red]

Lexington[Red]

Theuseofdiseasefreeseedlingsisamust,soseedsshouldbesowninaprotectednursery.

FORA600SQUAREMETERHOUSE:

Sow2000seeds.

Tofill16seedlingtrays[128cells]

Mix25lbs.ofgrowingmediumwith300grams12610[MAP],50gramsTrichozamin10liters

ofwater.ProperwateringwithgoodPestandDiseasecontrolshouldbefollowedupuntilthe

seedlingsarereadyfortransplanting.

40

50 DripLine


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Transplanting

Duringtransplantingselectyourseedlingsaccordingtothelength,thicknessandturgidityofthe

plant.StarterSolutionisusedduringtheprocedure.Thesolutionismadebymixing5lbs.DAP

[18460]fertilizerin80gallonsofwater.Apply200ccofthesolutiontoeachhole.Transplant

within

5

minutes.

TransplantingTomatoes

Whenthesolutionhas

beencompletelyabsorbed

buttheholesarestillvery

wet,thatiswithin5

minutes.

DripIrrigation

System

TheComponentsare:

a. WaterTanksb. WaterPumpselectricorgasc. Elevatedstandofabout5feettosupporttanksforgravityfeed.d. FilterSystems.e. Pipesf. DriplinesorSpaghettisystem[MicroTube5/3]


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Irrigation

Thequantityofwaterusedisdependentonthesoil,theweathercondition,growthstageofthe

plantandthepressure.Therecommendedpressureisbetween812psi.Forthespaghetti

system[MicroTube5/3]anelectricpumpisused,givingapressureof15psiatthedripper.

Also

when

using

bags

e.g.

6

x

11

x

14

two

drippers

are

used

per

bag,

with

a

dripper

on

either

sideoftheplant.

DripMaintenance

a. Cleanorcheckallfiltersdaily.Wheregravelorsandfilterisused,backwashbeforefillingtanks.

b. Phosphoricacidormolassescanbeusedinthecleaningprocess.Usingoneofthetanks,add

phosphoric

acid

to

lower

the

ph

of

the

water

to

ph

3.This

solution

is

applied

to

the

greenhousedripsystemwhereplantsareinthesoil,todissolvemanganese,ironand

calciumprecipitateswhichhaveaccumulatedinthelinesanddrippers.Allthisprocess

shouldlastforapproximately30minutes.

c. Thelinesshouldbeflushedweekly.FertilizationProgram

Plantsarefertilizedeverytimewaterisaddedexceptonceperweekwhenthesystemis

cleaned.

It

is

best

to

use

individual

soluble

fertilizers

when

available

to

make

your

mixture.

This

isafterachemicalanalysisofthesoilisdone.Theoptimumphrangeforthenutrientsolutionis

5.6to5.8.MostofJamaicaswatersourcesarealkaline,phosphoricacidisrecommendedto

correctthisproblemtolowertheph.Addtheacidtothemixtureandnotbefore.

AttachedaregeneralfertilizationprogramsforTomatoandSweetPepper,changeswillhaveto

bemadedependingonthelocation.

PlantSupportSystem

Thiscanbemadefromanyaffordablematerialavailablee.g.bamboo, woodandmetal.The

wireatthetopofthesystemshouldbeabout2.5metersaboveground.


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TrellisingorPlantTraining

Thecordandwiresshouldbeinplaceimmediatelyaftertransplanting.Whiteisthe

recommendedcolorofthecord.Planttrainingisdoneasrequired,possiblyweekly.

SweetPepperPruningandtrellising

AttachedisSweetPepperpruning.

Tomatopruninginvolvesthreeoperations:

a. SuckersToberemovedtwiceweekly.b. FruitsToberemovedweekly(doneduring(a)developmentalstage(b)tofacilitatemarketablefruitsize).

c. LeavesFivedaysbeforeharvestremovethelowerleavesuptothelowestfruitbearingcluster.Oncethelowestfruitshavebeenharvested,continuethepruningbyremoving

thoseleavesthatwereabovetheharvestedclusterandthatarenowbelowthenext

lowestfruitbearingcluster.


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Pollination

Tomatoesareselfpollinated.Inthegreenhousetheflowersmustbevibratedforthepollento

beloosenedanddustedontothestigma.Pollinationintomatoisachievedbyvibratingthe

clusterfor1to2secondsbyshakingthetrellisingsystembyhand,byusingamistbloweroran

electric

vibrator.

