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HANDBOOK

JamaicaGreenhouseGrowersAssociation
RADABuilding,CaledoniaRoad,Mandeville,JamaicaW.I.
Email:jgga01@gmail.com
1

BasicPrinciplesofLowCostGreenhouseProductioninJamaica
By:DerrickSmith
Editedby:JervisRowe
Introduction
The Technology of producing horticultural crops in greenhouses has beenaround for decades.
Greenhouse production provides growers with the ability to achieve significantly higher yields
thanopenfieldproduction.Thisismainlyduetotheenclosedstructureandprotectiveantiviral
nettingwhichprotectsplantsfrompests,diseasesandharshelementsaswellastheuseofdrip
irrigation and a fertilization program that ensures good plant nutrition and an increased
capacitytobearmore.Thetechnologyalsoinvolvestheuseoflesslandareacomparedtoopen
fieldproduction,moreefficientuseofwaterresources;andfarlessuseofchemicalstocontrol
pestsanddiseases.
Greenhouse production was introduced to Jamaica on a widescale in 2005. A few farmers
planted lettuce, tomatoes and experimented with other crops before. As a form of Protective
Agricultureithasshowngreatpromisehere.

TwoTypesofLowCostGreenhouse

Management
This type of operation is intensive and needs dedication to be successful. A Low Cost
Greenhouse is one which costs below U.S. $30.00 per square meter. The minimum
recommendedaltitudeis400metersabovesealevel,whenantiviralnettingisused.Belowthis
elevation antiviral netting should not be used unless additional equipment for cooling etc. is
added.
GrowingMediums
Thesearepresentlyinusehere.
a. Soil[direct]
b. Soilwithgravelinbags
c. Coir
d. Perlite

BasicEquipment
a. Phmeter
b. ECmeter
c. Thermometer
d. ElectronicScale5lbs.capacity.
e. MeasuringCylinder
f. RelativeHumiditymeter
Water
Availabilityandqualityofwatershouldbechecked.Accesstogoodqualitywaterisoneofthe
most important inputs for greenhouse production. At their early stage, crops require at least
0.75 to 1 liter per plant, per day and this increases at the blooming, fruiting, and harvesting
stages.Highyieldingindeterminatetomatoesbeforeharvestmayrequireupto2.5to3.00liters
perplantperday.
GrowingintheSoil
Thesoilshouldbeproperlypreparedtoallowforexcellentdevelopmentoftherootsystem.It
isbesttouseRaisedBedswhichensureslesscompactionandroomforworkerstomanoeuvre.
Beds should be 1.7 meters from centre to centre of beds. The suggested planting distance is
3

two rows per bed, 40 centimetersbetween plants along the bed and 50 centimeters between
rowsstaggeredfortomatoandsweetpepper.

SeedlingProduction
SeedselectionTomato Alboranisoneoftherecommendedindeterminatevarieties.
Beverleyisnematoderesistantandisgainingpopularity.
SweetPepperEarlySunsation[yellow]
KingHenry[Red]
Lexington[Red]
Theuseofdiseasefreeseedlingsisamust,soseedsshouldbesowninaprotectednursery.
FORA600SQUAREMETERHOUSE:
Sow2000seeds.
Tofill16seedlingtrays[128cells]
Mix25lbs.ofgrowingmediumwith300grams12610[MAP],50gramsTrichozamin10liters
of water. Proper watering with good Pest and Disease control should be followed up until the
seedlingsarereadyfortransplanting.

40
50
DripLine
4

Transplanting
Duringtransplantingselectyourseedlingsaccordingtothelength,thicknessandturgidityofthe
plant.StarterSolutionisusedduringtheprocedure.Thesolutionismadebymixing5lbs.DAP
[18460]fertilizerin80gallonsofwater.Apply200ccofthesolutiontoeachhole.Transplant
within5minutes.

TransplantingTomatoes
Whenthesolutionhas
beencompletelyabsorbed
buttheholesarestillvery
wet,thatiswithin5
minutes.

