Growth Greenhouse Research Articles

SPUNBONDED NONWOVENS KUMAŞLARININ ÖRTÜALTI TARIMDA KULLANIMI AMACIYLA TEKNİK ÖZELLİKLERİ ÜZERİNDE BİR ARAŞTIRMA

Bu calisma, SPUNBONDED NONWOVENS kumaslarinin ortu malzemesi olarak kullanilma olanaklarinin belirlenmesi amaciyla yurutulmustur. Kullanim omrune bagli olarak, sozu edilen malzemenin ortu alti yetistiriciliginde, malc ve alcak tunel uygulamalarinin yani sira belli donemlerde seralarda sabit ikinci ortu olarak 17-50 g/m 2 malzemelerin, Yuksek Tunel yaz yetistiriciligi uygulamalarinin yani sira kullanim omurleri uzatilarak, seralarda hareketli ikinci ortu (perde) uygulamalarinda 30-70 g/m 2 olan malzemelerin kullanabilirliligi karsimiza cikmistir.

Optimizing in vitro mineral nutrition and plant density increases greenhouse growth of Curcuma longa L. during acclimatization

The growth of plantlets during hardening is affected by the tissue culture media in which they were grown. A multi-factor approach to optimizing nutrient ions in media for subsequent ex vitro growth has not been studied. A response surface method was designed to test in vitro plant density (50–250 buds/L), \({\text{PO}}_{4}^{3 - }\) (6.25–10.25 mM), Ca2+ (2–10 mM), and KNO3 (18–100 mM) in low \({\text{NH}}_{4}^{ + }\) on medium as it affected subsequent growth in a 21 days acclimatization period with Curcuma longa genotypes (L35-1 and L22-5). The treatment media were compared with the MS medium. Plants grown on treatment media had higher relative fresh biomass (3.3 ± 0.5 fold from high-density with 42 mM KNO3; 3.7 ± 0.5 fold from low-density with 18 mM KNO3) than MS plants (2.6 ± 0.5 fold) regardless of plant density. Leaf area index from the treatments (67.0 ± 16.4 cm2/bud from high-density with 70.4 mM KNO3; 78.4 ± 16.4 cm2/bud from low-density with 50.7 mM KNO3) was higher than MS plants (22.0 ± 8 cm2/bud from high-density and 36.0 ± 8 cm2/bud from low-density). Shoots from treatment plants receiving 64 mM KNO3, elongated to 8.6 ± 0.9 cm from high-density and 10.9 ± 0.9 cm from low-density. Genotype L22-5 elongated to 6.0 ± 0.6 cm regardless of density, and L35-1 elongated to 6.0 ± 0.6 cm from low-density and to 4.0 ± 0.6 cm from high-density. Raising phosphate 5× to 10× the MS concentration in the pre-hardening media did not influence ex vitro responses. Plants grown on modified low ammonium media can grow faster and larger during acclimatization with increased KNO3, especially from high-density culture that would be preferred in commercial applications.

Overexpression of ScALDH21 gene in cotton improves drought tolerance and growth in greenhouse and field conditions

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is essential for scavenging redundant aldehydes when plants are exposed to stress. The aim of the present study was to validate the ectopic expression of the ScALDH21 gene, which is isolated from Syntrichia caninervis, an extremely drought-tolerant moss, to improve drought tolerance in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). In our study, the ScALDH21-transformed cotton was identified via PCR, RT-PCR, and DNA gel blotting, and the growth and physiological characteristics related to drought tolerance were compared between the transgenic cotton (TC) and non-transgenic cotton (NT) grown in a greenhouse and in field conditions. The results indicated that TC accumulated approximately 11.8–304 % more proline than did NT under drought stress, and produced a lower concentration of lipid peroxidation-derived reactive aldehydes and had a higher peroxidase activity under oxidative stress. Moreover, TC showed reduced loss of the net photosynthetic rate compared with NT. Under field conditions, TC showed greater plant height, larger bolls, and greater cotton fiber yield than NT, but no significant difference in fiber quality between TC and NT following different water-withholding treatments. These results suggest that overexpression of ScALDH21 can greatly improve the drought tolerance of cotton without reduction in yield and fiber quality.

