DYNAMIC MODELING OF THE MICROCLIMATE OF A GREENHOUSE CUCUMBER ROW-CROP PART II. VALIDATION AND SIMULATION

ABSTRACT The general theoretical considerations, described in Part I, were assembled into a dynamic simulator to predict the diurnal courses and vertical profiles of the microclimatic variables within a greenhouse cucumber row crop. A set of climatic variables as defined above the canopy were supplied as driving functions and/or boundary conditions. The simulated results were then compared with experimental data taken simultaneously with the input variables. Quantitative agreements between model predictions and measurements for each output variable were represented by a group of 11 statistical parameters. The index of agreement for the five major microclimatic variables - solar radiation, transpiration, leaf temperature, air temperature, and relative humidity - varied from 0.92 to 0.99, indicating that the newly developed model of this study did possess a high predictive value. Discussions on some preliminary simulation results were also included..