In Horgos City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, smart greenhouses have created an optimal growing environment for tomatoes, enabling efficient production.
At the Horgos Modern Agricultural Science and Technology Industrial Park, different varieties of tomatoes are gradually ripening.
Outside of the greenhouses, the temperature measures 34 degrees Celsius, while the temperature inside is only 26 degrees Celsius, ideal for tomatoes entering their ripening stage.
The secret behind cooling down the high temperature lies in the temperature regulation room.
Inside this room, 170 sets of pipes, fans, and wet curtains work together to maintain the indoor temperature. The greenhouse is covered with a "double-layer polymer functional film" that acts like an intelligent skin, precisely adjusting light transmission and effectively blocking strong UV rays to ensure even fruit coloring. "After cold water goes through the wet curtain, the dry and hot air turns into moist and cool air, which is then drawn into the greenhouse by fans. When it's about 39 or 40 degrees Celsius outside, this semi-enclosed system can still lower the temperature by 12 degrees Celsius. The film has a certain light selectivity and scattering effect; it blocks the green light that plants don't like while letting in the light they need, making the lighting more uniform and gentler on the plants, ensuring their healthy growth," said Zhang Xiaofeng, head of a Xinjiang agricultural sci-tech development group.
This year, the local area has turned waste into treasure by piping carbon dioxide emitted from nearby industrial production into the smart greenhouses.
By enhancing photosynthesis efficiency, the tomatoes grow better and yield more. With the help of technology, the industrial park's annual tomato output currently reaches about 6,000 tons.
Smart greenhouses boost tomato production in Horgos
