scholarly journals Design and Construction of the Penn State High Tunnel

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Lamont ◽  
Martin R. McGann ◽  
Michael D. Orzolek ◽  
Nymbura Mbugua ◽  
Bruce Dye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
State University ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Tunnel Design ◽  
Research And Education ◽  
Production Period ◽  
Design And Construction

Plasticulture technology, especially high tunnels for extending the production period of a wide variety of horticultural crops, is an accepted production practice worldwide. In particular, high tunnels offer a production system that minimizes the effect of the environment on crop production and allows growers to continue to farm in densely populated areas. Only recently has the use of high tunnels in the U.S. been investigated and this research has been centered in the northeastern U.S. In 1999 the High Tunnel Research and Education Facility was established at Pennsylvania State University that resulted in the development of a unique high tunnel design. A detailed description of the new design and construction is presented in this report.

scholarly journals Penn State High Tunnel Extension Program

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 732-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Lamont ◽  
Michael D. Orzolek ◽  
E. Jay Holcomb ◽  
Robert M. Crassweller ◽  
Kathy Demchak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Cut Flowers ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Programming Effort ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Tunnel Design ◽  
Research And Education

The Center for Plasticulture's High Tunnel Research and Education Facility was established at Pennsylvania State University in 1999. Since its inception, applied research has been conducted at this facility by a team of researchers and extension specialists on the development of a new high tunnel design. The development of crop production recommendations for vegetables, small fruits, tree fruits and cut flowers grown in high tunnels has been a priority. To complement the applied research program, an aggressive extension education program was developed to extend information on the technology of high tunnels to county extension personnel, growers, industry representatives, students, master gardeners and the general public. The extension programming effort consisting of demonstration high tunnels, field days, tours, in-service training, publications and presentations made at winter meetings will be discussed in the report below.

scholarly journals Orientation of Small Hobby High Tunnels and Potential Effects on Cut Sunflowers and Fresh Herbs

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-467
Author(s):  
Karen L. Panter ◽  
Timmothy M. Gergeni ◽  
Casey P. Seals ◽  
Andrea R. Garfinkel
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Plant Growth And Development ◽  
Origanum Vulgare ◽  
Horticultural Crop ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Culinary Herbs ◽  
Origanum Majorana ◽  
East West

High tunnels are gaining popularity for their use in horticultural crop production. However, little is known about the effect of high tunnel orientation on plant growth and development. In this set of studies, we show tunnel orientation does not necessarily affect the production of cut sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and culinary herbs oregano (Origanum vulgare), marjoram (Origanum majorana), and garlic chive (Allium tuberosum). Two high tunnels, one with the long axis oriented north-south (NS) and the other east-west (EW), were used to test the effects of high tunnel orientation on several crops over a 5-year period: cut sunflower (2012 and 2016); marjoram, oregano, and garlic chive (2013 and 2014); and garlic chive (2015). The tunnels are 12 × 16 ft, smaller than those used in commercial production. The size would be appropriate for hobby and seasonal production of horticultural crops for local markets. Cut sunflower stems were similar lengths both years in both high tunnels. Sunflower times to harvest were different between cultivars but not between high tunnels. Oregano fresh weight yields were highest in the NS tunnel in 2013 but similar between tunnels in 2014. Marjoram fresh weights were highest in 2013 in the EW tunnel but highest in 2014 in the NS tunnel. Garlic chive fresh weights were similar between tunnels all 3 years. We show that differences are more a function of innate cultivar characteristics than which way small high tunnels are oriented.

Overview of the Use of High Tunnels Worldwide

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Lamont
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
Small Fruit ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
The World ◽  
Agricultural Census ◽  
Disease Pressure

High tunnels have been used for many years worldwide, but in the United States, the utilization of high tunnel technology for the production of horticultural crops is a relatively recent phenomenon. Single and multibay high tunnels are used throughout the world to extend the production season. One big advantage of high tunnels in the temperate and tropical regions of the world is the exclusion of rain, thus reducing the amount of disease pressure and crop loss while improving crop quality and shelf life. In temperate regions of the world, high tunnels are used to increase temperatures for crop production in spring, fall, and sometimes winter seasons. The use of high tunnels in their many forms continues to increase worldwide, and many different kinds of vegetables, small fruit, tree fruit, and flowers are being cultivated. One impediment in determining high tunnel usage worldwide is the failure of many authors and agricultural census takers to distinguish between high tunnels and plastic-covered greenhouses. In many instances, they are presented together under the heading “protected cultivation.”