DripIrrigationSystem
TheComponentsare:
a. WaterTanks
b. WaterPumpselectricorgas
c. Elevatedstandofabout5feettosupporttanksforgravityfeed.
d. FilterSystems.
e. Pipes
f. DriplinesorSpaghettisystem[MicroTube5/3]

Irrigation
Thequantityofwaterusedisdependentonthesoil,theweathercondition,growthstageofthe
plantandthepressure.Therecommendedpressureisbetween812psi.Forthespaghetti
system[MicroTube5/3]anelectricpumpisused,givingapressureof15psiatthedripper.
Alsowhenusingbagse.g.6x11x14twodrippersareusedperbag,withadripperoneither
sideoftheplant.

DripMaintenance
a. Cleanorcheckallfiltersdaily.Wheregravelorsandfilterisused,backwashbefore
fillingtanks.
b. Phosphoricacidormolassescanbeusedinthecleaningprocess.Usingoneofthetanks,
addphosphoricacidtolowerthephofthewatertoph3.Thissolutionisappliedtothe
greenhousedripsystemwhereplantsareinthesoil,todissolvemanganese,ironand
calciumprecipitateswhichhaveaccumulatedinthelinesanddrippers.Allthisprocess
shouldlastforapproximately30minutes.
c. Thelinesshouldbeflushedweekly.
FertilizationProgram
Plantsarefertilizedeverytimewaterisaddedexceptonceperweekwhenthesystemis
cleaned.Itisbesttouseindividualsolublefertilizerswhenavailabletomakeyourmixture.This
isafterachemicalanalysisofthesoilisdone.Theoptimumphrangeforthenutrientsolutionis
5.6to5.8.MostofJamaicaswatersourcesarealkaline,phosphoricacidisrecommendedto
correctthisproblemtolowertheph.Addtheacidtothemixtureandnotbefore.
AttachedaregeneralfertilizationprogramsforTomatoandSweetPepper,changeswillhaveto
bemadedependingonthelocation.
PlantSupportSystem
Thiscanbemadefromanyaffordablematerialavailablee.g.bamboo,woodandmetal.The
wireatthetopofthesystemshouldbeabout2.5metersaboveground.

TrellisingorPlantTraining
Thecordandwiresshouldbeinplaceimmediatelyaftertransplanting.Whiteisthe
recommendedcolorofthecord.Planttrainingisdoneasrequired,possiblyweekly.

