Reduction in the Solar Radiation Transmittance of Greenhouses Covered with Plastic Films

Abstract

The reduction in solar radiation transmittance(SRT) because of dust and other foreign materials was experimentally tested in two types of greenhouses with the intent to obtain basic data for establishing maintenance and management guidelines for greenhouse cover materials. The test results in the greenhouse in Gyehwa-do estimated the amount of removed dust at 16.8– 1,021.6 mg·m-2(average: 520.7 mg·m-2), and the dust amount varied widely with the measurement points. The SRT measured in triplicate before and after dust removal ranged 68.5–80.9% and 80.9–87.2%, respectively; thus, there was an improvement in SRT by about 8.1% after dusting. In contrast, the greenhouse in Gyeongsang National University did not exhibit great fluctuations in the coefficient of determination(correlation coefficient) regardless of the daily total, average, or maximum horizontal surface radiation; the SRT gradually decreased over time. The SRT increased or decreased, showing clearly different patterns in summer and winter half years, as did the coefficients of determination(0.468–0.828). Dust was measured to be in the range 747.1– 983.1 mg·m-2(average: 840.1 mg·m-2), without great differences between the measurement points, unlike in the case of the greenhouse in Gyehwa-do. The SRT measured before and after the dust removal ranged 73.0–80.5% and 81.0–88.6%, respectively, showing an average improvement of about 7.9%. The SRT measured after washing with water ranged 88.7–90.6%, demonstrating a greater improvement with an average increase rate of 13.0%, which is 5.1% higher than the increase rate after dust removal. These results suggest that although washing with water rather than dust removal improves SRT to a greater extent(13.0% vs. 7.9%), dust removal alone is considered to provide considerable improvement in SRT. Comparison of the images of the unused film and pre-dusting film under the microscope revealed that foreign materials such as dust were adhered to the pre-dusting film, and variations were observed according to the magnification ratio and photographed area.