Repsol YPF
Ruta
Agricultural sector
Within the agricultural sector, the use of LPG can be highlighted in the following applications:
- Drying barns
Reduction of the moisture of agricultural products at the time of their collection seeks to minimise qualitative and quantitative losses of product during the storage period.
Using warm air to attain the correct humidity levels to enable the preservation of the grains of cereals, tobacco, timber, etc., prevents the development of micro-organisms and the activation of reactions that cause these products to deteriorate.
- Greenhouses
The building of greenhouses has allowed the developemnt of protected horticulture, creating a micro-climate that is more favourable than the one existing in the exterior. Certain species require elevated temperatures for their development, making it necessary to resort to an artificial thermal regime, leading to the installation of heating systems in the greenhouse. Moreover, the maintenance of conditions that do not undergo any drastic changes in terms of climate variables allows the achievement of ideal growth and the obtention of the largest yields.
Heating in greenhouses has the purpose of regulating the room temperature and the growing temperature for crops, so as to improve their yield, precociousness and quality, causing an increase in production and an earlier collection, at the same time as the defects that low temperatures entail are avoided. What is stressed as being especially important is precociousness, as a winter production harvest that is brought forward by 2 or 3 weeks can give rise to considerable profits for farmers, who are interested in drawing out the greatest possible quantity of the product when production levels are lowest, which is when its market value is highest.
