Preliminary Results on Climate Conditions Simulation in a Large Scale Greenhouse Equipped with Insect-Proof Nets: Model, Validation and Sensitivity Study

摘要

Easily simulating inside climate conditions in the large insect screened Canary type greenhouses used along the Moroccan coast is particularly important for improving this production system. We have thus, developed a global greenhouse climate model based on combined sensible and latent heat balances in which ventilation flux was simulated by a combination of buoyancy forces and wind effect. This model was validated against experimental measurements performed in a large greenhouse with a tomato crop equipped with insect-proof nets in the region of Agadir in Southern Morocco. The precise estimation of sensible and latent heat fluxes exchanged between the different components of the greenhouse has allowed closing the energy and mass balances of the system and inside air temperature and water vapour content were predicted with a good precision. A sensitivity study about the effects of various types of insect-proof nets was later carried out to analyse the effect on inside greenhouse climate when varying the mesh size of the net. It was shown that with an unchanged vent opening surface, the use of anti-Thrips net was most of the time incompatible with a satisfactory climate for plant growth in the coastal areas of southern Morocco.