Greenhouse and Controlled Environment Agriculture Flashcards
6 cards from real Agricultural/Bioengineering practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Greenhouse and Controlled Environment Agriculture flashcards as text
CO2 enrichment in greenhouses is used to:
Answer: Increase photosynthesis rate and crop yield above levels supported by ambient CO2
Elevating CO2 to 800-1200 ppm in greenhouses increases the rate of photosynthesis, resulting in faster growth and higher yields compared to ambient 420 ppm.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in greenhouses often uses biological control agents such as:
Answer: Beneficial insects like predatory mites and parasitic wasps to control pests
Greenhouse IPM uses beneficial organisms — such as Phytoseiulus persimilis for spider mites — to naturally suppress pest populations, reducing pesticide dependence.
The growing medium perlite is widely used in greenhouse production because it:
Answer: Offers excellent drainage and aeration while being lightweight and inert
Perlite is a volcanic glass expanded by heat into lightweight, porous particles that provide excellent aeration and drainage while being chemically inert and disease-free.
Heating degree days (HDD) are used in greenhouse engineering to:
Answer: Estimate seasonal heating energy requirements for a greenhouse in a given climate
HDD quantifies the cumulative temperature difference below a base temperature over a season, used to size and estimate costs for greenhouse heating systems.
Electrical conductivity (EC) of nutrient solutions is routinely measured in hydroponics to:
Answer: Monitor total dissolved nutrient concentration and adjust feeding accordingly
EC measures the concentration of dissolved ions in nutrient solutions, serving as a proxy for overall nutrient strength that growers monitor and adjust continuously.
Gutter-connected greenhouse ranges are preferred for large commercial operations because:
Answer: They share sidewalls, reducing heat loss and allowing efficient use of labor and equipment across a large, continuous growing area
Gutter-connected ranges eliminate exterior sidewalls between bays, dramatically reducing heat loss, lowering per-unit construction costs, and enabling continuous mechanized operations.