This

has

to

be

done

at

least

every

other

day,

between

10:00

am

and

2:00

pm

orpreferablewhentherelativehumidityisbetween60to70percent.Withoutpropervibration

poorfruitquality,shapeandsizewillresult.Theoptimumtemperatureforpollinationiswithin

70to80degreesFahrenheit.

SweetPeppersneednooutsideassistance.

Temperature

Adaytemperatureof70to82degreesF.isoptimum,whilenighttemperatureof62to64

degreesF.isoptimumforgreenhousetomatoes.Avoidtemperaturesabove90degreesF.

becauseat86degreesF.lycopenenolongerdevelops.

PestandDiseaseManagement

Pests

a.Miteswillbepresentevenwiththeantiviralmeshespeciallyonsweetpepper.The crops

havetobemonitoredatleasttwiceperweek.

b.AphidsandWhiteFlies.

Withantiviral

mesh

these

should

not

be

present

but

in

case

use

an

insecticide

which

is

recommendedforgreenhousecondition,andalsocheckforplantswithvirus.Thesemustbe

removedanddiscardedimmediately.

FungalProblem

ThesecanbesoilborneorontheFoliage.

SoilBorneThemostcommonaretheDampingOffcomplex[Phytophtora,Pythiumand

Rhizoctonia],FusariumandSouthernBlight.

TreatmentsToavoidthisproblemuseresistantvarietiesoruseTrichoderma[beneficial

fungus]fromtheseedsowingstage.Ifthefunguspersistsitwillhavetobeidentifiedandthe

appropriatefungicideapplied.Applythemaximumrecommendeddosage,aweeklaterre

applyTrichoderma.


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FoliarFungalDiseasesThisismoreprevalentwherethereishighrainfall,highdaytime

temperatureandcoolnighttimetemperature.ThemostcommondiseasesareAlternaria[Early

Blight],Phytophthora[LateBlight],Botrytis[GreyMold]andPowderyMildew[Leveillulataurica].

Treatment

a.

Start

with

good

quality

seedlings

b.Applyproperfertilizationprogram.

c.CheckwithRADAorJGGAforadvice.

Basicallytherearethreemainbacterialproblemswhichaffectthesecrops.

a. BacterialSpotXanthomonascampestrisThesymptomsaredarkbrownwithayellowishring,spotsabout2mm.indiameter.Ithasasoaked,oilyareainthemiddle

sectionofthespot;withinafewdaysthisareaoftheleafwilldieandtheplantdropsall

theinfected

leaves

to

protect

itself.

TreatmentUseresistantvarieties.

Goodqualityseedlings.

Usecopperbasedfungicides

b. BacterialSpeckPseudomonassyringaeSymptomsaresimilartobacterialspot.Itcanonlybedifferentiatedbythesymptomsonthefruits.

Treatment

Same

as

bacterial

spot.

c. BacterialWiltRalstoniasolanacearumThisdiseaseisseriousintomatobutpeppersarenotassusceptible.Thediseasehasgainedimportanceinprotectedcultivation

wheretemperaturesareusuallyhigherandcroprotationisnotproperlyperformed.It

usuallyoccursinfociassociatedwiththeaccumulationofwaterinlowspots.Common

symptomsarewiltingofupperleavesespeciallyonhotdays,thewiltedleavesmaintain

theirgreencoloranddonotfallasthediseaseprogresses.Underfavorablecondition

forthedisease,theentireplantwilts.

Treatment

None


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Virus

Atthefirstsignofaninfectedplantpullitoutastheinfectedplantcannotbecured.InJamaica

themajorproblemisaphidtransmittedvirus,sothebestdealistopreventtheaphidfrom

feedingand

transmitting

the

virus

to

another

plant.

Belowaresomebasicpreventionmethods.

a. Treatseedlingswithsystemicinsecticidefromthenurserystage,eg.Actara.b. RemovebroadleafweedsfromthegreenhousesurroundingsespeciallythosefromtheSolanaceaefamily.

c. Keepatleastoneoftheentrancedoorstothegreenhouseclosedatalltimes.d. Scoutinsidegreenhousedaily.Useclearstickytrapsinsteadofyellow.

RootKnotNematodesinTomatoesThesearesoilborne.Thesenematodes[Meloidogynespp.]areverysmallandwormlikewhichinfecttherootsystemoftheplants,damagingthe

tissueandreducingthecapacityoftherootstomovethewaterandnutrientstotheleaves.The

plantwilldieeventually.

Symptomsincludeelongatedswellingsoftherootlengthforminggalls,poorgrowthofthe

plantandwiltingduringthehottimeoftheday.