scholarly journals Production System for Horticultural Crops Grown in the Penn State High Tunnel

2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Lamont ◽  
Michael D. Orzolek ◽  
E. Jay Holcomb ◽  
Kathy Demchak ◽  
Eric Burkhart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Production System ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Black Plastic

At the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) High Tunnel Research and Education Facility, a system of production of high-value horticultural crops in high tunnels has been developed that uses plastic mulch and drip irrigation. The Penn State system involves small-scale, plastic-application equipment that prepares and applies plastic mulch and drip-irrigation tape to individual raised beds. It differs from the production system developed by researchers at the University of New Hampshire in which drip-irrigation tape is manually applied to the soil surface and then the entire soil surface in the high tunnel is covered with a black plastic sheet. An overview of the production system used in the Penn State high tunnels is presented in this report.

scholarly journals Alternative Strategies to Manage Weather Risk in Perennial Fruit Crop Production

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 452-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuay-Tsyr Ho ◽  
Jennifer E. Ifft ◽  
Bradley J. Rickard ◽  
Calum G. Turvey
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Revenue Insurance ◽  
Tunnel System ◽  
Weather Insurance

Fruit producers in the Eastern United States face a wide range of weather-related risks that have the capacity to largely impact yields and profitability. This research examines the economic implications associated with responding to these risks for sweet cherry production in three different systems: high tunnels, revenue insurance, and weather insurance. The analysis considers a distribution of revenue flows and costs using detailed price, yield, and weather data between 1984 and 2013. Our results show that the high tunnel system generates the largest net return if significant price premiums exist for earlier and larger fruit.

scholarly journals Management Practices of Growers Using High Tunnels in the Central Great Plains of the United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 639-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon J.B. Knewtson ◽  
Edward E. Carey ◽  
M.B. Kirkham
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Spinacia Oleracea ◽  
Organic Soil ◽  
The United States ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Leafy Greens ◽  
High Tunnels

A survey was conducted of 81 growers managing 185 high tunnels in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa to collect information about their high tunnel management practices. The survey was administered from 2005 to 2007 using internet-based and written forms. The average respondent had 4 years of high tunnel experience. The oldest tunnel still in use was 15 years old. Twenty-five percent of respondents grew crops in their high tunnels year-round. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), pepper (Capsicum spp.), leafy greens, and flowers were the most common crops. Organic soil amendments were used exclusively by 35% of growers, and in combination with conventional fertilizers by an additional 50% of growers. The summary of management practices is of interest to growers and the industries and university research and extension scientists who serve them. Growers typically reported satisfaction with their high tunnels. Growers with more than one high tunnel had often added tunnels following the success of crop production in an initial tunnel. Labor for crop maintenance was the main limiting factor reported by growers as preventing expanded high tunnel production.

scholarly journals Summer Production of Lettuce, and Microclimate in High Tunnel and Open Field Plots in Kansas

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Edward E. Carey
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Open Fields

High tunnels have been shown to be a profitable season-extending production tool for many horticultural crops. Production of cool-season vegetables during the hot summer months represents a challenge to market growers in the midwestern United States. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the microclimate and production of eight leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivars in high tunnels and open fields, using unshaded and shaded (39% white shadecloth) tunnels in Summer 2002 and 2003, respectively. Wind speed was consistently lower in high tunnels with the sidewalls and endwalls open. An unshaded high tunnel resulted in an increase of daily maximum and minimum air temperatures by ≈0.2 and 0.3 °C, respectively, in comparison with the open field. In contrast, daily maximum air temperature in a shaded high tunnel decreased by 0.4 °C, while the daily minimum air temperature was higher than that in the open field by 0.5 °C. Using high tunnels did not cause a marked change in relative humidity compared with the open field. When using shadecloth, the daily maximum soil temperature was lowered by ≈3.4 °C and the leaf surface temperature was reduced by 1.5 to 2.5 °C. The performance of lettuce during summer trials varied significantly among cultivars. Unshaded high tunnels generally led to more rapid bolting and increased bitterness of lettuce compared with the open field. Lettuce grown in high tunnels covered by shadecloth had a lower bolting rate, but decreased yield relative to the open field. Based on our results, summer lettuce production would not be recommended in high tunnels or open fields in northeastern Kansas, although the potential of shaded high tunnels deserves further studies. Reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) was estimated from meteorological data on a daily basis using the FAO-56 method. The ET0 was lowest in the shaded high tunnel and was the highest in the open field. Relatively lower ET0 in high tunnels indicated a likely lower water requirement and therefore improved water use efficiency compared with the open field.

