FUNDAMENTALS IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD | 162
reflective plate (Kondo et al.,1994; Subrata et al.,1997). Despite the slow
operating speeds, fluctuating crop features, and
seasonal expenses posing
limitations on the commercialization of harvesting robots, it is highly probable
that they will be put to practical use in the future (Kondo et al.,1998).
Figure 2:
A tomato Harvesting robot (Liu et al, 2021)
Automation in greenhouses
Greenhouse automation is a relatively simple process due to the
structured nature of the environment. The variability of agricultural products is
the main reason for automation.
Climate regulation, spraying, seedling
cultivation, and harvesting are all aspects addressed by the advancement of
automated systems for greenhouse operations (Simonton, 1990).
One of the most important areas of automation in greenhouses is climate
control, which involves retaining solar radiation energy and protecting plants
from harmful natural influences and insects. Microcomputers and sensors have
led to the latest greenhouse operations
that include irrigation, plant nutrient
management, and climate control to provide the best growing conditions for
plants throughout the year. Climate control in greenhouses involves monitoring
various parameters, including CO2 concentration, airflow, light, temperature,
and humidity (Monta,1997a, b).
Control models for greenhouse climate control should consider weather
forecast models, greenhouse models, and plant growth models, due to the need
163 | FUNDAMENTALS IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD
to account for multiple non-linear and interconnected factors, regulating the
climate in a greenhouse necessitates careful attention. Control methods include
soft computing methods with artificial intelligence,
classical methods, and
advanced control methods. Control is achieved with microcomputers or
programmable logic controllers (PLCs) (Albright, 2001; Bailey, 2004).
In the future, climate controls will be developed that use on-line
measurements
of plant temperature, fruit growth, and fruit quality to
approximate photosynthesis and actual transpiration. This will enable the
development of closed-loop systems that use plant response as feedback to the
control system, leading to more efficient greenhouse climate regulation.
Effective greenhouse climate regulation
must also include long-term
management strategies to improve quality and profitability (Daskalov et al,
2006; Serodio et al.,2001).
In addition, the Arduino platform can also be used to control greenhouses
for experimental purposes (Kraiem, et al.,2022). The Arduino platform
provides an open-source and flexible environment that enables the development
of customized and low-cost greenhouse control systems.
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