History of Controlled Environment Horticulture: Greenhouses

Abstract

Modern greenhouses are intensive farming systems designed to achieve high efficiency and productivity. Plants are produced year-round in greenhouses by maintaining the environment at or near optimum levels regardless of extreme weather conditions. Many scientific discoveries and technological advancements that happened in the past two centuries paved the way for current state-of-the-art greenhouses. These include, but are not limited to, advancements in climate-specific structural designs and glazing materials, and temperature control, artificial lighting, and hydroponic production systems. Greenhouse structures can be broadly grouped into four distinct designs, including tall Venlo greenhouses of the Netherlands, passive solar greenhouses of China, low-cost Parral greenhouses of the Mediterranean region, and gutter-connected polyethylene houses of India and African countries. These designs were developed to suit local climatic conditions and maximize the return on investment. Although glass and rigid plastic options are available for glazing, the development of low-cost and lightweight plastic glazing materials (e.g., polyethylene) enabled widespread growth of the greenhouse industry in the developing world. For temperate regions, supplemental lighting technology is crucial for year-round production. This heavily relies on advancements in electro-lighting during the 19th and 20th centuries. The development of hydroponic production systems for the controlled delivery of nutrients further enhanced crop productivity. This article addresses important historical events, scientific discoveries, and technological improvements related to advancements in these areas.

The Use of PGPB to Promote Plant Hydroponic Growth

“…The earliest known records of plants grown in a hydroponic like system come from descriptions of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon built along the Euphrates River circa 600 BCE, in what is now Iraq. However, widespread commercial use of these systems did not begin until the late 1900’s when hydroponic growing systems gained popularity with greenhouse vegetable growers in Europe and North America [ 10 ]. In the 1700’s researchers began experimenting with growing plants in what would become known throughout the research community as “water culture”.…”

“…In the 1950’s polyethylene film was introduced as a glazing option, which enabled greenhouse production to expand outside of the developed world due to its lower cost. Rigid plastic materials were introduced in the 1990’s as a glazing option that provided increased light distribution (reduction of shade spots) in comparison to glass, with increased durability in comparison to plastic film [ 10 ].…”

“…CEA is the process of growing crops in a manner that gives the farmer partial to full control over the environmental variables that affect plant growth. Low tech systems such as row covers, low tunnels, high tunnels, and net covers are often referred to as “protected agriculture” [ 10 ]. These systems provide less control over environmental systems in comparison to their “high tech” counterparts.…”

“…While the earliest recorded cases of greenhouse use stretch back to 14 CE during the Roman period, commercial-scale use did not begin until the 20th century in the Netherlands [ 10 ]. During World War II the Netherlands’ greenhouses sustained extensive damage, and during reconstruction after the war engineers in the Venlo region developed the tall, glass, multi-span greenhouse that is often seen today.…”

“…Additionally, when combined with a greenhouse structure, hydroponic systems offer year-round local production of fresh fruits and vegetables in colder climates [ 18 ]. Furthermore, hydroponic systems have been shown to use less fertilizer than soil-based production and up to 90% less water [ 10 , 19 ].…”