Connectivity of wireless sensor networks in greenhouse for plant growth

Wireless sensor networks have been applied in farmland and greenhouse. However, poor connectivity always results in a lot of nodes isolation in the network in a scenario. For this reason, the network connectivity is worth considering to improve its quality, especially when the collected data cannot be sent to the data center because of the obstacles such as the growth of crop plants and weeds. Therefore, how to reduce the effect of crop growth on network connectivity, and enable the reliable transmission of field information, are the key problems to be resolved. To solve these problems, the method which adds long distance routing nodes to the WSN to reduce the deterioration of WSN connectivity during the growth of plants was proposed. To verify this method, the network connectivity of the deployed WSN was represented by the rank of connection matrix based on the graph theory. Consequently, the rank with value of 1 indicates a fully connected network. Moreover, the smaller value of rank means the better connectedness. In addition, the network simulator NS2 simulation results showed that the addition of long-distance backup routing nodes can improve the network connectivity. Furthermore, in experiments, using ZigBee-based wireless sensor network, a remote monitoring system in greenhouse was established, which can obtain environmental information for crops, e.g. temperature, humidity, light intensity and other environmental parameters as well as the wireless link quality especially. Experimental results showed adding of long-distance backup routing nodes can guarantee network connectivity in the region where received signal strength indication (RSSI) was poor, i.e. RSSI value was less than −100 dBm, and the energy was low. In conclusion, this method was essential to improve the connectivity of WSN, and the optimized method still needs further research. Keywords: wireless sensor network, network connectivity, long-distance route nodes, received signal strength indication (RSSI), greenhouse DOI: 10.3965/j.ijabe.201606901.1314 Citation: Chen Y, Shi Y L, Wang Z Y, Huang L. Connectivity of wireless sensor networks for plant growth in greenhouse. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2016; 9(1): 89－98.

A Study on Greenhouse Management Framework for Intelligent Control Service of Greenhouse

In this paper, an intelligent control of the greenhouse in the Greenhouse Management Framework (GMF) has been designed for the purpose of increasing the farmer’s profit and promoting the ease of agricultural production. The GMF is divided into Greenhouse Control Engine and Crop Growth Engine. The Greenhouse Control Engine consists of Data Aggregator, Greenhouse Information Storage, and Greenhouse Control Agent. The Greenhouse Control Agent includes Information Analyzer, Control Device Selector, and Greenhouse Control Model. The Crop Growth Engine consists of Crop Status Information Storage and Crop Growth Agent. The Crop Growth Agent includes Crop Status Predictor, Environment Set-points Decisioner, and Crop Growth Model. In this paper, the aim to reduce the consumption cost of the control device driven for the optimal greenhouse growth environment is one of the major features of the framework that is being proposed. In order to reduce heating cost, which consists of a major part in the cost of cultivation, we have tested the performance of our proposal for the GMF through the simulation. The simulated results confirm the decrease of heating costs from the present GMF.

Synergistic Effects of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria and Chitosan on In Vitro Seeds Germination, Greenhouse Growth, and Nutrient Uptake of Maize (Zea mays L.).

This study aimed to assess the effects of three plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and chitosan either singly or in combination on maize seeds germination and growth and nutrient uptake. Maize seeds were treated with chitosan and bacterial solution. The germination and growth tests were carried out in square Petri dishes and plastic pots. The combination chitosan-A. lipoferum-P. fluorescens has increased the seeds vigor index up to 36.44% compared to the control. In comparison to the control, P. putida has significantly improved root weight (44.84%) and germinated seed weight (31.39%) whereas chitosan-P. putida has increased the shoot weight (65.67%). For the growth test, the maximal heights (17.66%) were obtained by plants treated with the combination A. lipoferum-P. fluorescens-P. putida. Chitosan-P. fluorescens induced the highest increases of leaves per plant (50.09%), aerial (84.66%), and underground biomass (108.77%) production. The plants inoculated with A. lipoferum had the large leaf areas with an increase of 54.08%, while combinations P. fluorescens-P. putida and chitosan-A. lipoferum improved the aerial and underground dry matter of plants to 26.35% and 18.18%. The nitrogen content of the plants was increased by chitosan-A. lipoferum-P. fluorescens-P. putida with an increasing of 41.61%. The combination of chitosan and PGPR can be used as biological fertilizers to increase maize production.

Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Stimulate Vegetative Growth and Asexual Reproduction of Kalanchoe daigremontiana.

Certain bacterial species associate with plant roots in soil. The plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) stimulate plant growth and yield in greenhouse and field. Here, we examined whether application of known bacilli PGPR strains stimulated growth and asexual reproduction in the succulent plant Kalanchoe daigremontiana. Four PGPR strains B. amyloliquefaciens IN937a, B. cereus BS107, B. pumilus INR7, and B. subtilis GB03 were applied to young plantlets by soil-drenching, and plant growth and development was monitored for three months. Aerial growth was significantly stimulated in PGPR-inoculated plants, which was observed as increases in plant height, shoot weight, and stem width. The stimulated growth influenced plant development by increasing the total number of leaves per plant. Treatment with bacilli also increased the total root biomass compared with that of control plants, and led to a 2-fold increase in asexual reproduction and plantlet formation on the leaf. Collectively, our results firstly demonstrate that Bacillus spp. promote vegetative development of K. daigremontiana, and the enhanced growth stimulates asexual reproduction and plantlet formation.

Effects of bio-organic fertilizer on pepper growth and Fusarium wilt biocontrol

Fusarium wilt of pepper outbreaks in the region where pepper crop has been grown for many years and it has already become a major phytopathogen all over the world. The goal of this study is to check bio-organic fertilizer capability on controlling pepper Fusarium wilt and promoting plant growth in greenhouse and field. Pot experiments were conducted in greenhouse which showed that isolates Ljx101 and Lja002, identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Bacillus subtilis, had satisfactory biocontrol effects on Fusarium wilt and growth promoting abilities on pepper plant. In addition, the bio-organic fertilizer (BOF), mixed with Lja002 and Ljx101, not only controlled Fusarium wilt disease but also significantly promoted plant growth in pot. In the treatment of BOF1, pepper plant survival rate was increased by 58.42% in greenhouse condition and defense enzymes including polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity were largely enhanced by 45.54, 68.78 and 46.21% in roots as compared with pathogen control. Field experiments indicated that BOF had stable characteristics on controlling pepper Fusarium wilt and increasing pepper yield. These results demonstrate that BOF is a promising way to control soil-borne pathogen and promote crops growth in field production.

RAPID GENERATION CYCLING ENHANCES SELECTION RATE OF GLADIOLUS ×HYBRIDUS

Geophytic floricultural crops, i.e., those with underground storage organs, are primarily vegetatively (asexually) propagated. During breeding, domestication, and continued crop improvement, sexual cycles are necessary to study trait inheritance and select new genetic variation. The University of Minnesota Flower Breeding and Genetic program is breeding new phenotypes of Gladiolus, a cut flower and garden crop with corms. Typical generation cycles from seed to flower take 3-5 years. Our objectives were to create a rapid generation cycling process to select early flowering seedlings and enhance the rate of genetic improvement. Techniques under evaluation include germination (week) in the plug phase and correlation with flowering date, fast cycling of generations (2-3/year), along with selection of high leaf number and early stem stalk emergence in cycles 1-3. A total of 71 crosses and N=1,026 seedlings were evaluated in this study. Seedlings germinated primarily in weeks 2-4 after sowing although some crosses took until week 7. All seedlings had one leaf/plant in cycle 1; whereas in cycle 2, leaf counts ranged from one to seven. By cycle 2, 6% of the seedlings (primarily from six crosses) also had elongated stems with 1-4 leaves/stem. Stem elongation in cycle 2 is a highly heritable trait. Cycle 3 plants with elongated stems flowered, reducing generation time as much as 1-2 cycles. As many as three cycles (generations)/year could be accomplished consisting of reduced greenhouse growth, dry down and cold storage treatments.

