Greenhouse Horticulture - Greenhouse Horticulture

Japanese: 施設園芸 - しせつえんげい

This refers to horticulture in which vegetables, flowers, fruits, and other crops are grown in places and seasons where they would normally be difficult to grow, in greenhouses or in greenhouses surrounded by plastic or vinyl sheets, while controlling the natural environmental conditions. Therefore, greenhouse horticulture developed as a facility to solve damage caused by cold, wind, rain, and some diseases, and to meet the demand for year-round cultivation. From the perspective of agricultural management, it is expected that high profits will be achieved by investing capital and by intensively using advanced techniques and labor. Compared to the traditional greenhouse cultivation and vinyl house cultivation, which mainly used heating, and the accelerated and controlled cultivation, greenhouse horticulture has various internal equipment for labor saving, and has been developed with the development of heating, heat retention, geothermal heat utilization, automation of water supply and drainage, thermostatic devices, and the introduction of microcomputers to systemize the system, and has developed into a large-scale agricultural management form. In 1969 (Showa 44), the area of greenhouse horticulture in Japan was 11,300 hectares, and by 1999 (Heisei 11), it had reached 53,500 hectares. The area has since decreased, to 50,600 hectares in 2007, but it is still one of the largest in the world. The term "protected horticulture" was first used around 1962, when facilities and internal equipment were improved. This was the time when gravel cultivation, a type of nutrient solution culture, began to spread, and a few years later hydroponic cultivation came into use.

[Yasuo Hori]

History

At the end of the Edo period, the heat from fermentation of organic matter was used to create greenhouses, allowing early planting of vegetables and flowers. This was the first use of greenhouses in horticulture, and it can be said that the technology to produce commercial products earlier than natural cultivation had already been developed.

The cultivation of horticultural crops in greenhouses began with flowers in the early Meiji period, followed by fruit trees and vegetables, but due to the specialised nature, advanced technology and high construction costs, it was not until the late 1950s that they became widely used. Meanwhile, the use of vinyl greenhouses began with the import of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride film) in 1951. At first it was used for tunnel cultivation, as insulation and covering material, but due to its ease of handling and great effectiveness (labour saving, mechanisation), it quickly became popular and gradually became a large vinyl greenhouse. A few years later, with the development of petrochemistry, soft polyethylene film was developed and its use for internal insulation became widespread. Looking at the evolution of horticulture using greenhouses and vinyl greenhouses, it can be categorized as follows:

[Yasuo Hori]

Early days (1927-1962)

Greenhouses were primarily used for growing flowers and fruit trees, as well as for growing melons and some gravel-based vegetables. The main frame was wood, with steel frames coming into use later on. Initially, vinyl greenhouses were used only as materials for raising vegetable seedlings, managing plantings, and protecting rice seedlings from the cold, but gradually medium-sized vinyl greenhouses were built with frames made of bamboo, wood, steel pipes, etc.

[Yasuo Hori]

Expansion period (around 1963-1972)

The rapid economic growth in Japan led to an increase in demand for horticultural crops and high profits, leading to an expansion in the scale of cultivation in both greenhouses and vinyl greenhouses. Buildings also became larger, moving from single buildings to rows of buildings, and forced ventilation fans, automatic irrigation devices, and automatic curtains for insulation were introduced, while the roof framework and window frames of greenhouses were also changed to aluminum.

[Yasuo Hori]

Resource saving period (1973-1981)

The oil crisis caused a shortage of heating fuel (heavy oil, petroleum) and the need to conserve fuel arose for larger greenhouses and vinyl houses, ushering in a period of resource and energy conservation. As a result, energy-saving equipment such as double curtains, geothermal heat exchange heating, and heat storage systems were developed to keep indoor temperatures warm. Meanwhile, in the latter half of this period, consumer preferences for vegetables and fruits also became more premium, and with year-round demand, the era shifted from mass production to quality (taste), and the foundations of greenhouse horticulture were established.

[Yasuo Hori]

Systemization era (1982 onwards)

Labor-saving cultivation management and data-based management methods are being introduced into greenhouse horticulture as well. In particular, in addition to the conventional internal equipment, a numerically-based management system has been introduced, including temperature management using microcomputers, yield calculations, and carbon dioxide concentration measurements. Meanwhile, industrial production facilities for vegetables, where the facilities are fully controlled artificially, have been completed by companies and are moving towards practical use. As an example, a system is being put into operation, albeit for a limited number of crops, that uses nutrient solution (culture solution) instead of soil, electric lights (special lamps) instead of the sun, and has a complete system of regulating day length, temperature (heating and cooling), nutrient solution concentration, etc., without relying on human intuition. Although there are still problems with its economic viability, if capital investment continues in the future, it is expected that industrial production, which allows cultivation anywhere and at any time, will make further progress.

