article · Horticulturae
Rising temperatures from global climate change create severe heat stress that damages crop yields, particularly in arid regions. To address this, tomato cultivation was evaluated during late summer using various protected walk-in tunnel systems suited to different financial capacities, powered by solar energy. These setups included a naturally ventilated shaded net tunnel, a net tunnel with a fogging system, and a plastic tunnel with evaporative cooling using wet pads and fans. Compared to open-field cultivation, all protected systems improved microclimate conditions and reduced crop physiological disorders such as blossom-end rot, sunscald, and cracking. The active cooling methods enhanced plant leaf area, cell membrane efficiency, and chlorophyll levels. Marketable fruit yields rose by approximately 31.5 percent under evaporative cooling, 28.8 percent under fogging, and 17 percent under the shaded net tunnel.
High temperatures threaten food security in hot, arid regions by impairing plant health and ruining marketable harvests. Using renewable solar power to run low-carbon cooling systems within walk-in tunnels provides a practical path to shielding vegetable crops from extreme heat. This approach boosts viable harvest volumes while conserving crop quality during harsh summer conditions.
This research demonstrates an applied and tested technology combining solar power with fogging or evaporative cooling in walk-in tunnels. The primary users are commercial growers and smallholder farmers operating in hot, arid climates with varying investment capacities. Because the testing took place under field conditions with measurable yield improvements, the solution offers a practical blueprint for greenhouse manufacturers and agricultural equipment providers seeking off-grid, climate-resilient crop protection systems.
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Global warming is by far the most significant issue caused by climate change. Over the past few decades, heat stress has intensified into a serious issue that has a negative impact on crop production. Hence, it is crucial to modify cultivation systems to cope with this kind of stress, particularly in arid dry regions. In comparison to open-field cultivation, tomato production under protected cultivation techniques in walk-in tunnels that are suited for different farmers’ financial abilities was evaluated during the late summer season. The studied tunnels included a shaded net tunnel with natural ventilation, net tunnel with a fogging system and plastic tunnel with evaporative cooling (wet pad and fans). For the operation of fogging and evaporative cooling systems, solar energy was used as a sustainable, eco-friendly energy source. The results indicated that the solar energy system successfully operated the studied cooling systems. All studied protective cultivation techniques mitigated heat stress on tomato plant and improved the microclimate under walk-in tunnels. Moreover, evaporative cooling and fogging systems significantly increased plant leaf area, cell membrane efficiency and the contents of chlorophyll, relative water and proline compared to the net tunnel with natural ventilation. Furthermore, a marked reduction in physiological disorders was noticed. Improved physiological and biochemical parameters and limited physiological diseases led to higher fruit set, marketable fruit yield and total productivity. The percentage of marketable fruit yield increased by around 31.5% with an evaporative cooling system, 28.8% with a fogging system and 17% with a shaded net tunnel with no positive cooling as compared to an open field. However, the plants grown in open-field cultivation without protection significantly deteriorated from heat stress and had a high incidence of physiological disorders. The most incident physiological disorders were blossom-end rot, cracking, internal white tissues, sunscald, puffiness, blotchy ripening, cat face and exserted stigma. It is recommended to use a solar energy system to modify microclimate conditions through fogging or evaporative cooling under walk-in tunnels to ameliorate heat stress on grown tomato in the late summer season for higher fruit yield and fewer physiological disorders.
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DOI: 10.3390/horticulturae9010077
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