Greenhouse Fogging-System

The company LUBING GreenTec invited the Mexican trade magazine deRiego to present one of its fogging systems, where other interested participants also had the opportunity to test the use of this system to promote and improve the climatic conditions for tomato cultivation in greenhouses in order to achieve good plant development and bring the tomato fruits to the market in the desired quality.

In Mexico, between the municipalities of San Juan Sin Agua and Santa Teresa in the municipality of Guadalcazar, San Luis Potosí, is the company Grupo Agropecuario Integral Agropro SPR de RL, which specializes in the production of specialty tomatoes. It began its activity in 2021 in medium-technology greenhouses, which allowed it to achieve good yields despite the region’s climatic adversities. Thanks to the use of LUBING-GreenTec fogging systems, they have managed to produce all year round and position themselves as one of the best companies for supplying the American and Canadian markets.

Juan Antonio Segura, General Director, told deRiego that the founders already had experience of producing specialty crops in high-tech greenhouses, which encouraged them to set up in the region despite the great adversity. With a cultivation area of 9 hectares and a large investment, they set out to find a stable market that would give them a quick return. In the first year, they realized that the climatic conditions of the place – high temperatures, high solar radiation and strong gusts of wind – could shatter the dream of growing tomatoes. Despite the great experience of the production management, they had great difficulties, but they did not give up and achieved a good production, quickly realizing that if they continued with the same management, they would have a very high demand for personnel and management. For this reason, they joined forces with the company LUBING GreenTec. The introduction of the fogging system has enabled them to manage resources more efficiently and increase their yields by up to 25% compared to the first year.

Eusebio Palomares, who is responsible for tomato cultivation, points out that the high temperatures and, above all, the high solar radiation are the main problem for the correct management of the varieties grown there. A plant that receives a lot of radiation carries out more photosynthesis, which is converted into production, but the location provides us with higher radiation than necessary, which is why the use of shading is very important, because it makes it easier for us to control this radiation, but it does not solve temperature management, as it only manages to lower the temperature by 1 to 2 °C. With this production dynamic, we can’t have varieties with very high or very low growth, because plant management changes a lot from one day to the next if these factors are not taken into account. When we introduced the fogging system, we immediately noticed that the temperature was reduced without the appearance of pests or diseases. The size of the droplets is almost imperceptible, they just form a dense cloud that dissipates easily without leaving a trace of moisture on the leaves.

The evaporation of the mist lowers the internal temperature of the greenhouse by between 4 and 6°C in relation to the shading. For large plants with plenty of leaves, the conditions in the greenhouse are better due to the plant’s own evapotranspiration and a microclimate is created. But in the initial phase, when the plant is not yet able to create its own microclimate, the LUBING GreenTec Fogging system becomes an indispensable tool for successful plant development by lowering temperatures by 8 to 10 °C and ensuring an appropriate humidity level. Thanks to the connection that can be established between the pump and the climate controller, the LUBING GreenTec Fogging system enables good coordination between the fogging system and other systems installed in the production units. This allows easy and appropriate handling for every need and according to local conditions.

Rodolfo Segura and Rodolfo Cruz from the maintenance department say that the system is very easy to handle and the quality of the materials is very good and resistant: “When we installed it, we thought that if we used excessive force during installation we might break or damage the material, but the LUBING GreenTec staff told us that the system is designed to withstand heavy use”. The system requires little maintenance.

MORE TOMATO PRODUCTION WITH EXPORT QUALITY

Mr. Eusebio emphasized that for them, the end of the harvest is the moment when the difference in production becomes clear. Many harvest the same quantities as we do, but the fruit is of inferior quality. By using the nebulization system, we can harvest the same quantities without losing quality. We currently produce 96% export quality, which makes it easier for us to maintain the market and produce less waste. “We achieve good yields without stressing the plants too much.

As far as costs are concerned, Don Juan Segura mentions that the investment was high and that the return on investment is estimated at 5 to 7 years. However, this depends on many factors that do not necessarily affect the turnover, but the other expenses for operating resources and labor, a significant point, as these items account for about 40% of the capital. By introducing the LUBING GreenTec Fogging system, we have been able to reduce overall costs by 15-25% compared to our previous system, while maintaining plant and fruit quality until the end of the production cycle. So the purchase of a LUBING GreenTec Fogging system is worth every penny. We only use the system to control the humidity and temperature in the greenhouses, which allows us to reduce the water consumption of the plants. We will soon see what other benefits we can achieve by using the system in the long term. We are aware of the environmental footprint of food production, and being a responsible company means using all resources carefully. Fortunately, the LUBING GreenTec system enables us to achieve our goals.

The LUBING GreenTec Fogging system uses the principle of evaporative cooling to effectively humidify and cool the ambient air, which contributes significantly to optimum growing conditions for the plants. It can be adapted to any greenhouse and offers the following advantages:

• Optimum cooling performance and homogeneous humidity distribution thanks to 70 bar water pressure and high-pressure nozzles: to achieve rapid evaporation of the water mist and therefore good cooling performance without humidification, the water droplets must be less than 20 micrometers in size.
• Reduction in the amount of irrigation water.
• Higher yield due to stable humidity and thus higher plant production.
• Helps plants to keep the stomata open for efficient nutrient supply through stable humidity in the greenhouse.
• Easy to install.
• Possibility to control areas of a greenhouse separately.