jberry
Well-Known Member
Nowadays it is quite normal to know everything
about your own health! Of course we can easily
measure our weight and height, we can measure
our cholesterol and we can even go as far as using
electrocardiograms to check our heart status.
If we have a pain somewhere, there is always a
doctor who can find the cause or can prescribe a
medicine which will make us better.
What is not well
understood is that plants, as well as people can
often suffer from stress, but the cause of the stress
is usually unknown. It could be due to a number
of factors, such as an excess or a lack of, fertilizer,
water, light, ventilation and so on. Now there is a
system available which can help us find the cause
of plant stress.
The Phytoplant monitor – this device
measures different physiological parameters and
environmental conditions of the plant.
This not inexpensive system is technically very advanced
and is mainly used by researchers, universities,
private schools, and the like.
The Phytoplant monitor is very sensitive and can measure a thickness
thinner than a human hair. All of the data collected
by the monitor’s sensors are stored in a data
file which can easily be
analyzed.
The Phytoplant monitor system has many different
sensors which are used to collect the data. The system
consists of environmental sensors and sensors
for plant growth and development.
Environmental Sensors:
Environmental sensors, these sensors measure the
microclimate in the active growth phase.
• The thick boundary layer sensor consists of two
metal plates, one of which accumulates heat.
This sensor measures the air movement by measuring
the temperatures between the two plates.
• The temperature and humidity sensor works by
forced aspiration.
• The total radiation sensor measures the total light
both inside and outside the Green house.
• The moisture substrate sensor is composed of
electrodes that measure the electrical conductivity
and the percentage of moisture in the substrate.
The sensors for growth and development
of the plant
• Temperature sensor (leaf) - a clamp measures the
temperature of the leaves. If the temperature is
higher than that of the environment it means that
the stomata are closed and transpiration is not
working.
• Stem diameter and petiole sensor - measures
tiny variations in the stem diameter (increase at
night, decreases during the day) which indicates
whether there is transpiration in the plant.
• Sap flow sensor - this sensor is extremely sensitive
and measures the amount of sap and the direction
of flow of sap in the plant.
• Fruit sensor - can measure micrometric variations
in the fruit of the plant.
The Phytoplant monitor sends regular data updates
to a computer program. This means it is possible to
track the plants’ progress day and night remotely.
So for example the plant can be watered at the
right time and with the right mix of fertilizer just by
checking the data and not by physically going to
check on the plant in the greenhouse!
about your own health! Of course we can easily
measure our weight and height, we can measure
our cholesterol and we can even go as far as using
electrocardiograms to check our heart status.
If we have a pain somewhere, there is always a
doctor who can find the cause or can prescribe a
medicine which will make us better.
What is not well
understood is that plants, as well as people can
often suffer from stress, but the cause of the stress
is usually unknown. It could be due to a number
of factors, such as an excess or a lack of, fertilizer,
water, light, ventilation and so on. Now there is a
system available which can help us find the cause
of plant stress.
The Phytoplant monitor – this device
measures different physiological parameters and
environmental conditions of the plant.
This not inexpensive system is technically very advanced
and is mainly used by researchers, universities,
private schools, and the like.
The Phytoplant monitor is very sensitive and can measure a thickness
thinner than a human hair. All of the data collected
by the monitor’s sensors are stored in a data
file which can easily be
analyzed.
The Phytoplant monitor system has many different
sensors which are used to collect the data. The system
consists of environmental sensors and sensors
for plant growth and development.
Environmental Sensors:
Environmental sensors, these sensors measure the
microclimate in the active growth phase.
• The thick boundary layer sensor consists of two
metal plates, one of which accumulates heat.
This sensor measures the air movement by measuring
the temperatures between the two plates.
• The temperature and humidity sensor works by
forced aspiration.
• The total radiation sensor measures the total light
both inside and outside the Green house.
• The moisture substrate sensor is composed of
electrodes that measure the electrical conductivity
and the percentage of moisture in the substrate.
The sensors for growth and development
of the plant
• Temperature sensor (leaf) - a clamp measures the
temperature of the leaves. If the temperature is
higher than that of the environment it means that
the stomata are closed and transpiration is not
working.
• Stem diameter and petiole sensor - measures
tiny variations in the stem diameter (increase at
night, decreases during the day) which indicates
whether there is transpiration in the plant.
• Sap flow sensor - this sensor is extremely sensitive
and measures the amount of sap and the direction
of flow of sap in the plant.
• Fruit sensor - can measure micrometric variations
in the fruit of the plant.
The Phytoplant monitor sends regular data updates
to a computer program. This means it is possible to
track the plants’ progress day and night remotely.
So for example the plant can be watered at the
right time and with the right mix of fertilizer just by
checking the data and not by physically going to
check on the plant in the greenhouse!