This review paper describes a novel approach to plant cultivation under soil-less culture. At present, global climate change is expected to raise the risk of frequent drought. Agriculture is in a phase of major change around the world and dealing with serious problems. In future, it would be difficult task to provide a fresh and clean food supply for the fast-growing population using traditional agriculture. Under such circumstances, the soil-less cultivation is the alternative technology to adapt effectively. The soil-less system associated with the Hydroponic and Aeroponics system. In the aeroponics system, plant roots are hanging in the artificially provided plastic holder and foam material replacement of the soil under controlled conditions. The roots are allowed to dangle freely and openly in the air. However, the nutrient rich-water deliver with atomization nozzles. The nozzles create a fine spray mist of different droplet size at intermittently or continuously. This review concludes that aeroponics system is considered the best plant growing method for food security and sustainable development. The system has shown some promising returns in various countries and recommended as the most efficient, useful, significant, economical and convenient plant growing system then soil and other soil-less methods.

In recent years, intelligent sensor techniques have achieved significant attention in agriculture. It is applied in agriculture to plan the several activities and missions properly by utilising limited resources with minor human interference. Currently, plant cultivation using new agriculture methods is very popular among the growers. However, the aeroponics is one of the methods of modern agriculture, which is commonly practiced around the world. In the system, plant cultivates under complete control conditions in the growth chamber by providing a small mist of the nutrient solution in replacement of the soil. The nutrient mist is ejected through atomization nozzles on a periodical basis. During the plant cultivation, several steps including temperature, humidity, light intensity, water nutrient solution level, pH and EC value, CO2concentration, atomization time, and atomization interval time require proper attention for flourishing plant growth. Therefore, the object of this review study was to provide significant knowledge about early fault detection and diagnosis in aeroponics using intelligent techniques (wireless sensors). So, the farmer could monitor several paraments without using laboratory instruments, and the farmer could control the entire system remotely. Moreover, the technique also provides a wide range of information which could be essential for plant researchers and provides a greater understanding of how the key parameters of aeroponics correlate with plant growth in the system. It offers full control of the system, not by constant manual attention from the operator but to a large extent by wireless sensors. Furthermore, the adoption of the intelligent techniques in the aeroponic system could reduce the concept of the usefulness of the system due to complicated manually monitoring and controlling process.

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The quality of agricultural products relates to the internal structure, which has long been a matter of interest in agricultural scientists. However, inspection methods of the opaque nature of internal information on agricultural products are usually destructive and require sample separation or preparation. X‐ray computed tomography (X‐ray CT) technology is one of the important nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies without sample separation and preparation. In this study, X‐ray CT technology is used to obtain two‐dimensional slice images and three‐dimensional tomographic images of samples. The purpose of the review was to provide an overview of the working principle of X‐ray CT technology, image processing, and analysis. This review aims to focus on the development of the agricultural products (e.g., wheat, maize, rice, apple, beef) and its applications (e.g., internal quality evaluation, microstructure observation, mechanical property measurement, and others) using CT scanner. This paper covers the aspects regarding the advantages and disadvantages of NDT technology, especially the unique advantages and limitations of X‐ray CT technology on the quality inspection of agricultural products. Future prospects of X‐ray CT technology are also put forward to become indispensable to the quality evaluation and product development on agricultural products.

Abstract:Confronted with severe frost damage to plants, methods, technologies and equipment have been developed and applied during the past century. The paper presents a comprehensive review on the most effective and active technology to protect plants from radiation frost based on air disturbance technology. The working principle of the technology was elaborated with frost protection mechanism, structures and applicability of three types of working patterns: conventional wind machines, selective inverted sink and portable vertical blowing. As an automatic mechanized technology, control strategy, applicable occasion and proper parameters are introduced for each type of working pattern. The operation of the technology and equipment depends on plant critical temperature, prevailing climatic conditions, thermal inversions strength, as well as costs. The frost protection performance and effectiveness of conventional horizontal wind machines, selective inverted sinks and helicopters are discussed and compared from the cost-effectiveness and application aspects, and the feasibility of selective inverted sinks is still controversial. Therefore, conventional wind machines are the best choice for plant frost protection and consequently are widely used in temperate and subtropical areas throughout the world. The frost protection application with helicopters is not easy to use during the frost nights with high cost. The paper also provides researchers with some perspectives on improving air disturbance technology and its equipment, and some practice recommendations for growers.