What is a Greenhouse Remote Monitoring System?
A greenhouse remote monitoring system, or greenhouse control system, uses data about the environment and plants. It helps users manage their farming better. The system boosts productivity by allowing careful control of factors that affect plant growth.
Key Sensors in a Greenhouse Remote Monitoring System
Here are eight types of sensors used for optimizing greenhouse environments:
1. Temperature and Humidity Sensor
One of the biggest benefits of greenhouse farming is that it creates the best temperature for plants to grow. It is important to keep track of air temperature. It greatly affects how plants grow. Factors like breathing, root absorption, water loss, and crop yield depend a lot on indoor weather conditions.
Adjusting the temperature and humidity in the greenhouse helps reduce risks. High humidity can cause mold and pests. Extreme temperatures can slow down plant growth.
These sensors provide precise data on temperature and humidity. This helps you make informed decisions. Many modern sensors can measure both of these parameters in one device.
You can connect strong temperature sensors to outside controllers. When direct sunlight makes the greenhouse too hot or raises humidity too high, the system sends real-time data to a central platform. The platform tells the fan controller to turn on the ventilation or suction systems. This helps keep conditions stable.
2. Light Sensor
Good light management helps plants grow better and use less energy. Light sensors improve greenhouse lighting. They help adjust and position extra light in indoor growing spaces. There are two main types of sensors used to measure light in greenhouses:
– **Global Radiation Sensors**: These measure total solar radiation. They cover wavelengths from 0.3 to 3 microns. When placed face down, they can capture reflected light. To measure scattered light accurately, adding a shielding ring helps capture diffuse radiation.
– **Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) Sensors**: These focus on the light range of 400-700 nm. These wavelengths are important for photosynthesis and making biomass.
PAR sensors measure how much light plants receive. This light affects how well plants grow and develop. It also impacts the quality and yield of the plants.
The PAR sensor works by using light sensing principles. It creates a voltage signal that matches the light’s intensity. Its sensitivity is adjusted using cosine. This ensures accurate measurements no matter the angle of light.
Special dust-resistant coatings on the sensor help reduce interference from the environment. This provides steady and trustworthy data on photosynthesis light levels.
3. Carbon Dioxide Sensor
Carbon dioxide is very important for photosynthesis in green plants. It makes up about 95% of the dry weight of crops. This is an important factor that affects crop yields.
Keeping greenhouses closed for a long time can limit air flow. This stops the quick supply of carbon dioxide.
After the sun rises, plants start photosynthesis faster. This quickly lowers CO2 levels indoors. Occasionally, the concentration might drop beneath the carbon dioxide compensation threshold, which ranges from 0.008% to 0.01%. This can hinder normal photosynthesis.
This disruption not only impacts the growth and development of crops but can also lead to diseases and reduced yields. Using carbon dioxide sensors to check CO2 levels in greenhouses is very important. Right now, the most common sensors use NDIR (non-dispersive infrared) technology.
**Optimal Installation Location for Greenhouse Carbon Dioxide Sensors**
To monitor effectively, choose the locati0n of carbon dioxide sensors based on the size of the greenhouse. For smaller greenhouses, you can place one sensor in the center.
This will track environmental changes well. Larger greenhouses may need two or more sensors. This helps to monitor the entire area effectively.
During the installation process, you should note some details to improve efficiency. Most people prefer wall-mounted installations for this equipment. Greenhouses might not have good wall spaces for mounting things.
In these cases, users can set up steel pipes in the greenhouse. They can use hoisting tools to attach the sensor in the right place.
4. Soil Moisture Sensor
Soil water content is very important for plant growth. It helps plants absorb nutrients and supports key processes. When the soil is moist, water and nutrients travel through the roots and into the plant.
On the other hand, not enough soil moisture limits nutrient intake. This negatively impacts plant growth and development. Checking soil moisture in greenhouses can improve growing conditions and increase crop yields.
**Choosing and Installing Soil Moisture Sensors**
For reliable and long-term monitoring, choose soil moisture sensors with stainless steel probes. These probes can be placed in the soil without harming the sensor.
These sensors link to controllers. They provide automatic replies based on the moisture levels they find. For example, if the soil is too wet or too dry, the controller will turn the drip irrigation on or off.
5. Soil pH Sensor
The pH level of soil greatly affects plant growth. It influences factors like appearance, metabolism, development, quality, and yield. High acidity or alkalinity can slow down root growth. This can also reduce how well plants absorb nutrients.
This imbalance reduces soil fertility. It shows that we need to check pH levels in greenhouse soils. We can do this with special soil pH sensors.
This data helps us use fertilizer wisely and make the soil better. This boosts fertility and supports healthy crop growth.
6. Wind Speed and Direction Sensors
Wind speed and direction sensors are usually placed outside the greenhouse. They help keep track of the wind conditions outside. If the wind speed goes above a set limit, the monitoring system sends a signal to the controller.
This prompts the controller to close the vents. This action helps keep the greenhouse safe from strong winds.
The three-cup anemometer is a common tool for measuring wind speed. The wind makes the cups spin around a vertical axis. The number of rotations in a set time is used to find the wind speed.
7. Precipitation Sensors
Rain gauges are the main tools used to measure rainfall. They are placed outside, close to the greenhouse. When it rains a lot, the monitoring system starts.
It can close or limit the roof vents. It can also pull back the movable roof.
These sensors work well for this purpose because they respond quickly. This helps make quick changes to protect greenhouse operations.
8. Environmental Monitoring Platforms
The environmental monitoring platform is a central point for all sensor data. It plays an important role in managing greenhouses. It collects, saves, and studies data from different sensors.
Managers can access this information in real-time. They can use devices like computers, smartphones, or other terminals. This helps them make smart choices.
They can link equipment and manage greenhouse conditions accurately. This method helps manage farming in a smart and efficient way.
