AN INVESTIGATION OF TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF HEAT REQUIREMENTS FOR GREENHOUSE TOMATO PRODUCTION IN TURKEY'S MEDITERRANEAN REGION

Turkey's Mediterranean region is part of an important industry for the greenhouse production of tomatoes. Due to climatic conditions, greenhouses in this region require heating on cold winter nights for sufficient, high-quality yields. In terms of production costs, heating costs make up 20% of total expenses, and can be seen as an important input item. Therefore, in order to assess the construction and production costs in the planning and production stages, it is beneficial to know the heating expenses. By knowing the required heat energy, it is possible to choose the appropriate power and heating systems, and to evaluate the competition and market conditions on a broader scale. In addition, various studies have shown that global climate change affects agricultural production in many ways, particularly because production areas and types of cultivated product may vary regionally. For this study, we focused on the impact of global climate change on greenhouse heat requirements in Turkey's Mediterranean region, in which greenhouse tomato cultivation is common. Using the official station data from 1985-2018, and a model that is presented in this study, we calculated the hourly heat requirements from two periods-1985-2004 and 2005-2018-and compared the data. The results showed that there was a 12-25% reduction in greenhouse heat requirements between the two selected periods.