Photoprotective response to chilling differs among high and low latitude Larrea divaricata grown in a common garden

Cold temperatures can cause imbalances between light absorption and photosynthetic light utilization, with potential negative consequences for leaf function. Consequently, in response to chilling evergreens typically exhibit increased total pools of photoprotective xanthophyll cycle pigments and greater nocturnal retention of energy dissipating forms. This may preclude opportunistic responses to transient warmer temperatures, however, and become less beneficial as cold spells become rare and/or short-lived, for example, at the low latitude edges of warm deserts. Thus, we hypothesized intrinsic differences in the photoprotective response to chilling between low and high latitude populations of the widespread warm desert evergreen shrub Larrea divaricata. We determined leaf pigment compositions for high and low latitude plants grown in a common garden before and after 7 days of chilling (12/1 °C day/night). High and low latitude plants differed in pigment composition before chilling, and plants from both populations adjusted pigment compositions in response to chilling. Chilling, however, induced significantly greater nocturnal retention of xanthophyll cycle pigments as zeaxanthin and antheraxanthin in high latitude plants compared to those from low latitude. These data provide strong evidence for intrinsic differences between high and low latitude populations in their photoprotective responses to both the greenhouse growth environment and to chilling.

Evaluation of wheat growth, morphological characteristics, biomass yield and quality in Lunar Palace-1, plant factory, green house and field systems

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important agricultural crops in both space such as Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) and urban agriculture fields, and its cultivation is affected by several environmental factors. The objective of this study was to investigate the influences of different environmental conditions (BLSS, plant factory, green house and field) on the wheat growth, thousand kernel weight (TKW), harvest index (HI), biomass yield and quality during their life cycle. The results showed that plant height partially influenced by the interaction effects with environment, and this influence decreased gradually with the plant development. It was found that there was no significant difference between the BLSS and plant factory treatments on yields per square, but the yield of green house and field treatments were both lower. TKW and HI in BLSS and plant factory were larger than those in the green house and field. However, grain protein concentration can be inversely correlated with grain yield. Grain protein concentrations decreased under elevate CO2 condition and the magnitude of the reductions depended on the prevailing environmental condition. Conditional interaction effects with environment also influenced the components of straw during the mature stage. It indicated that CO2 enriched environment to some extent was better for inedible biomass degradation and had a significant effect on “source–sink flow” at grain filling stage, which was more beneficial to recycle substances in the processes of the environment regeneration.

Plant-assisted rhizoremediation of decabromodiphenyl ether for e-waste recycling area soil of Taizhou, China.

To develop an effective phytoremediation approach to purify soils polluted by decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) in e-waste recycling area, pot experiments were conducted through greenhouse growth of seven plant species in BDE-209-polluted soils. The hygrocolous rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars (XiuS and HuangHZ) and the xerophyte ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) were found to be as the most effective functional plants for facilitating BDE-209 dissipation, with the removal of 52.9, 41.9, and 38.7% in field-contaminated soils (collected directly from field, with an average pollution concentration of 394.6 μg BDE-209 kg(-1) soil), as well as 21.7, 27.6, and 28.1% in freshly spiked soils (an average pollution concentration of 4413.57 μg BDE-209 kg(-1) soil, with additional BDE-209 added to field-contaminated soils), respectively. Changes in soil phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles revealed that different selective enrichments of functional microbial groups (e.g., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and gram-positive bacteria) were induced due to plant growth under contrasting water management (flooded-drained sequentially, flooded only, and drained only, respectively). The abundance of available electron donors and acceptors and the activities of soil oxido-reductases were also correspondingly modified, with the activity of catalase, and the content of NO3(-) and Fe(3+) increased generally toward most of the xerophyte treatments, while the activity of dehydrogenase and the content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and NH4(+) increased toward the hygrophyte treatments. This differentiated dissipation of BDE-209 in soils as function of plant species, pollution doses and time, and water-dependent redox condition. This study illustrates a possibility of phytoremediation for BDE-209-polluted soils by successive cultivation of rice followed by ryegrass coupling with suitable water management, possibly through dissipation pathway of microbial reductive debromination and subsequent aerobic oxidative cleavage of benzene ring.

