The growth of plants and their glucosinolate content largely depend on the cultivation environment; however, there are limited reports on the optimization of ambient environmental factors for kale grown in plant factories. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of temperature, relative humidity, and the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration on kale growth and glucosinolate content in different growth stages of cultivation in a plant factory. Kale was grown under different temperatures (14, 17, 20, 23, and 26 °C), relative humidities (45, 55, 65, 75, and 85%), and CO2 concentrations (400, 700, 1000, 1300, and 1600 ppm) in a plant factory. Two and four weeks after transplantation, leaf samples were collected to evaluate the physical growth and glucosinolate contents. The statistical significance of the treatment effects was determined by two-way analysis of variance, and Duncan’s multiple range test was used to compare the means. A correlation matrix was constructed to show possible linear trends among the dependent variables. The observed optimal temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 range for growth (20–23 °C, 85%, and 700–1000 ppm) and total glucosinolate content (14–17 °C, 55–75%, and 1300–1600 ppm) were different. Furthermore, the glucosinolate content in kale decreased with the increase of temperature and relative humidity levels, and increased with the increase of CO2 concentration. Most of the physical growth variables showed strong positive correlations with each other but negative correlations with glucosinolate components. The findings of this study could be used by growers to maintain optimum environmental conditions for the better growth and production of glucosinolate-rich kale leaves in protected cultivation facilities.
Purpose: Phosphorus is an essential element for water quality control. Excessive amounts of phosphorus causes algal bloom in water, which leads to eutrophication and a decline in water quality. It is necessary to maintain the optimum amount of phosphorus present. During the last decades, various studies have been conducted to determine phosphorus content in water. In this study, we present a comprehensive overview of colorimetric, electrochemical, fluorescence, microfluidic, and remote sensing technologies for the measurement of phosphorus in water, along with their working principles and limitations. Results: The colorimetric techniques determine the concentration of phosphorus through the use of colorgenerating reagents. This is specific to a single chemical species and inexpensive to use. The electrochemical techniques operate by using a reaction of the analyte of interest to generate an electrical signal that is proportional to the sample analyte concentration. They show a good linear output, good repeatability, and a high detection capacity. The fluorescence technique is a kind of spectroscopic analysis method. The particles in the sample are excited by irradiation at a specific wavelength, emitting radiation of a different wavelength. It is possible to use this for quantitative and qualitative analysis of the target analyte. The microfluidic techniques incorporate several features to control chemical reactions in a micro device of low sample volume and reagent consumption. They are cheap and rapid methods for the detection of phosphorus in water. The remote sensing technique analyzes the sample for the target analyte using an optical technique, but without direct contact. It can cover a wider area than the other techniques mentioned in this review. Conclusion: It is concluded that the sensing technologies reviewed in this study are promising for rapid detection of phosphorus in water. The measurement range and sensitivity of the sensors have been greatly improved recently.
The productivity of horticultural crops in an artificial light condition are highly influenced by the structure of plant and the area coverage. Accurate measurement of leaf area is very important for predicting plant water demand and optimal growth. In this paper, we proposed an image processing algorithm to estimate the ice-plant leaf area from the RGB images under the artificial light condition. The images were taken using a digital camera and the RGB images were transformed to grayscale images. A binary masking was applied from a grayscale image by classifying each pixel, belonging to the region of interest from the background. Then the masked images were segmented and the leaf region was filled using region filling technique. Finally, the leaf area was calculated from the number of pixel and using known object area. The experiment was carried out in three different light conditions with same plant variety (Ice-plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum). The results showed that the correlation between the actual and measured leaf area was found over 0.97 (R2:0.973) by our proposed method. Different light condition also showed significant impact on plant growth. Our results inspired further research and development of algorithms for the specific applications.
A low-powered and high-efficiency electric tracked-tractor would be a suitable option for aged and female farmers to accomplish agricultural field operations such as grass mowing, land leveling, and chemical spraying. The purpose of the study was to analyze the power requirement of a small-sized tracked-tractor during agricultural field operations. A lawnmower and a rear sprayer-trailer were attached to the tractor base, and the average power requirement was measured. The forward speed was considered during the field experiment up to 6 km/h for four different operating stages. The torque data were obtained for unloaded and loaded conditions through a wireless data logger, and a GPS receiver was used to measure the working speed of the tractor. A data acquisition module was used to acquire the sensor signals. The average power requirements for the empty platform with the driver, a lawnmower, a sprayer-trailer (150-L payload), and a lawnmower and 150-L payload trailer were 0.93, 1.27, 1.45, and 1.70 kW, respectively. The result showed the lowest power was required for operating only the tractor, and it was about 51.15% of the motor rated power, where the maximum power consumed approximately 85% of the total rated power to operate both of the lawnmower and sprayer-trailer. The average power requirements of the tracked tractor varied due to the different payloads and operating stages. The experimental results presented in this study would provide guidelines to improve and commercialize the prototype of the small-scaled tracked-tractor for practical use on the agricultural fields.
The rollover tendency of upland farm machinery needs to be carefully considered because upland crop fields are typically irregular, and accidents frequently result in injuries and even death to the operators. In this study, the rollover characteristics of an underdeveloped 12 kW automatic onion transplanter were determined theoretically and evaluated through simulation and validation tests considering the mounting position of the transplanting unit and load conditions. The center of gravity (CG) coordinates for different mass distributions, and static and dynamic rollover angles were calculated theoretically. Simulation and validation tests were conducted to assess the static rollover angle under different mounting positions of the transplanting unit and load conditions of the onion transplanter. The dynamic rollover tendency was evaluated by operating the onion transplanter on different surfaces and at different speeds. According to the physical properties and mass of the onion transplanter, the theoretical rollover angle was 34.5°, and the coordinates of the CG gradually moved back to the rear wheel axle after attaching the transplanting part and under upward riding conditions. The average simulated rollover angle was 43.9°. A turning difference of 4.5° was observed between the right and left sides, where a 3° angle difference occurred due to the load variation. During the dynamic stability test, angle variations of 2~4° and 3~6° were recorded for both high and low driving speeds in the vehicle platform and transplanting unit, respectively. The overturning angles also satisfied the ISO standard. This study provides helpful information for ensuring the safety of upland crop machinery operating under rough and sloped field conditions.
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