MONITORING THE CONDITION OF VEGETABLES, FRUITS AND PLANTS USING INFRARED THERMOGRAPHYMONITORING THE CONDITION OF VEGETABLES, FRUITS AND PLANTS USING INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY

Abstract

Determining the quality of fruit and vegetable products and their storage is a topical problem, as evidenced by a significant number of works from near and far abroad. These works present the worldwide experience of using various optical methods for instrumental non-destructive assessment of the maturity and commercial quality of fruit and vegetables. Despite so many scientific works on this topic, the thermographic methods require further research to find out the prospects of using modern thermal imaging systems in the agricultural sector. The paper studies the possibility of using remote-sensing infrared thermography to monitor the state of vegetables, fruit, and plants during their growth and storage. To determine the quality of fruit and vegetable products by random sampling, apples, pears, and pumpkins, with no external (visible) damage, were tested for the presence of microbial infections in them during rotting. In a laboratory environment, the plants were studied after watering to determine the process of hydration through the trunk and leaves and thus assess their condition. The research used a matrix infrared thermograph developed by V.Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The studies have shown that infrared thermography detects internal damage to fruit and vegetables and allows assessing the watering of plants and their condition. As a result of this work, it has been shown that infrared thermography, as a diagnostic method, can be recommended for timely detection of the internal development of microbial infections that lead to spoilage of vegetables and fruit during long-term storage, as well as for monitoring the state of plants during their hydration. It has been shown that infrared thermography can be used to control the quality of fruit and vegetable products before putting them in long-term storage and during it. The method allows timely detection of damage, and is helpful in studying plants in the laboratory and in the field.