Effect of Humidity on the Transpiration of Greenhouse Tomato Crops

Experiments were conducted in four independently controlled greenhouses. The purpose of these experiments was to measure the effect of humidity on transpiration and yields. Four different humidity treatments were evaluated: 1) high night and high day humidity levels (vapor pressure deficits <0.4 kPa), 2) high night and low day humidity levels (VPD >0.8 kPa), 3) high night and low day humidity levels, and 4) variable greenhouse humidity to maintain a set hourly transpiration rate. Transpiration rates were measured in the four greenhouses at 15-min intervals from Nov. 1993 to May 1994. Results show that high humidity reduces the hourly and daily transpiration levels significantly and has an impact on crop yields. Results also show that it is possible to regulate crop transpiration by calculating the transpiration rate for a set of VPD and solar radiation levels.