Greenhouses are constructed to facilitate improved crop yields. Crop physiology is the field of study concentrated on the functioning of plants. A good understanding of how crops behave in different circumstances, enables us to use technology to our advantage. Especially in intensive horticulture, technological solutions are leveraged for increased yields and better company results.

The behavioral understanding of crops, physiology, provides us with a framework of processes which we can influence with the use of climate. Climate is the generic term for the environmental conditions around the crop. Because we are able to steer the climate with temperature, humidity, light and CO2, we can indirectly steer the internal processes of the crop.

There are many different crops cultivated in greenhouses. Almost all of which are cultivated with the goal to increase in size and weight. This increase in size and weight is what we call plant-growth. The rate and the form of plant-growth is strongly dependent of the crop itself and the desired commercial output of the produce.

Physiological processes such as photosynthesis, mitosis, transpiration and respiration all determine the rate of measurable plant-growth. All these internal plant-process are influenced by temperature, most by light, some by CO2 and only transpiration by humidity.

Following posts in this category will go further into crop physiology and what we do to improve plant growth in greenhouses.