Best Crops for Polyhouse Farming

Many crops can be grown in a polyhouse but farmers should calculate the ROI (Return on
Investment) when selecting a crops for growing in a polyhouse as the construction cost of a
polyhouse is quite high. Cut flowers, high value vegetables, some fruits and disease free planting
materials are best suited for polyhouse/ greenhouse cultivation.

Crops Grown Under Polyhouse Cultivation

Vegetables Tomato, Capsicum, Cucumber, Chilli, Broccoli, Leafy Vegetables, Exotic Vegetables

Fruits Strawberry, Raspberry, Papaya, Banana, UHD Mango, Pomegranate

Flowers Rose, Gerbera, Carnation, Gladiolus, Anthurium, Chrysanthemum, Lily, Orchids

Planting Materials Tissue Culture, Clones, Grafting, Vegetable Seedlings, Plant Cuttings

What is a Polyhouse?

A polyhouse is a type of protected cultivation structure that is covered with UV stabilised polythene
to create an artificial climate inside the structure and help grow crops under optimum conditions.

Principle of a Polyhouse

Polyhouse is only a type of protected cultivation structure among many. The main principle of a
polyhouse is to capture the greenhouse gas inside the structure. As greenhouse or polyhouse is
made of transparent glass or polythene cover where interiors grow warmer when exposed to
sunlight as the cover blocks the greenhouse gas to exit. Therefore, while it may be cold outside the
temperature is survival friendly and warm for the plants growing inside. Some greenhouses using
high-end technology have installed equipment like heating and cooling system, lighting, screening
installations and even computerized facilities to provide optimal growth conditions for the plants.
This is done especially to reduce the risks of crop loss in greenhouse cultivation.

Difference Between Polyhouse and Greenhouse

All types of protected cultivation structure is commonly known as greenhouse for their ability to
create a greenhouse effect artificially by controlling the interior environment. A polyhouse is a type
of greenhouse structure where UV stabilised polyethylene is used as the cover material.

A. Greenhouse: A greenhouse is made of some kind of transparent material to create a microclimate

inside the house. Different materials like glass, wood, polyethylene etc. are used as greenhouse
cover to create the microclimate. When a greenhouse is made with glass cover it is referend as glass
greenhouse or glass house.

B. Polyhouse: A polyhouse is one type of greenhouse where polyethylene is used as the cover. In
India, polyhouse farming is the most popular greenhouse technology for it’s low cost of construction.
Lath house is another greenhouse technology where wood is used as the cover.

Poly house is economical compared to glass house or glass greenhouse but the later is more durable
than polyhouse and is more suitable in cold places where it snows.
Greenhouse Based on Structure Types

There are 3 types of greenhouses in this category:

Quonset type

Curved roof type

Gable roof type

The main category of classification is based on the type of material used for support such as PVC
frames, steel supports, etc.

Polyhouse Design

A polyhouse is designed based on environmental conditions of the site and those required for plant
growth in polyhouse farming. Taking into consideration the Indian climatic conditions, multi-span,
Quonset type greenhouse is the most preferred. It is economical and can be easily constructed. For
naturally ventilated greenhouses low density polyethylene films stabilized under UV is used. Some
people also use films having a thickness of 200 microns. Screws and nails are not used since the films
may get torn off. Instead, they are fastened using T-lock or L-lock. While designing the greenhouse it
should be remembered that the structure must bear different types of loads like:

Dead Load- It is the weight of all the equipment fixed on the frame such as water pipes, service
equipment, heating and cooling systems, cladding and the weight of permanent constructions.

Live Load- A greenhouse is devised to carry a maximum weight of 15 Kg per square meter. In
addition, the roof members must be capable of supporting shelves, hanging baskets, people, etc.

Wind Load- The structure must have the capacity to withstand 50Kg per square meter of wind
pressure.

Snow Load- This is considered in areas having snowfall. In case of snow fall, the structure must be
able to bear all the different loads in addition to the snow load.

