High Tunnel Paper 5 Summary

5. Overview of the use of high tunnels worldwide.  William J. Lamont Jr.  2009.  5 pp.

Click here to link to the study

This short paper discusses that high tunnels are not a new horticultural technology and have been long employed by many countries and regions such as China, India, Korea, Italy, Spain, and the Middle East.  It discusses the basic structure of a high tunnel and how this varies depending on where you live, different crops grown by country, and estimated area of protected crops by region.  In 2009, China had the greatest area dedicated to high tunnel and greenhouse production with an estimated 360,000 hectares in production while the U.S and Canada had 6,500 hectares in production.

Generally, across the world, high tunnel systems use plastic mulch and drop irrigation and had more substantial frameworks for permanent structures.  Seasons are extended in temperate areas as well as in tropical areas where people could grow in rainy seasons.  Across regions, it is common to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash/melons, and herbs in high tunnels.  Commonly grown small fruit is strawberry and commonly grown tree fruit is cherry.  Cut flower production is also seen in high tunnels around the world, including herbaceous perennials.

This paper is a great cursory overview examining levels of high tunnel production across the world and commonly grown crops by the highest acreage countries.  It also includes informative photos of high tunnels in different countries, which are worth viewing the paper for themselves.