Page 13 - IJES Special Issues for AIEC2016

International Journal of Environment and Sustainability, 2016, 5(1): 1-9 3
pipe system were transferred to experimental
plots. Each plot is approximately 2.5m wide, and
2.5m x 3.5m wire-meshed stockades were
leaned toward the building wall (facing the
South) at an inclination of 15°.
Three experimental plots were first established
on the 6th August 2012. Eight young seedlings
were planted at 50cm intervals in an alternating
manner in two parallel rows (4 plants per row x
2 rows) (Figure 1). One flower bed without the
Clitoria green curtain establishment was used
as a control plot. Plots were irrigated through a growing leaves covered a large area of screens.
dripping pipe with other garden plants at a
standard (for the region) irrigation rate. As
plants grew, vines were periodically pulled and
tied to the wire mesh to facilitate vertical
growth along the stockades.
Figure 1: Experimental plot of Clitoria green
curtain
The biological characteristics examined were
speed of growth and canopy development and
the density, color, and uniformity of the canopy.
Surrounding microenvironments were mea-
sured using an OM-PC Data Logger (Omega
Engineering, Inc., USA). OM-PC Data Loggers
were placed in ventilated boxes and hung on the
backside of the stockades in experimental, and
control (without a green curtain), plots. Micro-
environment data was taken periodically after
the establishment of green curtains.
3. Results and Discussion
Clitoria green curtains were established after
approximately two months (64 days) from the
day of planting (Figure 2). A few twinging stems
reached the top of the frame structure, and
The canopy density was 68%, while human
perception was much higher, particularly
observation from the front. The leaves of
Clitoria ternatm L. are pinnate (most with seven
leaflets). Thus, green curtains spread relatively
uniformly and quickly over the mesh frame, and
at Day 86, the canopy density reached 85%. The
color of the leaflets was light green, and, at
maturation, turned to a slightly darker green. By
Day 64, blue flowers began to bloom – which
was a beautiful sight.
The effects of the green curtain were examined
by analyzing microenvironment data collected
from Day 80 to Day 86. As shown in Figure 3a,
the microenvironment air temperatures were
lower in Clitoria plots during mid-day, regard-
less of the daily maximum temperatures. To
examine the significance of the effects of green
curtains, microenvironment air temperatures
during mid-day (10:30-15:30) were analyzed
(Figure 4a). The mean air temperature in
Clitoria plot for the week was 32.6°C, while that
of a control plot was 39.2°C, and the difference
(6.6°C) was strongly statistically significantly
different (t-test). Interestingly, in the morning
(9:30-10:30), when sunlight began to directly
hit the experimental plots, the air temperature
rapidly increased in a control plot, while in
Clitoria plots, a short lag period (< 1h) was
observed before the temperature began to rise
(indicated by the blue arrow in Figure 3a). In
addition, the air temperature in Clitoria plots
rose more gradually than that of the control
plot. On the contrary, in the afternoon (16:00-
17:00) when the sunlight hid behind buildings,
such time lags were not observed in Clitoria
plots.
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