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RootKnotNematode

Treatment

a. Useresistantvarieties.b. UseanematicidesuchasVydate.[ContactJGGAorRADA]c. DonotallowvisitorsintheGreenhouse.d. UseFootbathwithadisinfectantsuchasbleachoriodine.

PostHarvest

Usefieldcratestoharvestinordertoavoiddamagestothefruits.Cleanthefruitsafterreaping

andstore

in

acool

environment

until

marketing.

Additionally,

clean

the

house

by

removing

all

fallenfruits,leavesandbranches.


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HurricanePrecautions

Jamaicaissituateddirectlyinthehurricanepath.Regardlessofthedesignormaterialusedfor

construction,withoutexecutingprehurricanepreparationmeasures,thegreenhousescanbe

destroyed.Theseareminimumpracticestobeadheredtointheadventofahurricane.

a. Plasticandnettingshouldbeinstalledtothegreenhousebymeansofatypeoflockingdevicewhichwillenablethequickremovalofthepiecesofthesematerials.

b. Removeplasticandnettingfromthegreenhousestructure.c. Afuelpumpandstandbygeneratormaybenecessarytosavethecropafterthehurricane.

d. Watertanksshouldbefilledwithwaterorremovedtoaprotectedarea.e. Ifbagsorpotsareusedforgrowingtheplants,theplantscanberemovedtoasafeareaorlayonthesideswithalightcovering.

f. Ifgrowingdirectlyinthesoilremovetheplantsfromthetrellisingsystemandlaythemflat.

g. Arrangetogetenoughlabourtocarryoutallthesemeasuresquickly.Conclusion

Greenhousefarmersheretendtoemphasizeonlythegreenhouseconstructionandforgetall

aboutthe

good

agricultural

practices

[GAP].

There

is

the

need

to

apply

all

good

practices

to

get

highyields.Tomato20lbs./treeandSweetPepper8lbs./treepercrop.


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READYFORSALEAND

HARVESTING


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BasicPrinciplesofPruningandTrellisingSweetPepperSweetPepperplantsareindeterminateplants,whichmeantheycontinuallygrownewstems

andleaves.Inordertomaximizeproductiontheplantshavetobeprunedandtrainedregularly

toensureabalancedgrowth.Pruningalsoimprovesaircirculationaroundtheplantwhichhelps

toreduce

diseases.

Thereareseveralrecommendedwaysofpruningalthoughsomefarmersevensuggestno

pruning.

Asnewleavesandlateralsideshootsdevelopfromtheaxilsofthenewnodesonthegrowing

stems,theyhavetobeprunedtomaintainthe2,3,or4main stemarchitectureoftheplant.

Thepepperfloweralsodevelopsatthenode, thatisthepointofthestemfromwhichleaves

alsoarise.Whentheplantdevelops23stemshootsatthefork,theplantshouldbeprunedto

leavethetwostrongeststems.

Astheplantgrowsanotheroneortwoshootsmaybechosen,togivethreeorfourstems.This

dependsonthevigouroftheplantwheretwo,threeorfourstemsarechosenforthelifeofthe

plant.

ChoiceoffruitsSomefarmersallowfruits

fromallnodestomaturewhileothersallow

alternateones.

Trellising

Eachstemwillgrowtoaheightofupto12

feetandrequiresupportinordertoremain

upright.Twinehungfromtheoverhead

supportwiresisusedtosupporteachstem.

Thetwineistiedtothemainstemabout10

inchesupfromthesoilorgrowingmedia,one

lengthoftwineperstem.

Itisimportanttokeepthepruningcurrent

withthe

development

of

the

plant

.The

stem

isbrittleandeasilysnapssopruningand

trellisingmuststartpromptly.Alsoproduction

willsufferiftheplantsresourceswere

allowedtogointounnecessaryleafandstem

production.Itmustbeemphasizedthat


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peppersareprunedtotwostems,andifpossiblemaintainsixfruitsperstemtomaintain

vegetativeandfruitbalance,evenifthefruithasminordamage,eg.ablossomendrotaffected

fruitshouldnotberemoveduntiltheotherfruitshaveemerged.

Unliketomatoespollinationofpepperflowersoccurssuccessfullywithoutanyoutside

pollination

assistance,

although

Bumble

bee

can

improve

flower

set

and

eventually

yield

and

fruitquality.Pruningisdonebyusingthefingersorcutterstoensurepreciseremovalofthe

lateralsandavoidinganydamagetothemainstemormainstemgrowingpoint.

Asuggestedmethodofpruning


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Greenhouse Production Handbook

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