JamaicaGreenhouse Growers Association

HANDBOOK

JamaicaGreenhouseGrowersAssociation RADABuilding,CaledoniaRoad,Mandeville,JamaicaW.I. Email:jgga01@gmail.com 1

BasicPrinciplesofLowCostGreenhouseProductioninJamaica By:DerrickSmith Editedby:JervisRowe

Introduction TheTechnologyofproducinghorticulturalcropsingreenhouseshasbeenaroundfordecades. Greenhouseproductionprovidesgrowerswiththeabilitytoachievesignificantlyhigheryields thanopenfieldproduction.Thisismainlyduetotheenclosedstructureandprotectiveantiviral nettingwhichprotectsplantsfrompests,diseasesandharshelementsaswellastheuseofdrip irrigation and a fertilization program that ensures good plant nutrition and an increased capacitytobearmore.Thetechnologyalsoinvolvestheuseoflesslandareacomparedtoopen fieldproduction,moreefficientuseofwaterresources;andfarlessuseofchemicalstocontrol pestsanddiseases. Greenhouse production was introduced to Jamaica on a widescale in 2005. A few farmers plantedlettuce,tomatoesandexperimentedwithothercropsbefore.AsaformofProtective Agricultureithasshowngreatpromisehere.

TwoTypesofLowCostGreenhouse
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 Management This type of operation is intensive and needs dedication to be successful. A Low Cost Greenhouse is one which costs below U.S. $30.00 per square meter. The minimum recommendedaltitudeis400metersabovesealevel,whenantiviralnettingisused.Belowthis elevation antiviral netting should not be used unless additional equipment for cooling etc. is added. GrowingMediums Thesearepresentlyinusehere. a. b. c. d. Soil[direct] Soilwithgravelinbags Coir Perlite

BasicEquipment a. Phmeter b. ECmeter c. Thermometer d. ElectronicScale5lbs.capacity. e. MeasuringCylinder f. RelativeHumiditymeter Water Availabilityandqualityofwatershouldbechecked.Accesstogoodqualitywaterisoneofthe most important inputs for greenhouse production. At their early stage, crops require at least 0.75 to 1 liter per plant, per day and this increases at the blooming, fruiting, and harvesting stages.Highyieldingindeterminatetomatoesbeforeharvestmayrequireupto2.5to3.00liters perplantperday. GrowingintheSoil Thesoilshouldbeproperlypreparedtoallowforexcellentdevelopmentoftherootsystem.It isbesttouseRaisedBedswhichensureslesscompactionandroomforworkerstomanoeuvre. Beds should be 1.7 meters from centre to centre of beds. The suggested planting distance is

