TOPIC 3: CROP PRODUCTION STRUCTURES

Crop production structures are specialized physical constructions designed to facilitate crop
growth, management, and protection under controlled or semi-controlled conditions.

Selection and Siting Principles for crop production structures;

When planning these structures, university-level notes emphasize several critical environmental
and logistical factors:
i. Orientation & Sunlight: Buildings should be oriented to optimize sun exposure
(insolation). The structures should ensure that quality light (wavelength) is obtained for
optimum production. This is achieved through E-W or N-S orientation to take advantage
of sunrise and sunset.
ii. Wind Shelter: Structures should be placed away from destructive winds to prevent
structural damage and excessive evapotranspiration.
iii. Drainage & Soil: Siting must be on well-drained soil to avoid dampness and foundation
destruction. Ideally, structures are placed on unproductive land, leaving fertile soil for
actual crop cultivation particularly where crops are not grown on soilless media.
iv. Centrality & Accessibility: To increase efficiency, structures should be centrally located
for easy supervision and must be accessible by farm roads for transporting produce.
v. Security: High-value units like crop stores and tool sheds are ideally sited close to the
main farmhouse for protection against theft.

Classification of Crop Structures

Structures are generally grouped by their primary utility in the farm ecosystem:
a) Production Structures: Used for tending crops during their active growth phase.
Examples include greenhouses, nursery beds, and irrigation systems.
b) Storage Structures: Used to preserve harvested products until sale or use. These
include silos, cribs and barns.

c) Processing Structures: Specialized sheds or buildings where crops are sorted, graded, or
primary processing (like threshing or drying) occurs.

d) Supportive Structures: General farm service buildings such as tool stores, chemical
management offices, and fences.

1. Greenhouse
Is an enclosed structure used for raising tender plants which require a controlled environment to
grow.
The structure provides optimum environmental conditions for the crops. The structure must be
able to withstand strong winds, rain, hailstones, snow, etc. It must also allow as much light as
possible to filter through for plant growth.

The structure is designed in such a way that the crops can be handled efficiently, with minimum
labour. The crop environment is highly controlled i.e. Temperature, Humidity and irrigation.
 Broad types of greenhouses:
There are some structural designs of greenhouses; Single span greenhouses (Even span
greenhouse, Uneven span greenhouse, Arch or curvilinear greenhouse), Ridge and furrow
greenhouse (gutter connected multi-span greenhouse).
 Multi-span greenhouse that is large (1 000m² to 10 000m² - 0.1 ha to 1.0 ha).
 Tunnel that is small (300m² - 0.03 ha).
 Miniature greenhouses (tunnels or arch) 15 M X 8M = 120M2

Construction materials for greenhouse

The following are the common construction materials for green houses; Aluminum, steel, wood,
glass, fiber glass, reinforced panels, acrylic panels, polycarbonate panels, plexi glass and rigid
polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and polyvinyl fluoride films.

(a) Covering/ CLADDING material Must be clear enough to provide optimum light
transmission, be durable and economical. The cladding material should be UV-treated to
last a reasonable period of time.
Types of covering material:
(i) Fiber glass This is rigid, and durable. Its disadvantage is that it is susceptible to
ultra violet light radiation which causes the fibres to swell resulting in a decrease
in light transmission
(ii) Double/ single sheet of polythene film inflated with air. This requires constant
refilling of the air.
(iii) Poly carbonate materials. Are rigid but flexible enough to be used in a Quonset
style greenhouse. They are impact resistant.
(iv) Acrylic These are the most current but very expensive. Their advantages are: high
light transmission, high impact resistance and great strength.

