# A Critical Review of the Status of Current Greenhouse Technology in China and Development Prospects
## 2 The Current Situation of Greenhouse Development in China
### Problems Faced during the Development of Greenhouses in China  
China's greenhouse crop production quality and crop productivity has not reached as high a level when compared to developed countries. Despite the fact that there have been considerable developments in recent years, the gap is large, and it seems that the country faces difficulties in adapting to the needs of building a strong high-tech agriculture sector with high productivity. China has a large greenhouse area; however, the distribution is not reasonable; nearly 80% of the area is around the Yellow Sea, the Huai River and the Bohai Sea, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The equipment is outdated; 70% of the area is covered by small- and medium-sized tunnel plastic greenhouses, and the area utilized by solar greenhouses is about 40% of the total greenhouse area. There are only a few varieties grown in the greenhouses, and there is a need to further diversify crop production. At present, most of the fruit and vegetable varieties come from other countries, and there is a need to develop new domestic varieties. The large-scale multi-span modern greenhouses in the country are non-domestic models and, in most cases, they are not adapted to local climatic conditions. Irrigation, environmental control, and other core equipment are imported products. There is a lack of professional production management personnel and trained technicians in large-size greenhouses, and there is a need to introduce environmental control management, automated cultivation technology, more efficient and environmentally friendly plant protection, and equipment maintenance. China's technological capabilities for precision agriculture are still in their infancy, and there is a need to further develop and accelerate capacity-building in the sector. The Chinese greenhouse industry is constantly growing and changing, and it faces many challenges. Growing plants in greenhouses requires large amounts of water and fertilizers; one hectare of greenhouse vegetable consumes 15,000-22,500 tonnes of water a year [6]. The requirement of achieving sustainable development while imposing resource constraints is a difficult problem to resolve. The construction of agricultural greenhouses cannot be separated from the production of plastics, and it is known that plastic production has caused environmental degradation and considerable pollution in many areas in China and internationally. Another major challenge regards the energy consumption of greenhouses. In high-latitude regions of China (northern regions) that experience cold winters, greenhouses need to use heating, and environmentally friendly heating has also become a major challenge. To face the above-mentioned challenges, several measures may be taken. Figure 5: Scale of investment in greenhouses in China. For example, to reduce water consumption in greenhouses (and also reduce the cost of irrigation), high-precision irrigation systems should be used to help reduce the amount of irrigation used water while maintaining high yields. In order to reduce the cost of drip irrigation, it is necessary to properly design irrigation systems, including their pumping systems and the size and arrangement of pipes [7]. Deficit irrigation is a promising method for achieving low water usage while maintaining high yields. Deficit irrigation is mainly applied during the drought-sensitive growth stages of crops. Outside of these stages, the water used for irrigation can be reduced, thereby reducing water consumption [8]. In addition, with the development of information technology and AI technology, a plant irrigation database can be established to monitor plants and regulate irrigation during the different development stages of the crops and further reduce water consumption. To reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, depending on the plant species and its growth stage, processed livestock manure and urine can be used [9].