tworowsperbed,40centimetersbetweenplantsalongthebedand50centimetersbetween rowsstaggeredfortomatoandsweetpepper.
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50 SeedlingProduction SeedselectionTomato Alboranisoneoftherecommendedindeterminatevarieties. Beverleyisnematoderesistantandisgainingpopularity. SweetPepperEarlySunsation[yellow] KingHenry[Red] Lexington[Red] Theuseofdiseasefreeseedlingsisamust,soseedsshouldbesowninaprotectednursery. FORA600SQUAREMETERHOUSE: Sow2000seeds. Tofill16seedlingtrays[128cells] Mix25lbs.ofgrowingmediumwith300grams12610[MAP],50gramsTrichozamin10liters ofwater.ProperwateringwithgoodPestandDiseasecontrolshouldbefollowedupuntilthe seedlingsarereadyfortransplanting.
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Transplanting Duringtransplantingselectyourseedlingsaccordingtothelength,thicknessandturgidityofthe plant.StarterSolutionisusedduringtheprocedure.Thesolutionismadebymixing5lbs.DAP [18460]fertilizerin80gallonsofwater.Apply200ccofthesolutiontoeachhole.Transplant within5minutes. TransplantingTomatoes Whenthesolutionhas beencompletelyabsorbed buttheholesarestillvery wet,thatiswithin5 minutes. DripIrrigationSystem TheComponentsare: a. WaterTanks b. WaterPumpselectricorgas c. Elevatedstandofabout5feettosupporttanksforgravityfeed. d. FilterSystems. e. Pipes f. DriplinesorSpaghettisystem[MicroTube5/3]
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Irrigation Thequantityofwaterusedisdependentonthesoil,theweathercondition,growthstageofthe plantandthepressure.Therecommendedpressureisbetween812psi.Forthespaghetti system[MicroTube5/3]anelectricpumpisused,givingapressureof15psiatthedripper. Alsowhenusingbagse.g.6x11x14twodrippersareusedperbag,withadripperoneither sideoftheplant. DripMaintenance a. Cleanorcheckallfiltersdaily.Wheregravelorsandfilterisused,backwashbefore fillingtanks. b. Phosphoricacidormolassescanbeusedinthecleaningprocess.Usingoneofthetanks, addphosphoricacidtolowerthephofthewatertoph3.Thissolutionisappliedtothe greenhousedripsystemwhereplantsareinthesoil,todissolvemanganese,ironand calciumprecipitateswhichhaveaccumulatedinthelinesanddrippers.Allthisprocess shouldlastforapproximately30minutes. c. Thelinesshouldbeflushedweekly. FertilizationProgram Plantsarefertilizedeverytimewaterisaddedexceptonceperweekwhenthesystemis cleaned.Itisbesttouseindividualsolublefertilizerswhenavailabletomakeyourmixture.This isafterachemicalanalysisofthesoilisdone.Theoptimumphrangeforthenutrientsolutionis 5.6to5.8.MostofJamaicaswatersourcesarealkaline,phosphoricacidisrecommendedto correctthisproblemtolowertheph.Addtheacidtothemixtureandnotbefore. AttachedaregeneralfertilizationprogramsforTomatoandSweetPepper,changeswillhaveto bemadedependingonthelocation. PlantSupportSystem Thiscanbemadefromanyaffordablematerialavailablee.g.bamboo,woodandmetal.The wireatthetopofthesystemshouldbeabout2.5metersaboveground.
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TrellisingorPlantTraining Thecordandwiresshouldbeinplaceimmediatelyaftertransplanting.Whiteisthe recommendedcolorofthecord.Planttrainingisdoneasrequired,possiblyweekly.

