Advantages and Disadvantages of Multi-span Greenhouses
With the rapid development of protected agriculture, the upgrading and iteration of agricultural greenhouses have brought tremendous changes to agricultural production. Among them, multi-span greenhouses, as an upgraded version of single-span agricultural greenhouse, have become an important choice for many growers due to their ultra-high utilization rate and mechanized and automated level. In terms of the environmental control system of multi-span greenhouses, electric sunshade, electric film rolling (window opening) ventilation, electric thermal insulation covers, and electric fan-curtain cooling systems have now been commonly implemented. This makes the environmental control capability of greenhouses more stable and reasonable, greatly improving work efficiency. Little manual operation is required, and a series of operations can be completed just by pressing the switch on the power distribution cabinet. Looking back at the agricultural production models of a decade ago, and even those in some underdeveloped areas now, the emergence of multi-span greenhouses is undoubtedly a major advancement in the development of China's protected agriculture.
Moreover, the interior of multi-span greenhouses can be equipped with mechanized automatic sprinkler irrigation systems, integrated water and fertilizer machines, and automated seeders. Even IoT control software has now become a relatively common system. The application of these equipment and systems has greatly improved production efficiency, realized precise irrigation and fertilization, saved water and fertilizers, and protected soil from pollution through methods such as soilless cultivation, providing strong support for the sustainable development of agriculture. However, many people are blind in choosing the type of multi-span greenhouses. Therefore, today we will briefly analyze how to choose among three common types of multi-span greenhouses.
1. Multi-Span Film Greenhouses
Multi-span film greenhouses, also known as multi-span arch film agricultural greenhouse, are a more economical and practical type of agricultural greenhouse. Their advantages are very prominent. Firstly, the cost is economical, which can effectively reduce the initial investment cost of growers. Secondly, the installation structure is simple and the construction speed is fast, allowing them to be put into use in a relatively short period of time. However, they also have certain disadvantages. Since they are covered with films, the service life of ordinary films is usually 3 to 5 years, and the film materials need to be replaced after several years of use. In addition, their ability to resist wind and snow is relatively weak in northern regions.
Nevertheless, multi-span film greenhouses still have a wide range of applications in China's agricultural greenhouse production. In northern regions, they are mainly used for seedling raising, vegetable cold sheds, rain shelters for grapes and kiwifruits, and flower cultivation sheds (most flower sheds adopt a double-film structure). In southern regions, due to the relatively mild climate conditions, multi-span film greenhouses can be used as year-round vegetable production sheds, agricultural greenhouse ensuring the continuous supply of vegetables in southern regions.
