A tomato greenhouse for Souss-Massa should be specified from the site weather file, water analysis, crop and export program, pest exclusion plan, labor flow, and available utilities. The buyer should not select a structure from a regional label alone. Ask bidders to show how ventilation, shade, cooling, irrigation, sanitation, and packhouse interfaces work together under the same design conditions.
Souss-Massa is an established greenhouse tomato region, but that does not make every project low risk. Water constraints, high heat events, changing humidity, and Tomato brown rugose fruit virus can alter the operating plan. EPPO records confirmed ToBRFV outbreaks in greenhouse tomatoes in Souss-Massa. The design brief therefore needs measurable climate and hygiene duties instead of a promise about export grade or yield.
Set the project basis before choosing the greenhouse
Provide a map pin, elevation, site boundary, wind exposure, drainage routes, water source, electrical service, crop calendar, tomato type, growing method, market specification, and packhouse route. Use local hourly weather data where it is available. Monthly averages can hide the hot, humid, or low-wind hours that determine vent, screen, fan, and pad performance.
| Design input | Buyer information | Evidence required from the bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Site climate | Hourly temperature, humidity, solar radiation, wind, dust and extreme events | Named weather source, design cases, vent and cooling calculations |
| Crop duty | Tomato type, crop height, planting schedule, support loads and harvest window | Clear height, crop-wire loads, row layout and service access |
| Water | Laboratory analysis, daily availability, pressure and seasonal variability | Treatment, storage, filtration, dosing and drainage basis |
| Export flow | Harvest containers, hygiene zones, traceability and packhouse location | People, produce and waste routes shown on a scaled layout |
| Utilities | Voltage, outage history, fuel options and backup capacity | Connected load, peak demand, standby loads and safe shutdown sequence |
A simple film house, a higher multispan structure, or a more controlled system can each be appropriate in a defined production window. The choice changes with the target season, wind, insect pressure, water, power, and labor capability. Require a comparison on the same crop and climate assumptions. A higher equipment count is not proof of a better project.
Check heat control after insect screens are selected
Natural ventilation performance depends on vent geometry, greenhouse height, wind, buoyancy, crop resistance, and the pressure drop across insect net. A proposal that quotes vent area before naming the net is incomplete. Ask for the effective opening, net specification, clean and loaded pressure assumptions, and the low-wind case. The layout should also provide safe access for net cleaning and replacement.
Shade, fogging, pad and fan cooling, and staged ventilation solve different duties. Shade reduces solar load but also changes crop light. Evaporative systems depend on outside humidity and water quality. Fans require verified airflow after the real inlet, pad, screen, and equipment resistance is included. The control narrative should show when each stage starts, what happens when a pump or sensor fails, and how the greenhouse returns to normal operation.
| System | Question for the designer | Commissioning evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Roof and side vents | What airflow case includes the selected net and crop? | Travel test, opening measurement and control-stage record |
| Shade screen | What radiation duty and crop period set the screen choice? | Drive limits, overlap, emergency release and zone operation |
| Fan and pad | What airflow, pad face velocity, water duty and bleed strategy are used? | Fan rotation, static pressure, wetting pattern, sump and alarm tests |
| Fog or mist | Can the water treatment and outside humidity support the design? | Nozzle pattern, pressure, water quality, drain and high-humidity interlock |
Design irrigation from a current water report
Water quantity and quality belong in the greenhouse specification. Test electrical conductivity, pH, alkalinity, major ions, suspended solids, and microbial risks relevant to the selected source and production system. The responsible crop adviser should define the acceptable input and drainage strategy. The equipment supplier should then size treatment, storage, filters, pumps, dosing, zones, and monitoring around that duty.
Ask for normal and peak daily demand, usable tank volume, refill time, pump duty points, filter pressure loss, zone flow, minimum operating pressure, dosing range, flush sequence, and backup response. A water-saving claim is not enough. The quotation should show meters, pressure points, sampling locations, alarms, and the records that will be handed to the operator.
The greenhouse fertigation guide covers treatment and dosing scope. Use the commercial greenhouse buyer guide for broader project comparisons. Keep this page focused on the Souss-Massa tomato design basis.
Build ToBRFV prevention into the facility
ToBRFV control is an operating and facility problem, not a marketing feature. EPPO reported infected imported seed as the source of confirmed Moroccan outbreaks. The project team should obtain current national plant-health requirements and create a written hygiene plan with the crop adviser and responsible authorities. The greenhouse supplier can support the plan through layout, washable surfaces, controlled entries, tool stations, water management, waste routes, and separable production zones.
Show how workers, visitors, tools, seedlings, crates, harvest product, rejected plants, and waste enter or leave each block. Decide where hands, footwear, tools, and reusable containers are cleaned. Provide isolation space and a response route for suspect material. Do not claim that insect net, resistant varieties, or disinfectant alone makes a facility virus proof.
Connect greenhouse design to export handling
The greenhouse ends at an interface, not at the door. Harvest timing, container type, shade after picking, travel distance, grading, cooling, packing, traceability, and dispatch affect whether the production plan can meet a buyer specification. Ask the greenhouse and packhouse teams to review one material-flow drawing before equipment is ordered.
Record the lot, block, harvest time, responsible crew, crop protection events, water and nutrient records, and packhouse handoff required by the buyer and current regulation. The design should provide locations for labels, scanners or paper records, sampling, rejected product, cleaning materials, and temporary storage. The greenhouse supplier must not promise market acceptance, shipment quality, or revenue.
Commission the operating sequence
Handover should include structure and cladding inspection, vent travel, screen operation, fan rotation and airflow, pad or fog checks, pump curves, filter pressure, irrigation uniformity, dosing verification, sensor calibration, alarms, communication loss, power loss, backup operation, sanitation facilities, and operator training. Record the starting conditions and acceptance limits for every test.
Run failure tests before the crop depends on the system. Stop a water pump, disconnect a climate sensor, interrupt controller communication, and simulate a power loss using the approved safe procedure. Confirm the alarm, fail state, operator action, and recovery sequence. A system that runs only under normal conditions has not completed commissioning.
RFQ inputs for a Souss-Massa tomato greenhouse
- Company, contact, project map pin, elevation, site boundary and expansion plan
- Hourly weather source, wind exposure, dust, drainage and extreme design cases
- Tomato type, production calendar, growing method, crop support and market specification
- Water source, current laboratory report, daily availability, storage and drainage limits
- Power supply, voltage, outage history, backup plan and energy constraints
- Structure, covering, vents, insect net, shade, cooling and climate-control duty
- Irrigation, fertigation, monitoring, sanitation and ToBRFV prevention interfaces
- Harvest, packhouse, waste, worker and visitor flow requirements
- Owner work, supplier work, local contractor work, freight and installation boundary
- Drawings, calculations, manuals, spares, training, acceptance tests and warranty response
Technical references
- EPPO Global Database: first report of ToBRFV in Morocco
- Agricultural Water Management: water conservation and tomato production in Morocco
- FAO: Good Agricultural Practices for greenhouse vegetable crops
Send the site, crop, water, utility, hygiene, and export brief through the CFGET contact page. Request a scope matrix and calculation list beside the quotation.