SweetPepperPruningandtrellising
AttachedisSweetPepperpruning.
Tomatopruninginvolvesthreeoperations:
a. SuckersToberemovedtwiceweekly.
b. FruitsToberemovedweekly(doneduring(a)developmentalstage(b)tofacilitate
marketablefruitsize).
c. LeavesFivedaysbeforeharvestremovethelowerleavesuptothelowestfruitbearing
cluster.Oncethelowestfruitshavebeenharvested,continuethepruningbyremoving
thoseleavesthatwereabovetheharvestedclusterandthatarenowbelowthenext
lowestfruitbearingcluster.
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Pollination
Tomatoesareselfpollinated.Inthegreenhousetheflowersmustbevibratedforthepollento
beloosenedanddustedontothestigma.Pollinationintomatoisachievedbyvibratingthe
clusterfor1to2secondsbyshakingthetrellisingsystembyhand,byusingamistbloweroran
electricvibrator.Thishastobedoneatleasteveryotherday,between10:00amand2:00pm
orpreferablewhentherelativehumidityisbetween60to70percent.Withoutpropervibration
poorfruitquality,shapeandsizewillresult.Theoptimumtemperatureforpollinationiswithin
70to80degreesFahrenheit.
SweetPeppersneednooutsideassistance.
Temperature
Adaytemperatureof70to82degreesF.isoptimum,whilenighttemperatureof62to64
degreesF.isoptimumforgreenhousetomatoes.Avoidtemperaturesabove90degreesF.
becauseat86degreesF.lycopenenolongerdevelops.
PestandDiseaseManagement
Pests
a.Miteswillbepresentevenwiththeantiviralmeshespeciallyonsweetpepper.Thecrops
havetobemonitoredatleasttwiceperweek.
b.AphidsandWhiteFlies.
Withantiviralmeshtheseshouldnotbepresentbutincaseuseaninsecticidewhichis
recommendedforgreenhousecondition,andalsocheckforplantswithvirus.Thesemustbe
removedanddiscardedimmediately.
FungalProblem
ThesecanbesoilborneorontheFoliage.
SoilBorneThemostcommonaretheDampingOffcomplex[Phytophtora,Pythiumand
Rhizoctonia],FusariumandSouthernBlight.
TreatmentsToavoidthisproblemuseresistantvarietiesoruseTrichoderma[beneficial
fungus]fromtheseedsowingstage.Ifthefunguspersistsitwillhavetobeidentifiedandthe
appropriatefungicideapplied.Applythemaximumrecommendeddosage,aweeklaterre
applyTrichoderma.
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FoliarFungalDiseasesThisismoreprevalentwherethereishighrainfall,highdaytime
temperatureandcoolnighttimetemperature.ThemostcommondiseasesareAlternaria[Early
Blight],Phytophthora[LateBlight],Botrytis[GreyMold]andPowderyMildew[Leveillula
taurica].
Treatmenta.Startwithgoodqualityseedlings
b.Applyproperfertilizationprogram.
c.CheckwithRADAorJGGAforadvice.
Basicallytherearethreemainbacterialproblemswhichaffectthesecrops.
a. BacterialSpotXanthomonascampestrisThesymptomsaredarkbrownwitha
yellowishring,spotsabout2mm.indiameter.Ithasasoaked,oilyareainthemiddle
sectionofthespot;withinafewdaysthisareaoftheleafwilldieandtheplantdropsall
theinfectedleavestoprotectitself.
TreatmentUseresistantvarieties.
Goodqualityseedlings.
Usecopperbasedfungicides
b. BacterialSpeckPseudomonassyringaeSymptomsaresimilartobacterialspot.Itcan
onlybedifferentiatedbythesymptomsonthefruits.
TreatmentSameasbacterialspot.
c. BacterialWiltRalstoniasolanacearumThisdiseaseisseriousintomatobutpeppers
arenotassusceptible.Thediseasehasgainedimportanceinprotectedcultivation
wheretemperaturesareusuallyhigherandcroprotationisnotproperlyperformed.It
usuallyoccursinfociassociatedwiththeaccumulationofwaterinlowspots.Common
symptomsarewiltingofupperleavesespeciallyonhotdays,thewiltedleavesmaintain
theirgreencoloranddonotfallasthediseaseprogresses.Underfavorablecondition
forthedisease,theentireplantwilts.
TreatmentNone

Virus
Atthefirstsignofaninfectedplantpullitoutastheinfectedplantcannotbecured.InJamaica
themajorproblemisaphidtransmittedvirus,sothebestdealistopreventtheaphidfrom
feedingandtransmittingthevirustoanotherplant.
Belowaresomebasicpreventionmethods.
a. Treatseedlingswithsystemicinsecticidefromthenurserystage,eg.Actara.
b. Removebroadleafweedsfromthegreenhousesurroundingsespeciallythosefromthe
Solanaceaefamily.
c. Keepatleastoneoftheentrancedoorstothegreenhouseclosedatalltimes.
d. Scoutinsidegreenhousedaily.Useclearstickytrapsinsteadofyellow.
RootKnotNematodesinTomatoesThesearesoilborne.Thesenematodes[Meloidogyne
spp.]areverysmallandwormlikewhichinfecttherootsystemoftheplants,damagingthe
tissueandreducingthecapacityoftherootstomovethewaterandnutrientstotheleaves.The
plantwilldieeventually.
Symptomsincludeelongatedswellingsoftherootlengthforminggalls,poorgrowthofthe
plantandwiltingduringthehottimeoftheday.

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RootKnotNematode
Treatment
a. Useresistantvarieties.
b. UseanematicidesuchasVydate.[ContactJGGAorRADA]
c. DonotallowvisitorsintheGreenhouse.
d. UseFootbathwithadisinfectantsuchasbleachoriodine.
PostHarvest
Usefieldcratestoharvestinordertoavoiddamagestothefruits.Cleanthefruitsafterreaping
andstoreinacoolenvironmentuntilmarketing.Additionally,cleanthehousebyremovingall
fallenfruits,leavesandbranches.

