Dynamics of shaded areas in a typical-shaped solar greenhouse and their effects on tomato growth—A case study in winter

Abstract

The side walls and fixed insulation quilt of a solar greenhouse helped reduce heat loss from the room at night but produced shadows on the greenhouse floor during the day, affecting the growth and development of crops. In the present study, a method to calculate the projected area of the side walls and fixed insulation quilt in the greenhouse was derived. Then, a typical-shaped solar greenhouse and tomatoes were used as experimental research objects to investigate the spatial and temporal variation of indoor solar radiation intensity and tomato growth. The results showed that: 1) The average absolute error between the calculated and measured values of the ground shade of the solar greenhouse on four typical sunny days was 1.12%, 2.65%, and 2.02%, respectively. The area of selected greenhouse was 450m2, the maximum shaded area could account for 20.3% of the total area of the greenhouse, the shaded area projected by the insulation onto the greenhouse floor remained constant at different times, and that projected by the wall decreased and then increased parabolically with time. 2) The average solar radiation intensity in the greenhouse at the winter solstice tended to increase and then decrease with time, with a maximum value of 41,374.0 Lux. The uniformity of solar radiation distribution was reduced in the morning, evening and midday hours. 3) The tomato plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index and yield were 36.9%, 14.7%, 63.1% and 125.4% higher, respectively, in the high than in the low solar radiation zone. The results of the study can provide a theoretical basis for clarifying the dynamics of shaded areas and the spatial and temporal distribution of solar radiation intensity in greenhouses, and for optimizing the structural parameters of solar greenhouses.