Microclimatic conditions and physico-chemical properties of soil in intensive ecological vegetable crop rotation in high tunnel

English. In 2014–2015 at the experimental station of the University of Agriculture in Kraków, situated in Mydlniki near Kraków, Poland, experiments with intensive crop rotation in a high tunnel were conducted. The objectives concerned microclimatic zones in the tunnel and the yield and quality of butterhead lettuce (spring), cucumber (summer), and butterhead lettuce (autumn). Besides the properties of the soil in the high tunnel, a crucial role was played by microclimatic factors. The measurements showed variations in solar radiation, temperature and air humidity depending on the zone in the tunnel and the weather. Higher temperature in the centre of the tunnel was conducive to obtaining greater yields of spring lettuce and cucumber. In the spring and summer periods, the amounts of dry matter and total sugars in the edible parts of the cultivated vegetables were higher in the eastern and central zones of the tunnel. In the autumn, with less solar radiation, the amount of sugars in lettuce leaves was greater in the western zone. There was observable influence of the location in the tunnel from which samples were taken for analyses (zonal effect) on some physical parameters of the soil (bulk density, water capacity, and water-stability index).

English. PAR radiation, temperature, soil, lettuce, cucumber, yield

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