Components of a Polyhouse

A polyhouse is made of multiple components. The different components of a polyhouse are

Roof- It is the transparent overhead cover of the greenhouse.

Gable- The wall of the greenhouse is called gable which is transparent.

Gutters- Gutters collect and drain out the snow and rain water that is gathered between the spans.

Column- It is vertical structure that carries the greenhouse.

Ridge- It is the horizontal section on top of the roof.

Bracings- Bracings are erected to support the structure against wind.

Arches- They are the structures that support the covering materials.

Foundation Pipe- Foundation pipes connect the structure to the ground.

Orientation of Polyhouse

The orientation of a polyhouse depends on the shadow movement, shading effect, type of
temperature control, wind direction and latitude. In case of other polyhouses nearby, the
orientation should be such that its shadow does not fall on other greenhouses. For this purpose,
they are oriented in an East to West direction.

Dimensions

To decide the dimensions, a host of factors like size of the polyhouse, wind effects, height, spacing
between the greenhouses and its structural design must be considered.

Wind effects: The length of the polyhouse must be perpendicular to the direction of the wind. In
case of fan and pad arrangement, the direction of natural wind must be the same as that of the air
blown by the fan.

Size of polyhouse: A bigger polyhouse would have more temperature build-up especially if there is
no proper ventilation. In case of naturally ventilated greenhouse, the length must not exceed 60m.

Spacing between polyhouses: There should be a distance of 10-15m between two polyhouses. This
is to avoid shadow from falling on each other. In addition, the exhaust from one polyhouse
greenhouse must not enter the other polyhouse.

Height: A 50m X 50m polyhouse can attain a maximum height of 5m. A taller polyhouse would have
larger wind load for the glazing and structure.

Structural design: The structure of the polyhouse must be able to bear all the different loads. Hence,
the column, foundation and truss must be designed accordingly. They must follow the guidelines
specified by the National Greenhouse Manufacturers Association (NGMA of US) standards.

Containers for Greenhouse Farming

Different types of containers are used in a greenhouse for different purposes like growing plants
under controlled climatic conditions, raising the seedlings, growing plants for hybrid seed production
and for growing ornamental plants in pots. Using containers increase capacity of the production
while reducing the crop time in polyhouse farming. Containers ensure uniform growth of plants and
minimum transplantation shock. In addition, it eases monitoring of plants and plant nutrition.

Here is a table with different types of containers used in polyhouse farming along with their
advantages and disadvantages:

Types of
Advantages Disadvantages
Containers

Easy water managements Pots are heavy to handle and they dry
Clay Pot
and very low cost. fast.

Single Peat Root penetration is very Difficult to separate.

 Types of
Advantages Disadvantages
Containers

good.

Single Peat Storage requirement is Since the sizes are very limited, they
Pallet low. require individual handling.

Soil block and It facilitates excellent root While blocks demand heavy machinery,
band penetration. managing a band is intense labour.

Root penetration is very

Strip Peat Pot Separation is slow.
good.

Small sized containers.

Pre-Spaced Peat Since sizes are small, they require
Do not require media
Pallet individual handling.
preparation.

Easy to handle in field.

Pot Available in all sizes and Difficult to separate.
shapes.

They have a shorter life. In addition, the

Fibre block They are easy to handle.
root penetration is difficult.

Fibre trays They use minimum space. They are hard to handle when wet.

Polyurethane They are easy to handle Using this container needs regular
foam and reusable. fertilization.

Watering System in Polyhouse Farming

Drip irrigation is the best technique for watering the plants owing to the small root system. It must
be ensured that the water is dispersed at the root area only and that it does not fall on the leaves or
flowers. Falling on leaves and flowers may lead to infection, disease spread and even scorching.
Water is forced out through the nozzles under very high pressure through the micro-sprinklers.
These sprinklers are arranged at a height of 1 foot above ground level so as to ensure that water is
dispersed at the basal part of the plants.