SweetPepperPruningandtrellising AttachedisSweetPepperpruning. Tomatopruninginvolvesthreeoperations: a. SuckersToberemovedtwiceweekly. b. FruitsToberemovedweekly(doneduring(a)developmentalstage(b)tofacilitate marketablefruitsize). c. LeavesFivedaysbeforeharvestremovethelowerleavesuptothelowestfruitbearing cluster.Oncethelowestfruitshavebeenharvested,continuethepruningbyremoving thoseleavesthatwereabovetheharvestedclusterandthatarenowbelowthenext lowestfruitbearingcluster.
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Pollination Tomatoesareselfpollinated.Inthegreenhousetheflowersmustbevibratedforthepollento beloosenedanddustedontothestigma.Pollinationintomatoisachievedbyvibratingthe clusterfor1to2secondsbyshakingthetrellisingsystembyhand,byusingamistbloweroran electricvibrator.Thishastobedoneatleasteveryotherday,between10:00amand2:00pm orpreferablewhentherelativehumidityisbetween60to70percent.Withoutpropervibration poorfruitquality,shapeandsizewillresult.Theoptimumtemperatureforpollinationiswithin 70to80degreesFahrenheit. SweetPeppersneednooutsideassistance. Temperature Adaytemperatureof70to82degreesF.isoptimum,whilenighttemperatureof62to64 degreesF.isoptimumforgreenhousetomatoes.Avoidtemperaturesabove90degreesF. becauseat86degreesF.lycopenenolongerdevelops. PestandDiseaseManagement Pests a.Miteswillbepresentevenwiththeantiviralmeshespeciallyonsweetpepper.Thecrops havetobemonitoredatleasttwiceperweek. b.AphidsandWhiteFlies. Withantiviralmeshtheseshouldnotbepresentbutincaseuseaninsecticidewhichis recommendedforgreenhousecondition,andalsocheckforplantswithvirus.Thesemustbe removedanddiscardedimmediately. FungalProblem ThesecanbesoilborneorontheFoliage. SoilBorneThemostcommonaretheDampingOffcomplex[Phytophtora,Pythiumand Rhizoctonia],FusariumandSouthernBlight. TreatmentsToavoidthisproblemuseresistantvarietiesoruseTrichoderma[beneficial fungus]fromtheseedsowingstage.Ifthefunguspersistsitwillhavetobeidentifiedandthe appropriatefungicideapplied.Applythemaximumrecommendeddosage,aweeklaterre applyTrichoderma.
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FoliarFungalDiseasesThisismoreprevalentwherethereishighrainfall,highdaytime temperatureandcoolnighttimetemperature.ThemostcommondiseasesareAlternaria[Early Blight],Phytophthora[LateBlight],Botrytis[GreyMold]andPowderyMildew[Leveillula taurica]. Treatmenta.Startwithgoodqualityseedlings b.Applyproperfertilizationprogram. c.CheckwithRADAorJGGAforadvice. Basicallytherearethreemainbacterialproblemswhichaffectthesecrops. a. BacterialSpotXanthomonascampestrisThesymptomsaredarkbrownwitha yellowishring,spotsabout2mm.indiameter.Ithasasoaked,oilyareainthemiddle sectionofthespot;withinafewdaysthisareaoftheleafwilldieandtheplantdropsall theinfectedleavestoprotectitself. TreatmentUseresistantvarieties. Goodqualityseedlings. Usecopperbasedfungicides b. BacterialSpeckPseudomonassyringaeSymptomsaresimilartobacterialspot.Itcan onlybedifferentiatedbythesymptomsonthefruits. TreatmentSameasbacterialspot. c. BacterialWiltRalstoniasolanacearumThisdiseaseisseriousintomatobutpeppers arenotassusceptible.Thediseasehasgainedimportanceinprotectedcultivation wheretemperaturesareusuallyhigherandcroprotationisnotproperlyperformed.It usuallyoccursinfociassociatedwiththeaccumulationofwaterinlowspots.Common symptomsarewiltingofupperleavesespeciallyonhotdays,thewiltedleavesmaintain theirgreencoloranddonotfallasthediseaseprogresses.Underfavorablecondition forthedisease,theentireplantwilts. TreatmentNone
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 Virus Atthefirstsignofaninfectedplantpullitoutastheinfectedplantcannotbecured.InJamaica themajorproblemisaphidtransmittedvirus,sothebestdealistopreventtheaphidfrom feedingandtransmittingthevirustoanotherplant. Belowaresomebasicpreventionmethods. a. Treatseedlingswithsystemicinsecticidefromthenurserystage,eg.Actara. b. Removebroadleafweedsfromthegreenhousesurroundingsespeciallythosefromthe Solanaceaefamily. c. Keepatleastoneoftheentrancedoorstothegreenhouseclosedatalltimes. d. Scoutinsidegreenhousedaily.Useclearstickytrapsinsteadofyellow. RootKnotNematodesinTomatoesThesearesoilborne.Thesenematodes[Meloidogyne spp.]areverysmallandwormlikewhichinfecttherootsystemoftheplants,damagingthe tissueandreducingthecapacityoftherootstomovethewaterandnutrientstotheleaves.The plantwilldieeventually. Symptomsincludeelongatedswellingsoftherootlengthforminggalls,poorgrowthofthe plantandwiltingduringthehottimeoftheday.

