Optimizing Nighttime Warming for Solar Greenhouse Cucumber: An Integrated Bio-Economic Framework Combining Non-Linear Cost–Volume–Profit and Data Envelopment Analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: High energy consumption in winter greenhouses challenges agricultural sustainability. This study integrates nonlinear cost-volume-profit (CVP) and data envelopment anal-ysis (DEA) to balance cucumber yields with energy costs in Northern China. Results show that while a 19°C treatment (T3) maximizes yield, it suffers from diminishing marginal returns (MR/MC = 0.72) and high sensitivity to energy price fluctuations. Conversely, the 16°C treatment (T2) emerged as the sole energy-efficient and econom-ically resilient configuration. We conclude that 16°C is the global optimal point for balancing biological potential and resource efficiency, providing a scientific basis for precision thermal management in cold-region greenhouses.
Source: Sustainability
DOI: 10.3390/su18083817
Authors: Hui Xu, Ru Yang, Qichao Yan, Zhulin Li, Jinfu Li, Juanjuan Ding, Tianlai Li
Institution: Shenyang Agricultural University
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
Funder: Shenyang Agricultural University
OpenAlex ID: W7154022759