Experimental Evaluation of the Effect of Mecanical Ventilation on Greenhouse Air Temperature

A study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of mechanical ventilation on greenhouse air temperature. The study indicated that the greenhouse air temperature rise above the ambient was 18.2°C when the ambient air temperature was 42°C and insolation 900 W/m2 . The ventilation rate in the range of 2-3 air change per minute was found to be suitable for a clear polyethylene covered greenhouse. The jute cloth cover over the polyethylene glazing lowered the ventilation rate requirement to 1.4 m/s (1.34 air change per minute)

Condensation in moisture-proof package

A method of calculating the safe moisture content of seeds in moisture proof packages has been presented along with the case studies for onion and pea seeds. The relative humidity inside the package was determined from EMC-ERH relationship of the respective seeds. Dew point temperature was determined with the help of psychromet- ric relationships. The safe moisture content was then determined. The onion seeds should be packed below 7 per cent while the pea should be packed below 8 per cent in the moisture-vapour proof packets

Dying Grains Using Adiabatic Heating

Dying is the process that reduces grain moisture content to a safe level for storage. The drying process involves migration of moisture from interior of grain to the surface and then the evaporation of moisture from surface to surrounding air. Several techniques have been described to achieve drying of food products Mujumdar (1987). It is also assumed that the moisture does not accumulate at the surface of the produce as a result of internal moisture movement which is quite typical for drying processes in the food industry as pointed out by Kerkhof (1994)

Sorption Characteristics of Pea Seeds

An experiment was conducted to study the equi1ibrium moisture characteristics of pea seeds under adsorption and desorption. Four three-parameter equations were selected for the analysis of equilibrium moisture content (EMC) – equilibrium relative humidity (ERH) data of pea seeds. The selected equations were compared using statistical parameters. The values of EMC for both adsorption and desorption decreased with increase in temperature. Sorption isotherms were found to be sigmoid in shape. The modified-Oswin equation was found best suited to EMCERH data of pea seeds

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Not AvailableInput energy assessment has been carried out for the greenhouse cultivation of tomato and it has been compared with the input energy for the open field cultivation. The assessment indicates that the energy input per unit produce is 1.7 MJ/kg under open field cultivation. The input energy requirements for greenhouse cultivation increase due to the greenhouse frame, glazing, inorganic fertilizers and environmental control and are estimated to be 4.2 MJ/kg at the minimum. The energy requirements under north Indian plains are likely to be 32 MJ/kg or more with the traditional methods of environmental control. The assessment of input energy in the two crop production systems indicates the priorities for input energy optimizations.IPCL and Plasticulture Development Centr

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Not AvailableA mathematical model was developed and used to study the effect of various energy conservation meas-ures to arrive at a set of design features for an energy efficient greenhouse. The Simulation results indicatedthat under cold climatic conditions of northern India, a gothic arch shaped greenhouse required 2.6% and4.2% less heating as compared to gable and quonset shapes. An east–west oriented gothic arch greenhouserequired 2% less heating as compared to a north–south oriented one. North wall insulation of an east westoriented gothic arch greenhouse saved 30% in heating costs. The use of night curtains reduced the nighttime heating requirement by 70.8% and daily requirement by 60.6%. By replacing the single cover on thesouthern side with air inflated double wall glazing, the heating requirement was reduced by 23%. Thecombination of the design features for an energy efficient greenhouse suitable for cold climatic conditionswas found to reduce the greenhouse heating needs by 80%. An internal rock bed thermal storage/retrievalsystem met the remaining heating energy requirements of the energy-conserving greenhouse.PFDC, IPC

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Not AvailableDuring the last few years the popularity for the plant based butters (nut and seed butters) has increased considerably. Earlier peanut butter was the only alternative to the dairy butter, but over the years development in the technologies and also the consumer awareness about the plant based butters, has led the development of myriad varieties of butters with different nuts and seeds, which are very good source of protein, fiber, essential fatty acids and other nutrients. These days’ different varieties of plant based butters are available in the market viz., peanut butter, soy butter, almond butter, pistachio butter, cashew butter and sesame butter etc. The form of butter is one of the healthy way of integrating nuts and seeds in to our regular diet. Nut and seed butters are generally prepared by roasting, grinding and refrigerated to consume it when it is still fresh. During this process it is imperative to retain the nutritional properties of these nuts and seeds in order to reap the benefits of the fresh nuts and seeds in the form of butter as well. Proper care is needed to minimize the conversion of healthful components in to unhealthy components during processing and further storage. Roasting temperature, temperatures during grinding and storage are the vital factors to be considered in order to have healthy and nutritious plant based butters. In this article, different plant based butters and their processing methods have been described.Not Availabl

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Not AvailableA mathematical model was developed and used to study the effect of various energy conservation measures to arrive at a set of design features for an energy efficient greenhouse. The Simulation results indicated that under cold climatic conditions of northern India, a gothic arch shaped greenhouse required 2.6% and 4.2% less heating as compared to gable and quonset shapes. An east–west oriented gothic arch greenhouse required 2% less heating as compared to a north–south oriented one. North wall insulation of an east west oriented gothic arch greenhouse saved 30% in heating costs. The use of night curtains reduced the night time heating requirement by 70.8% and daily requirement by 60.6%. By replacing the single cover on the southern side with air inflated double wall glazing, the heating requirement was reduced by 23%. The combination of the design features for an energy efficient greenhouse suitable for cold climatic conditions was found to reduce the greenhouse heating needs by 80%. An internal rock bed thermal storage/retrieval system met the remaining heating energy requirements of the energy-conserving greenhouse.Not Availabl

A Decision Support System for the Management of Greenhouse Tomato Production

Two exponential growth models, namely, days after transplanting versus plant height and cumulative heat unit versus plant height, were developed to quantify the response of average daily temperature and number of days required to achieve the plant height at various growth stages. The average daily temperature required to be maintained in the greenhouse was predicted using the models for achieving the target dates for flowering and fruit setting. This information was used in the form of a computer program to support decision making about real time greenhouse temperature control. The knowledge for tomato crop has been organised to determine a production schedule designed to maximize the plant growth, quality and quantity of tomato