 RootKnotNematode Treatment a. Useresistantvarieties. b. UseanematicidesuchasVydate.[ContactJGGAorRADA] c. DonotallowvisitorsintheGreenhouse. d. UseFootbathwithadisinfectantsuchasbleachoriodine. PostHarvest Usefieldcratestoharvestinordertoavoiddamagestothefruits.Cleanthefruitsafterreaping andstoreinacoolenvironmentuntilmarketing.Additionally,cleanthehousebyremovingall fallenfruits,leavesandbranches.
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HurricanePrecautions Jamaicaissituateddirectlyinthehurricanepath.Regardlessofthedesignormaterialusedfor construction,withoutexecutingprehurricanepreparationmeasures,thegreenhousescanbe destroyed.Theseareminimumpracticestobeadheredtointheadventofahurricane. a. Plasticandnettingshouldbeinstalledtothegreenhousebymeansofatypeoflocking devicewhichwillenablethequickremovalofthepiecesofthesematerials. b. Removeplasticandnettingfromthegreenhousestructure. c. Afuelpumpandstandbygeneratormaybenecessarytosavethecropafterthe hurricane. d. Watertanksshouldbefilledwithwaterorremovedtoaprotectedarea. e. Ifbagsorpotsareusedforgrowingtheplants,theplantscanberemovedtoasafearea orlayonthesideswithalightcovering. f. Ifgrowingdirectlyinthesoilremovetheplantsfromthetrellisingsystemandlaythem flat. g. Arrangetogetenoughlabourtocarryoutallthesemeasuresquickly. Conclusion Greenhousefarmersheretendtoemphasizeonlythegreenhouseconstructionandforgetall aboutthegoodagriculturalpractices[GAP].Thereistheneedtoapplyallgoodpracticestoget highyields.Tomato20lbs./treeandSweetPepper8lbs./treepercrop.
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 READYFORSALEAND HARVESTING

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BasicPrinciplesofPruningandTrellisingSweetPepper
SweetPepperplantsareindeterminateplants,whichmeantheycontinuallygrownewstems andleaves.Inordertomaximizeproductiontheplantshavetobeprunedandtrainedregularly toensureabalancedgrowth.Pruningalsoimprovesaircirculationaroundtheplantwhichhelps toreducediseases. Thereareseveralrecommendedwaysofpruningalthoughsomefarmersevensuggestno pruning. Asnewleavesandlateralsideshootsdevelopfromtheaxilsofthenewnodesonthegrowing stems,theyhavetobeprunedtomaintainthe2,3,or4mainstemarchitectureoftheplant. Thepepperfloweralsodevelopsatthenode,thatisthepointofthestemfromwhichleaves alsoarise.Whentheplantdevelops23stemshootsatthefork,theplantshouldbeprunedto leavethetwostrongeststems. Astheplantgrowsanotheroneortwoshootsmaybechosen,togivethreeorfourstems.This dependsonthevigouroftheplantwheretwo,threeorfourstemsarechosenforthelifeofthe plant. ChoiceoffruitsSomefarmersallowfruits fromallnodestomaturewhileothersallow alternateones. Trellising Eachstemwillgrowtoaheightofupto12 feetandrequiresupportinordertoremain upright.Twinehungfromtheoverhead supportwiresisusedtosupporteachstem. Thetwineistiedtothemainstemabout10 inchesupfromthesoilorgrowingmedia,one lengthoftwineperstem. Itisimportanttokeepthepruningcurrent withthedevelopmentoftheplant.Thestem isbrittleandeasilysnapssopruningand trellisingmuststartpromptly.Alsoproduction willsufferiftheplantsresourceswere allowedtogointounnecessaryleafandstem production.Itmustbeemphasizedthat
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peppersareprunedtotwostems,andifpossiblemaintainsixfruitsperstemtomaintain vegetativeandfruitbalance,evenifthefruithasminordamage,eg.ablossomendrotaffected fruitshouldnotberemoveduntiltheotherfruitshaveemerged. Unliketomatoespollinationofpepperflowersoccurssuccessfullywithoutanyoutside pollinationassistance,althoughBumblebeecanimproveflowersetandeventuallyyieldand fruitquality.Pruningisdonebyusingthefingersorcutterstoensurepreciseremovalofthe lateralsandavoidinganydamagetothemainstemormainstemgrowingpoint.

Asuggestedmethodofpruning

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