Advances in nutrient management in greenhouse cultivation

Description

Precise nutrient management is essential to produce high-quality and high-yielding greenhouse crops while limiting cost and environmental damage. Traditional nutrient management strategies are being replaced by new types of fertilizers combined with precision delivery and management. This chapter reviews fundamental greenhouse crop nutrition concepts and including current methods of nutrient delivery with the importance of integration nutrition with irrigation systems. Different approaches to managing nutrients in soilless substrates and hydroponic systems, both conventional and organic, are summarized, as is the emerging role of beneficial microbes and biostimulants in greenhouse nutrient management. Fertilizer strategies to improve crop postharvest shelf life and reduce fertilizer leaching are also presented, as are the fundamental components of a comprehensive monitoring and management plan for greenhouse crop nutrition. This chapter concludes with a discussion of future prospects for nutrient management, as well as resources for readers to look for further information.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 Controlled-release fertilizers 3 Water-soluble fertilizers 4 Foliar fertilizers 5 Organic nutrient management of container-grown crops 6 Open vs closed irrigation systems 7 Nutrient management of crops in soilless substrates 8 Nutrient management of hydroponic crops in water culture 9 The role of beneficial microbes and biostimulants in crop nutrient management 10 Nutrient management to improve postharvest shelf life 11 Strategies to reduce fertilizer leaching 12 Monitoring and managing nutrition 13 Future trends 14 Where to look for further information 15 References