Analysis of thermal behaviour of the pot-substrate system for soilless cultivation

Data monitored during an experimental trial on different substrates for soilless cultivation in an open system were compared. The experimental protocol includes three randomized blocks made of six rows of pot filled with six different substrates: Etna lapillus, expanded clay, perlite, peat, cocopeat and sand. Then tomato plants were planted in each pot. In the central pot of each row thermoresistance probes were installed at different locations in the substrates, in order to monitor the temperature of the media. The total solar radiation, the air temperature and relative humidity were measured inside and outside the greenhouse. The net radiation was also measured inside the greenhouse just above the substrates. The effect of the nature of the different substrates on their thermal regimes was examined on the basis of the collected data. Moreover, the connections between the substrate temperatures and the microclimatic variables were analyzed.