Effect of Different Shading Materials on the Greenhouse Environment and Cherry Tomato Yield in Summer

To contribute to the establishment of effective shading material usage in cherry tomato cultivation in the summer, we investigated the characteristics of different colored shading materials. We focused on scattering light and evaluated the greenhouse environment and the productivity of cherry tomatoes. The results showed significant differences between the different colors, with the white material having the highest scattering light rate, followed by silver and black. The total fruit weight using white material was the heaviest, and the number of defective fruits tended to be the smallest. In addition to the effect of light reception due to differences in shading rate, the use of white shading material increased the amount of scattering light in the greenhouse, which increased photosynthesis due to the improved light-receiving environment and reduced the number of damaged fruits by suppressing the temperature in the greenhouse and reducing the concentration of light on the fruits. Furthermore, a comparison of different white shading materials showed that the higher the shading ratio of any white material, the higher the light scattering ratio, and that the relationship between shading ratio and scattering light rate differed among the products, suggesting that the characteristics for scattering light may differ depending on the material, manufacturing process, porosity, and other factors.