A Scientific Reports paper evaluates a carbon-fibre heating cable installed beneath cucumber beds at Egypt’s Protected Cultivation Center in Dokki, Giza. Published in March 2026, the study reports experiments conducted during the 2021 and 2022 winter seasons.
A thermostat maintained five soil-temperature treatments between 13°C and 25°C. The researchers compared plant physiology, growth and harvest measurements across three replicates per treatment. Plants at 19°C and 22°C produced statistically similar total yields in the reported comparison, with the higher setting supporting several growth measures.
The authors suggest adjusting root-zone temperature with crop stage instead of assuming one setting is optimal throughout production. Their findings concern one cucumber cultivar and a specific greenhouse environment. The paper’s energy and economic assessments should be interpreted within that setting, rather than treated as guaranteed savings from replacing whole-house heating elsewhere.
