What is a Polyhouse?
A polyhouse is a type of greenhouse in
which a protective shade of transparent polythene is used to grow vegetables
and other crops.
Polyhouses are generally semi-circular
in shape but there are square and elongated ones too. First a basic framework
using bamboo or iron rods is constructed and then a polythene sheet is tightly
stretched over it to create polyhouse. The polyhouses are generally built along
the east-west direction to make the maximum use of sunlight.
The temperature, humidity and other
factors that are essential for a particular vegetable to grow can be controlled
in a polyhouse. For example, in winter, extra heat may be provided using solar
panels. In summer, the excess heat inside a polyhouse can be removed by
circulating the air using exhaust fans, coolers etc. Thus polyhouses facilitate
the growth of vegetables and fruits at any time of the year.Farmers can benefit
by growing high-yield off-season vegetables that are not readily available in
the market.
The crops grown in the polyhouse are
safe from hostile weather phenomena such as heavy rain, hailstorm, scorching
heat etc. and also from birds and animals. Plants in a polyhouse require less
amount of water as water loss due to evaporation is significantly less.