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HurricanePrecautions
Jamaicaissituateddirectlyinthehurricanepath.Regardlessofthedesignormaterialusedfor
construction,withoutexecutingprehurricanepreparationmeasures,thegreenhousescanbe
destroyed.Theseareminimumpracticestobeadheredtointheadventofahurricane.
a. Plasticandnettingshouldbeinstalledtothegreenhousebymeansofatypeoflocking
devicewhichwillenablethequickremovalofthepiecesofthesematerials.
b. Removeplasticandnettingfromthegreenhousestructure.
c. Afuelpumpandstandbygeneratormaybenecessarytosavethecropafterthe
hurricane.
d. Watertanksshouldbefilledwithwaterorremovedtoaprotectedarea.
e. Ifbagsorpotsareusedforgrowingtheplants,theplantscanberemovedtoasafearea
orlayonthesideswithalightcovering.
f. Ifgrowingdirectlyinthesoilremovetheplantsfromthetrellisingsystemandlaythem
flat.
g. Arrangetogetenoughlabourtocarryoutallthesemeasuresquickly.
Conclusion
Greenhousefarmersheretendtoemphasizeonlythegreenhouseconstructionandforgetall
aboutthegoodagriculturalpractices[GAP].Thereistheneedtoapplyallgoodpracticestoget
highyields.Tomato20lbs./treeandSweetPepper8lbs./treepercrop.

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READYFORSALEAND
HARVESTING

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14

BasicPrinciplesofPruningandTrellisingSweetPepper
SweetPepperplantsareindeterminateplants,whichmeantheycontinuallygrownewstems
andleaves.Inordertomaximizeproductiontheplantshavetobeprunedandtrainedregularly
toensureabalancedgrowth.Pruningalsoimprovesaircirculationaroundtheplantwhichhelps
toreducediseases.
Thereareseveralrecommendedwaysofpruningalthoughsomefarmersevensuggestno
pruning.
Asnewleavesandlateralsideshootsdevelopfromtheaxilsofthenewnodesonthegrowing
stems,theyhavetobeprunedtomaintainthe2,3,or4mainstemarchitectureoftheplant.
Thepepperfloweralsodevelopsatthenode,thatisthepointofthestemfromwhichleaves
alsoarise.Whentheplantdevelops23stemshootsatthefork,theplantshouldbeprunedto
leavethetwostrongeststems.
Astheplantgrowsanotheroneortwoshootsmaybechosen,togivethreeorfourstems.This
dependsonthevigouroftheplantwheretwo,threeorfourstemsarechosenforthelifeofthe
plant.
ChoiceoffruitsSomefarmersallowfruits
fromallnodestomaturewhileothersallow
alternateones.
Trellising
Eachstemwillgrowtoaheightofupto12
feetandrequiresupportinordertoremain
upright.Twinehungfromtheoverhead
supportwiresisusedtosupporteachstem.
Thetwineistiedtothemainstemabout10
inchesupfromthesoilorgrowingmedia,one
lengthoftwineperstem.
Itisimportanttokeepthepruningcurrent
withthedevelopmentoftheplant.Thestem
isbrittleandeasilysnapssopruningand
trellisingmuststartpromptly.Alsoproduction
willsufferiftheplantsresourceswere
allowedtogointounnecessaryleafandstem
production.Itmustbeemphasizedthat
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peppersareprunedtotwostems,andifpossiblemaintainsixfruitsperstemtomaintain
vegetativeandfruitbalance,evenifthefruithasminordamage,eg.ablossomendrotaffected
fruitshouldnotberemoveduntiltheotherfruitshaveemerged.
Unliketomatoespollinationofpepperflowersoccurssuccessfullywithoutanyoutside
pollinationassistance,althoughBumblebeecanimproveflowersetandeventuallyyieldand
fruitquality.Pruningisdonebyusingthefingersorcutterstoensurepreciseremovalofthe
lateralsandavoidinganydamagetothemainstemormainstemgrowingpoint.

Asuggestedmethodofpruning

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