Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops Worldwide

rotected cultivation, which enables some control of wind velocity, moisture, temperature, mineral nutrients, light intensity, and atmospheric composition, has contributed and will continue to contribute much to a better understanding of growth factor requirements and inputs for improving crop productivity in open fields. Protected cultivation is a unique and specialized form of agriculture. Devices or technologies for protection (windbreaks, irrigation, soil mulches) or structures (greenhouses, tunnels, rowcovers) may be used with or without heat. The intent is to grow crops where otherwise they could not survive by modifying the natural environment to prolong the harvest period, often with earlier maturity, to increase yields, improve quality, enhance the stability of production, and make commodities available when there is no outdoor production. The primary emphasis is on producing high-value horticultural crops (vegetables, fruit, flowers, woody ornamental, and bedding plants).