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Dept of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering University of Arizona 1177 E. Fourth Street Shantz Bldg #38, Room 403 Tucson, AZ 85721-0038 Phone: (520) 621-1753 Fax: (520) 621-3963 Email: abe@arizona.edu Maps: Campus | Tucson

Al shitawi, Mohammed, S
Monitoring EC Effects on Greenhouse Tomatoes with Remote Sensing

Fitz-Rodríguez, Efrén
Decision support system for plant production in controlled environments

Strong, Mathew
Ozone as a Preplant Soil Conditioner

Rhenda da Costa, M. Paula
Modeling Tomato Plant Growth Status and Yield for Greenhouse Production

Al shitawi,Mohammed, S
Advisor: Dr. Waller
Monitoring EC Effects on Greenhouse Tomatoes with Remote Sensing

ABSTRACT:
Remote sensing devices can be used in the greenhouse in order to detect plant nutrient, water, or pest status. Thus, crop yield and quality can be increased. In this research, the ability sensors to detect plant response to EC treatments will be evaluated. In the proposed method, a track will be built, and a sensor attached to a cart of the track will be used to detect crop response. Four reflectance bands (blue, green, red, and NIR) and one thermal band (TIR) are going to be used to detect plant stress. The measurements which are gained by remotely sensed data will be correlated with plant parameters. The spatial variation of the remotely sensed data along the measured transects will be evaluated.

Fitz-Rodríguez, Efrén
Advisor:  Dr. Gene Giacomelli
Decision support system for plant production in controlled environments

ABSTRACT:
Controlled environment agriculture is high technology, capital intense, and efficient in the use of resources such as water and soil space. Proper environmental conditions, CO2 concentrations, nutrient solutions, and water must be provided efficiently at the different growth and developmental stages to achieve high quality products and high yields. Because of the variable climate conditions and the potential failures in the systems within the greenhouse it is required to have a system capable of off-site monitoring. Internet technologies are an alternative to apply such a system, where not only graphical or tabular data can be accessible, but also images of the plants could be available.

Three parts must be integrated: 1) a monitoring system to record climate and plant status and responses, 2) a decision support tool that integrates real time data, plant growth models and simulations, and plant production knowledge, to make decisions on climate control, water and nutrient delivery and overall greenhouse management, and 3) the implementation of computational intelligence techniques and methods.

Strong, Mathew
Advisor: Dr. Waller
Ozone as a Preplant Soil Conditioner

ABSTRACT:
This project will examine the fertilization, organic matter degradation, crop yield, and microbial response to ozone fumigation. The project will use hydroponics growing systems with in a controlled environment. The trials will have three primary treatment categories; aired, ozonated, and untreated. In addition field trials will be conducted to assess the variation in fields and ozone effect.

Rhenda da Costa, M. Paula
Advisor: Dr. Giacomelli
Modeling Tomato Plant Growth Status and Yield for Greenhouse Production

ABSTRACT:
The purpose of this study is to develop an empirical model to describe tomato plants growth status [vegetative vs. reproductive], and yield under different canopy and root environmental conditions.
The hypothesis being investigated is that, by manipulating the environmental factors, which affect transpiration, both at the canopy level (potential transpiration, ET0), and at the root level (electric conductivity, EC) it is possible to modulate the growth and yield of greenhouse tomato plants. In this study, these environmental parameters will be used as treatments and its effects on the plants are to be monitored and analyzed. The assumption is that through the manipulation of the transpiration regime under which the plants are growing, it is possible to change photoassimilate distribution between source [leaves] and sink [fruits] during the fruiting cycle of the crop and ‘steer’ the plant towards more vegetative or more reproductive growth if desired, as well as achieve and maintain the optimum balance between these two developmental trends.