JamaicaGreenhouse Growers Association

HANDBOOK

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

BasicPrinciplesofLowCostGreenhouseProductioninJamaica By:DerrickSmith Editedby:JervisRowe

Introduction The Technology of producing horticultural crops in greenhouses has been around for decades. Greenhouse production provides growers with the ability to achieve significantly higher yields thanopenfieldproduction.Thisismainlyduetotheenclosedstructureandprotectiveantiviral nettingwhichprotectsplantsfrompests,diseasesandharshelementsaswellastheuseofdrip irrigation and a fertilization program that ensures good plant nutrition and an increased capacitytobearmore.Thetechnologyalsoinvolvestheuseoflesslandareacomparedtoopen field production, more efficient useof water resources; and far less use of chemicals to control pestsanddiseases. Greenhouse production was introduced to Jamaica on a widescale in 2005. A few farmers planted lettuce, tomatoes and experimented with other crops before. As a form of Protective 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 Availability and quality of water should be checked. Access to good quality water is one of the 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 The soil should be properly prepared to allow for excellent development of the root system. It is best to use Raised Beds which ensures lesscompaction and room for workers tomanoeuvre. Beds should be 1.7 meters from centre to centre of beds. The suggested planting distance is

two rows per bed, 40 centimeters between plants along the bed and 50 centimeters between rowsstaggeredfortomatoandsweetpepper.
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50 SeedlingProduction SeedselectionTomato Alboranisoneoftherecommendedindeterminatevarieties. Beverleyisnematoderesistantandisgainingpopularity. SweetPepperEarlySunsation[yellow] KingHenry[Red] Lexington[Red] Theuseofdiseasefreeseedlingsisamust,soseedsshouldbesowninaprotectednursery. FORA600SQUAREMETERHOUSE: Sow2000seeds. Tofill16seedlingtrays[128cells] Mix 25lbs. of growing medium with 300 grams 12610 [MAP], 50 grams Trichozam in 10 liters of water. Proper watering with good Pest and Disease control should be followed up until the seedlingsarereadyfortransplanting.
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Transplanting Duringtransplantingselectyourseedlingsaccordingtothelength,thicknessandturgidityofthe plant. Starter Solution is used during the procedure. The solution is made by mixing 5 lbs. DAP [18460] fertilizer in 80 gallons of water. Apply 200 cc of the solution to each hole. 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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