(b) Framing materials:

(i) Aluminium This is the most economical material for constructing greenhouse frames. It has
the longest life span and allows for light reflection.
(ii) Steel - is heavier than Aluminium hence it requires additional support. It has to be painted or
galvanized to resist high moisture conditions within the green house.
(iii) Wood This can be used but its disadvantage is that it deteriorates fast. If wood is to be used,
then treatment is necessary. Other materials; bamboo, plastic etc

c) Irrigation system
Greenhouse irrigation systems includes; drip (RHIZOSPHERE), sprinkler, and boom systems.
They are designed to deliver precise amounts of water and nutrients directly to plant roots or
foliage, minimizing waste and managing humidity. Key choices depend on crop type, with drip
systems offering superior efficiency for high-value crops, while automated controls
(timers/sensors) reduce labor and optimize water use. DOWNY/ BLIGHT NEGEV DESERT
o Drip/Trickle: The best method for direct root watering, saving water, reducing disease risk, and
allowing for fertigation (delivering nutrients via water). PORTMONTEU
o Spray/Misters/ Foggers: Ideal for maintaining humidity and lowering temperatures, especially in
tropical climates.
o Ebb and Flow: Floods the container area periodically, common for potted plants.
 d) Misting/ Fogging system
Greenhouse misting and fogging systems provide essential evaporative cooling (reducing
temperatures and raise humidity) to reduce plant heat stress. Fogging uses high pressure to create
fine droplets (5–20 microns) that evaporate instantly, ideal for cooling, while misting uses larger
droplets (100–200 microns) better suited for humidity control.

Uses of the greenhouse

It is used for raising tender crops which are of high value but require a highly controlled
environment for successful production e.g. flowers. The aim of using a green house is to reduce
evapotranspiration by increasing the humidity and controlling the level of dryness.

Examples of crops grown in green houses are:

Flowers; Roses, carnations, Alstroemeria, Gerbera, Poinsettia, Geraniums etc

Vegetables; Tomatoes, Capsicum, Courgettes, Brinjals, Cucumber, French beans,
onion, lettuce, melon, Herbs and spices; mint, thyme, Basil, Sage etc.
Fruits; strawberry
Do you think that a greenhouse can increase crop production? Why?

2. Plant Propagation Structures

The structures which facilitate propagation of plants are called propagation structures.
These structures provide plants to optimum light, temperature and humidity in
controlling level.
More suitable and highly effected for seed and rooted cuttings to germinate. Thus, as
overall these structures supply outdoor conditions in control and require amount in
suitable ways for the growth of plants.
There are several kinds of plant propagating structures which are mentioned below;
1. Greenhouse / Glass house
2. Hot bed
3. Cold frame
4. Poly tunnels
5. Lath house / Shade house
6. Net house
7. Mist propagating unit
8. Bottom heat units

1. Green house / Glass house – already covered

2. Hot bed (hot frame) - A hot bed is a bed of soil enclosed in a glass or plastic frame.
It is heated by manure, electricity, steam or hot water pipes. Hotbeds are used for
forcing plants or for raising early seedlings. You can grow vegetables and flowers
here. At the proper time the hotbeds can be converted in to a cold frame for
hardening. This structure can be used throughout the years, except in areas with
severe winters.
3. Cold frame - A cold frame is a bottomless box with a removable top. It is used to
protect small plants from wind and low temperatures. No artificial heat or manure is
used inside a cold frame.
4. Lath house - Lath (thin strip of wood) or shade houses provide outdoor shade and
protect container grown plants from high summer temperature and high light
irradiation. They reduce moisture stress and reduce the moisture requirement of
plants. Diffused light system 2850 masl

5. Net house - Widely use as propagation structures in tropical areas, where artificial
heating is not required and artificial cooling is expensive. In these areas, net house
may be constructed with roofs covered with glass or plastic film and its side are
covered with wire net. It gives necessary ventilation and maintains and ideal
temperature for germination of seeds and subsequent growth of seedlings.

Shadenet structure – strawberries and herbs (90%, 70, 50, 30/20%)

6. Bottom heat unit - It is a simple box for promoting rooting of cutting in difficult
to root fruit plants like mango and guava. It consists of two chambers made from
galvanized iron sheets.

7. Mist propagation unit - The rooting of softwood leafy cutting under spray or mist
is a technique now widely used by nurserymen and other plant propagators
throughout the world. The aim of missing is to maintain humidity by a continues film
of water on the leaves, thus it is reducing transpiration and keeping the cutting
turgid until rooting take place. It is important that minimum water should be used
and water not leaches out the nutrients.

Hybrid seeds = Anna F1 = 10,000 = 15,000, Hypericums, capsicum

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