[Yasuo Hori]

"Toyoki Kozai, Eiji Goto, and Kazuhiro Fujiwara, 'The Latest in Greenhouse Horticulture' (2006, Asakura Publishing)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

野菜、花卉(かき)、果樹などの作物を、本来生育しにくい場所や季節に、ガラス温室やプラスチックまたはビニルシートで囲ったハウス内で、自然環境条件を制御しつつ栽培する園芸のことをいう。したがって施設園芸は、寒冷、風雨、一部の病気などの被害解決策や、周年化する需要にこたえるための施設として発達した。また農業経営上からみると、資本投下をすれば高度の技術と労力の集約化により高収益が期待できる。従来の暖房中心による温室栽培やビニルハウス栽培での促成・抑制栽培に比べると、施設園芸は内部に省力化のための諸装備をもち、暖房、保温、地中熱利用、給排水の自動化、変温装置の開発、さらにマイクロコンピュータ等の導入によるシステム化が進み、規模の大きな農業経営形態に発展してきた。1969年（昭和44）に1万1300ヘクタールであった日本の施設園芸面積は、1999年（平成11）には5万3500ヘクタールに達した。その後減少に転じ、2007年には5万0600ヘクタールとなったが、世界有数の広さである。施設園芸ということばが初めて用いられるようになったのは、内部装備や施設化が進んだ1962年ころである。とくに養液栽培の一種である礫耕(れきこう)栽培の普及が始まった時期であり、数年後には水気耕栽培が行われるようになった。

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沿革

江戸時代末期に、有機物の発酵熱を利用して温床とし、野菜の早出し、花卉類の室(むろ)出しなどが行われたというから、これが施設化の最初の園芸的利用であり、自然栽培型から季節的にひと足早く商品化する技術がすでに生まれていたといえよう。

　温室を利用した園芸作物の栽培は明治初期に花卉類から始まり、果樹、野菜と続いたが、特殊性と高度技術、また建設費がかさむため、広く普及するようになったのは昭和30年代後半になってからである。一方ビニルハウスは、ビニル（塩化ビニルフィルム）が1951年に輸入されたことにより利用が始まった。最初はトンネル栽培や保温材、被覆材として用いられたが、その取扱いの容易さと効果の大きさ（省力化、機械化）から急速に普及し、しだいに大型のビニルハウスとなった。さらに数年後、石油化学の発達から柔らかいポリエチレンフィルムが開発され、内部保温用に利用が広まった。温室、ビニルハウスを使った施設園芸の変遷をみると次のように区分されよう。

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創生期（1927～62年）

温室は花卉、果樹中心の栽培施設であり、野菜ではメロンのほか一部礫耕栽培などに使用された。主骨材は木材で、後半になって鉄骨が用いられるようになった。ビニルハウスも、当初、野菜育苗や定植管理、水稲育苗の防寒などの資材的利用に限られていたが、しだいに竹、木材、鋼管などの骨を用いた中型のビニルハウスが建設された。

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規模拡大期（1963～72年ころ）

経済の高度成長に伴う、園芸作物の需要増と高収益とが重なって、温室、ビニルハウスとも栽培規模が拡大した。建物も単棟から連棟へとさらに大型化し、強制換気扇、自動灌水(かんすい)装置、保温用自動カーテンなどが導入されるとともに、温室の屋根骨材、窓枠もアルミ材に変わった。

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省資源期（1973～81年ころ）

大型化した温室、ビニルハウスも、石油ショックによる暖房用燃料（重油、石油）不足から節約の必要が生じ、省資源、省エネルギー期を迎える。そのため室内保温対策として二重カーテン、地中熱交換暖房、蓄熱方式などの省エネ設備のくふうが行われた。一方この期の後半には、野菜、果物などに対する消費者志向も高級化し、周年需要とともに量産から質（味）の時代へと変化し、施設園芸の基盤が確立した。

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システム化時代（1982年以降）

施設園芸にも栽培管理の省力化とデータによる管理方式が取り入れられてくる。とくに従来の内部設備に加えて、マイクロコンピュータなどの活用による温度管理、収量計算、炭酸ガス濃度の測定など数字に基づく管理体制が導入された。一方、施設を人工的に完全制御して栽培する野菜の工場的生産施設が企業として完成し、実用化に向かっている。その一例として、土のかわりに養分液（培養液）を、太陽のかわりに電灯（特殊ランプ）を用い、人間の勘に頼らずコンピュータによる日長、温度（暖冷房）、養液濃度などの調節機構の完備した方式のものが、限られた作物ではあるが行われつつある。まだ経済性に問題があるが、今後資本投下が進められれば、場所と時期を選ばず栽培できる工場的生産はさらに前進すると思われる。

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『古在豊樹・後藤英司・富士原和宏著『最新施設園芸学』（2006・朝倉書店）』

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