seasonal effects

Seasonal effects on crops on Mars

An interesting experiment on Earth study of seasons on Lettice

‘Ostinata’, ‘Summer Bibb’ and ‘Grand Rapids’ lettuce were measured for seasonal growth in a greenhouse in a high-insolation desert environment. Growth of all 3 cultivars was positively correlated with radiation up to the highest level measured, 550 cal cm−2 day−1. Crops grown in the autumn used light 2–3 times more efficiently than crops grown in spring.

Daytime air temperatures were also positively correlated with growth, and there was a significant temperature × radiation interaction. The best predictor of growth was the product of day temperature and the log of radiation. This variable explained much of the difference between the growth of autumn and spring crops. Autumn crops were grown under higher temperatures and thus responded more steeply to radiation than spring crops. High temperatures during the summer rainy season were associated with bolting.

A general curve to predict the length of the crop cycle from radiation data alone was constructed from data for Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A., crops and data from the literature for lettuce grown in Great Britain and the Great Lakes region of the United States.

External Link to the research