Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Agricultural Machinery Science, cilt.20, sa.1, ss.25-40, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
According to recent projections, the world's population is anticipated to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, posing significant challenges to global food security and the availability of freshwater resources. The sector of protected cultivation in Egypt plays a pivotal role in ensuring food security, as it supplies wholesale markets with fresh leafy vegetables and fruits during the winter season, offering adequate quantities at reasonable prices. The effective management of greenhouses and protected cultivation necessitates a thorough understanding of climate dynamics and the optimal environmental conditions for cultivated crops. To implement sound management practices for greenhouses, it is imperative to comprehend the influence of climate variables on plant growth and production throughout various seasons. Heating and cooling systems represent significant expenses in greenhouse production. The inadequacy of heating systems has detrimental consequences on the quality, yield, cultivation duration, and quantity of greenhouse products. Therefore, the accurate calculation of the heating costs is critical to decrease the operating costs. In this study, a computer program was developed to calculate heating requirements for glasshouses according to geographical location, product type, cover material, heating system type, and the greenhouse's ground area size. The results reveal that Dakahlia and Behara governorates exhibited the highest heating requirements, with values of 37.31 kW for strawberry, 27.8 kW for pepper, 50.89 kW for strawberry, and 40.62 kW for pepper, respectively. Conversely, Giza, Gharbia, Nubaria, Sharkia, Ismailia, Menoufia, Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh, and Suez governorates did not require heating inside the greenhouses.