This study was conducted to prepare a plan for the controlling indoor microclimate environment using natural ventilation for the single-span plastic greenhouses, which account for about 83.8% of the total area of horticultural greenhouses in South Korea. The changes of indoor air temperature and relative humidity according to the side opening height were experimentally compared and analyzed in the experimental greenhouse. As the side opening height was changed to 30, 70, and 110cm, the indoor and outdoor temperature differences were found to be 14.0, 10.1, and 7.7℃, respectively. The indoor and outdoor relative humidity differences were found to be -15.7, -12.5, and -11.1%, respectively. These results were verified for statistical significance by ANOVA. When the variable breadth of the outdoor temperature was 6.9℃, the indoor temperature breadths were 14.5, 12.3, and 9.0℃, and when the outdoor relative humidity breadth was 24%, the indoor relative humidity breadths were 31.2, 28.0, and 23.8%, respectively. It was analyzed that as the side opening height is increased, the indoor temperature and relative humidity become similar to the outdoor environment. This is because the air is mixed by active indoor-outdoor air movement of greenhouses with natural ventilation. The results indicated that the proper opening and closing of side openings is necessary for the stable indoor microclimate environment control of plastic greenhouses.

• 김형권(National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, RDA) | Hyung-Kweon Kim Corresponding author