Experimental Analysis on Temperature Gradient and environmental parameters in a Greenhouse: a case study on tomato soilless cultivation

We analyze the environmental parameters, with particular focus on the temperature spatial distribution, inside a greenhouse with a tomato soilless cultivation. The findings from our initial research indicate a significant thermal gradient in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the plants. Although the average measured temperature surpasses the recommended limits for optimal tomato production, its impact on the final yield is negligible compared to similar cultivations in literature. Notably, the temperature near the area where the tomatoes are collected remains within an appropriate range. This can possibly motivate the negligible productivity loss. However, we highlighted the relevance of selecting an appropriate position for temperature measurement. This aspect can have a large impact in developing proper optimization strategies, including active climate control and specific energy requirement minimization, as detailed throughout the paper.