Soilless plant growth media influence the efficacy of phytohormones and phytohormone inhibitors.

Plant growth regulators, such as hormones and their respective biosynthesis inhibitors, are effective tools to elucidate the physiological function of phytohormones in plants. A problem of chemical treatments, however, is the potential for interaction of the active compound with the growth media substrate. We studied the interaction and efficacy of propiconazole, a potent and specific inhibitor of brassinosteroid biosynthesis, with common soilless greenhouse growth media for rice, sorghum, and maize. Many of the tested growth media interacted with propiconazole reducing its efficacy up to a hundred fold. To determine the molecular interaction of inhibitors with media substrates, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and sorption isotherm analysis was applied. While mica clay substrates absorbed up to 1.3 mg of propiconazole per g substrate, calcined clays bound up to 12 mg of propiconazole per g substrate. The efficacy of the gibberellic acid biosynthesis inhibitor, uniconazole, and the most active brassinosteroid, brassinolide, was impacted similarly by the respective substrates. Conversely, gibberellic acid showed no distinct growth response in different media. Our results suggest that the reduction in efficacy of propiconazole, uniconazole, and brassinolide in bioassays when grown in calcined clay is caused by hydrophobic interactions between the plant growth regulators and the growth media. This was further confirmed by experiments using methanol-water solvent mixes with higher hydrophobicity values, which reduce the interaction of propiconazole and calcined clay.

Variation In Seed Characteristics And Growth For Thistles (Cardueae: Asteraceae) In California And Oregon

Abstract Genera in the tribe Cardueae (Asteraceae) include both non-invasive and invasive species widely dispersed in the western U.S. Seed characteristics are important for seed dispersal, seedling growth, and seedling survival. We determined seed characteristics and their variation from natural populations of 22 taxa of Cardueae. We also measured C and N content of seeds for 17 taxa, and conducted a greenhouse growth experiment with five species from this group. We tested the hypothesis that it is possible to distinguish invasive species from non-invasive species based on these characteristics. Seed weight differed significantly (P 0.05). Seed N, C, and C∶N ratio differed significantly (P < 0.0...

Two grass species fail to display differing species-specific effects on soil bacterial community structures after one season of greenhouse growth

Background and aims Plant impacts on soil microbial community composition and function are believed to be important but remain poorly understood. We looked at the bacterial community effects of growing two different plant species in soils with differing plant growth histories.

Yield loss and quality degradation of strawberry fruits cultivated under the deficient insolation conditions by shading

Deficient insolation conditions (DICs) frequently occur during the winter and early spring season in Korea and negatively affect crop growth. This study was conducted to investigate changes in the yields and qualities of strawberry fruits under DICs that result from an insufficient input of sunlight. To induce DIC, strawberry plants were treated with 40 or 70% shading by covering the plants with curtains during growth in a plastic greenhouse. The shaded plants were cultivated from March to May of 2012. When the strawberry plants were subjected to the shading treatments, their photosynthesis and fruit yields were significantly reduced. Although the mineral element and organic acid contents of the fruits were not affected by the shading treatments, the total nitrogen (T-N) of the stems and roots were noticeably reduced. Furthermore, the shading treatments of the plants also resulted in reductions in the sugar contents and total phenolics of the fruits. In parallel with these observations, the shading treatments were also found to decrease the antioxidant activities of the fruits as measured with the DPPH assay. We suggest that the DIC-induced losses of strawberry fruit yield resulted from the reduced photosynthetic performances of the plants that were caused by insufficient sunlight.

