Greenhouses & Plant Chambers
The aim of this facility is to provide logistic and technical assistance to plant growth, propagation and protection under controlled environment conditions.
Our services include:
- Support in trials set up and plant maintenance in both the glasshouse and in growth chambers as well as in open-field conditions (e.g. seed sowing, seed collection, harvest of plant material, plant growth measurements, RGB photographic records)
- Support agronomic and greenhouse operation tasks (substrate preparation, pots filling, plantation, plants transplantation and transport, irrigation and fertilization, phytosanitary control, weeding, and pruning)
- Cleaning of greenhouse, climate chambers and tools and materials used
- Manage and treat organic and inorganic wastes (e.g. used substrate, plant debris for autoclaving).
Please contact Renato Afonso (renatojta@itqb.unl.pt) for further information.
Glasshouse
The ITQB NOVA glasshouse is located in Quinta do Marquês, Oeiras (Lat: 38°41'45.91"N; Log: 9°19'14.73"W). The glasshouse has a total covered area of 440m2 and is subdivided in 6 compartments, each with 80m2 and with independent environment control. The glasshouse has a straight side walls, with a maximum height of 4.5 m on the ridge and 3,10 m at the gutter. The environmental control (air temperature, air relative humidity-RH, radiation) is semi-automatic. The ventilation is zenithal and the glasshouse is equipped with a semi-automatic fogging system to regulate air RH and with shading/insulation screens to regulate radiation and air temperature. Watering and fertilization are manually done or by using an automatic drip system. Four compartments have unheated mobile aluminium benches to propagate and grow plants in pots or plastic trays.
The ITQB NOVA has an additional set of plant growing facilities at the top of the main building. These rooms are covered with polycarbonate sheets and are deprived of any climate control. Four rooms have an area of 6.75 m2, one has 10.5 m2, and a third one has an area of 12.6 m2.
Climate chambers
The ITQB NOVA has 7 walk-in climatic chambers of different dimensions:
1st floor: Three walk-in chambers (Chamber A, B and C) each organized in 2 tables of 0.74m×2,00m = 1.48 m2. They have light and temperature control. Light is provided by a modern LED system (Lumigrow Pro325).
8th floor: Two walk-in Fitoclima Aralab 10000 EHHF chambers (Chamber 1 and 2) of 3,30m x 1,60m x 1,95m (length x width x height), with a useful internal floor area of 3.30m x 1.60 m (5.28 m2) organized in 6 main tables. They have light, temperature and humidity control.
Outside the ITQB NOVA building. Two walk-in chambers (Chamber 3 and 4):
Chamber 3 (big, Fitoclima Aralab HP): 3,30m x 1,60m x 1,95m (length x width x height), with a useful internal floor area of 3,30m ×1,6 m (5.28 m2) (organized in 6 main tables + 2 smaller tables). It has light, temperature and humidity control and also CO2 control if needed.
Chamber 4 (small, Fitoclima Aralab PLH): 2,00m x 1,60m x 2,04m (length x width x height), organized in 6 shelves, one shelf corresponding to a set of lights, with 0,50m x 1,50m m = 0.75 m2 each, total useful area of 4.50 m2). It has light, temperature and humidity control and also CO2 control if needed.