scholarly journals High Tunnel and Field Production of Organic Heirloom Tomatoes: Yield, Fruit Quality, Disease, and Microclimate

HortScience ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1283-1290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne O’Connell ◽  
Cary Rivard ◽  
Mary M. Peet ◽  
Chris Harlow ◽  
Frank Louws
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Gray Leaf Spot ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Horticultural Crops ◽  
Fruit Cracking ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Season Extension ◽  
Blossom End Rot ◽  
Field Systems

Organic and heirloom tomatoes are high-value products with growing demand but there are many challenges to successful cultivation. A systems comparison study was carried out to evaluate the production of the popular heirloom tomato ‘Cherokee Purple’ (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under high tunnel and open field systems in North Carolina from 2007 to 2008. Management of the high tunnel (i.e., temperature and irrigation), weather events as well as pest and disease pressure influenced crop quality and yield. The high tunnel and field systems achieved similar total yields (100 t·ha−1) the first season but yields were 33% greater in the high tunnel system than the field system in the second year (100 t·ha−1 and 67 t·ha−1, respectively). Both years, the tomatoes were planted in high tunnels 1 month earlier and harvested 3 weeks earlier than the field. The accumulation of ≈1100 growing degree-days (GDD) was required in both systems before 50% of the fruit was harvested. Fruit cracking, cat-facing, blossom-end rot, and insect damage were the major categories of defects in both systems. Incidence of both Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) and Gray Leaf Spot (GLS) were lower in the high tunnel compared with the field in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Results of this study suggest that with proper management techniques, high tunnels can optimize yields, increase fruit quality, and provide season extension opportunities for high-value horticultural crops.

scholarly journals Rowcovers and High Tunnels Enhance Crop Production in the Northeastern United States

1993 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otho S. Wells ◽  
J. Brent Loy
Keyword(s):  
Return On Investment ◽  
Capital Investment ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Management Program ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Season Extension ◽  
Selection Of

Crop growth is enhanced with the use of relatively inexpensive rowcovers and high tunnels. Even though these structures do not provide the same degree of environmental control as greenhouses, they modify the climate sufficiently to lengthen the growing season from 1 to 4 weeks in the spring and 2 to 8 weeks in the fall. Rowcovers generally remain over a crop for 2 to 4 weeks, whereas a high tunnel may function for an entire growing season. Both systems require a relatively low capital investment, provide a good return on investment, and improve the ability of new growers to succeed in the crop production business. The selection of either rowcovers or high tunnels will depend on the management program of a grower; however, both growing systems potentially are economically viable means of season extension.

scholarly journals The Economics of Low-cost High Tunnels for Winter Vegetable Production in the Southwestern United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Alves Dos Santos Hecher ◽  
Constance L. Falk ◽  
Juliette Enfield ◽  
Steven J. Guldan ◽  
Mark E. Uchanski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Double Layer ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Southwestern United States ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Tunnel Design

Relatively little season extension research has been conducted in the southwestern United States, particularly with low-cost high tunnels or hoop houses for small-scale farmers. In this study, the economics of winter production of two leafy crops [lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea)] in high tunnels in two locations in New Mexico were investigated, first using a simulation analysis in which yields were stochastic variables followed by a sensitivity analysis to examine returns from the high tunnel designs more closely. The returns examined in the sensitivity analysis were net of high tunnel materials, crop seed cost, and electricity. Two planting dates were tested and three high tunnel designs were examined: a single layer covering the house (SL), a double layer inflated with air (DL), and a double layer inflated with air and containing black water barrels to store heat (DL+B). The SL and DL designs appear to be the more appropriate technology for both locations for spinach, whereas for lettuce the DL+B model might be a reasonable option in Alcalde, a more-northern location. Overall, the SL and DL models provided adequate protection for growing crops, were less expensive to build, provided more interior growing space, and resulted in higher probabilities of producing positive returns, compared with the DL+B design. The DL design performed similarly to the SL design, but required running electricity to the structure to power the inflation fan, adding to the cost. As a result, expected returns in all cases were higher using the SL design based on the results of the sensitivity analyses. Combining the risk and the sensitivity analyses provides growers with a unique evaluation process to make high tunnel design, planting date, and crop choices.

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