Analysis and modeling of Nannochloropsis growth in lab, greenhouse, and raceway experiments

Efficient production of algal biofuels could reduce dependence on foreign oil by providing a domestic renewable energy source. Moreover, algae-based biofuels are attractive for their large oil yield potential despite decreased land use and natural resource (e.g., water and nutrients) requirements compared to terrestrial energy crops. Important factors controlling algal lipid productivity include temperature, nutrient availability, salinity, pH, and the light-to-biomass conversion rate. Computational approaches allow for inexpensive predictions of algae growth kinetics for various bioreactor sizes and geometries without the need for multiple, expensive measurement systems. Parametric studies of algal species include serial experiments that use off-line monitoring of growth and lipid levels. Such approaches are time consuming and usually incomplete, and studies on the effect of the interaction between various parameters on algal growth are currently lacking. However, these are the necessary precursors for computational models, which currently lack the data necessary to accurately simulate and predict algae growth. In this work, we conduct a lab-scale parametric study of the marine alga Nannochloropsis salina and apply the findings to our physics-based computational algae growth model. We then compare results from the model with experiments conducted in a greenhouse tank and an outdoor, open-channel raceway pond. Results show that the computational model effectively predicts algae growth in systems across varying scale and identifies the causes for reductions in algal productivities. Applying the model facilitates optimization of pond designs and improvements in strain selection.

A Greenhouse Environment Monitoring Platform with Characteristic of Video Surveillance

This paper designed a greenhouse environment monitoring platform with characteristic of video surveillance by making full advantages of embedded Linux system and ARM11 chip. Based on embedded Linux and Qt/Embedded, an on-site greenhouse environment monitoring software was developed. It provided a friendly human-machine interface, combined with a variety of network communication technology, analysed the collected data intelligently and finally created optimal environment for crop growth by running Multiple factor coordinated control algorithm automatically. Leveraging the camera and the built-in multi-format codec, a video surveillance system was developed to monitor the crop environment and growth in greenhouse. Thereby, our platform integrated an environment monitoring system and a video surveillance system. The experimental results show that the platform runs stably in parallel, data transmission is highly reliable, the digitalization and visualization of greenhouse is achieved efficiently. The platform has wide application value.

A Greenhouse Environment Monitoring Platform with Characteristic of Video Surveillance

This paper designed a greenhouse environment monitoring platform with characteristic of video surveillance by making full advantages of embedded Linux system and ARM11 chip. Based on embedded Linux and Qt/Embedded, an on-site greenhouse environment monitoring software was developed. It provided a friendly human-machine interface, combined with a variety of network communication technology, analysed the collected data intelligently and finally created optimal environment for crop growth by running Multiple factor coordinated control algorithm automatically. Leveraging the camera and the built-in multi-format codec, a video surveillance system was developed to monitor the crop environment and growth in greenhouse. Thereby, our platform integrated an environment monitoring system and a video surveillance system. The experimental results show that the platform runs stably in parallel, data transmission is highly reliable, the digitalization and visualization of greenhouse is achieved efficiently. The platform has wide application value.

An Important Role of Carotenoids in Protection of Photosynthetic Apparatus under VAM Inoculation on Momordica charantia

The effect of mixed inoculums of VAM (Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizas) fungi on seed growth and photosynthetic apparatus in green house was monitored. The plants were watered daily with tap water. Plants were cultivated in natural environment in mid of March (2011). A direct relation between root length and water contents suggests a defense mechanism of MP (microrihzal plants) against the fungal stress. It was also supported by the fact that the leaf area of MP was much greater as compared to the NMP (non microrihzal plants) with elevated concentration of all chlorophyllus pigments in 30 days. An increase in the surface area of the leaf and concentration of the pigments, may be for an acceleration in absorption of CO₂ for reduction of it into glucose through oxidation of water molecule. The non-significant decline in glucose contents support the above hypothesis of rapid redox reaction mechanism which was established to overcome the stress. The positive effects of mycorrhizal which were already mentioned in the literature were reported in this article in relations of survival strategies of the plant, adapted in stress conditions. An increase in the chlorophyll contents (30 d) and leaf area of plants possibly attributed with absorption of solar radiation for the protection of plants. It was also supported by the higher concentration of carotenoids (30 d) that may have an additional function of regulation of certain developmental responses and screening of light to save the plants from stress conditions.