Water Movement: The Importance of Vapor Pressure Deficit (Part 1)

This is the first in a series of podcasts looking into an important greenhouse production topic, vapor pressure deficit or VPD. Host Bill Calkins talks to guest Dr. Will Healy in an attempt to make some fairly complex information understandable and usable in this conversation about VPD, relative humidity and water loss. They are following up on a print article ran in the January issue of GrowerTalks magazine that walked readers through some definitions related to VPD, as well as why it is an important measurement to use and how it can specifically benefit young plant production. This episode (and the others in the series) goes quite a bit deeper into the topic.

 

Dr. Healy has more than three decades of experience working with greenhouses of all shapes and sizes and around the world to implement the best strategies for their unique situations. Will retired recently from Ball Horticultural Company but continues to think about ways to improve horticultural production.

 

In the first podcast of the series, Will and Bill focus on clarifying the importance of VPD and Relative Humidity (RH), as well as explaining the process of Evapotranspiration. The episode sets the stage for upcoming presentations covering when VPD is most critical and ways to manage this integral piece of your greenhouse environment puzzle.

 

RESOURCES:

 

VIEW THIS PRESENTATION AS A VIDEO WITH SLIDES: https://youtu.be/MGb8RjLV3U0

Learning Curves & Data Curves, GrowerTalks January 2023 by Bill Calkins (article): https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=26085

Plant Empowerment (book): https://www.plantempowerment.com/in-practice/the-book/

Tech On Demand—Training Your Team to Water Properly (video): https://youtu.be/SCPPT0IXlLY