Modern agricultural demonstration greenhouse equipment falls under the category of facility agriculture. Facility agriculture is a modern agricultural method that uses engineering techniques to achieve high-efficiency production of plants and animals under relatively controlled environmental conditions; it is also known as controlled environment agriculture. Facility agriculture is multidisciplinary and requires supporting components: hardware equipment, software control systems, and IoT-linked planting and breeding technologies.
I. Planning and Construction
In the planting sector, owners are generally laymen; in the breeding sector, owners are generally experts. In the planting sector, planting planning is paramount. What to plant, how to plant, what to harvest, how to harvest, how to sell, and how to operate—all must be clearly planned in advance. Don't rush into projects blindly.
Planning and design are handled by professional institutions, such as agricultural planning and design institutes. The fee is usually a percentage of the total project investment. On-site installation and construction of planting equipment typically costs a certain amount per person per day plus a percentage of the total project cost.
Standard documentation includes: geological survey report, architectural plan, planting site plan, power and network topology diagram, planting plan document, and operation plan. The site plan and planting plan are prerequisites and essential data. Equipment providers will then provide quantities, specifications, and quotations based on these. Without a planting plan and site layout, any proposals and quotes will be meaningless, futile, and a waste of manpower and time.
II. Temperature and Humidity
In semi-enclosed and fully enclosed artificial climate environments, temperature and humidity are paramount, directly determining yield and quality. Disease occurrence is related to certain meteorological conditions providing a suitable environment for pathogen survival and spread. Temperature, humidity, airflow, rainfall, and light are all important meteorological factors for pest and disease transmission. Temperature and humidity are crucial parameters in the growth process of organisms. Within a larger environment, there are microenvironments, and temperature and humidity vary in these microenvironments; vertical humidity and vertical temperature are actually different.
Supplemental lighting with plant lights generates a significant amount of heat. Real-time monitoring of temperature and humidity is necessary, along with the activation of heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. Common temperature and humidity sensors include air temperature and humidity sensors, substrate temperature and humidity sensors, and liquid temperature sensors.
III. Light
The process by which plants utilize light energy to assimilate carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) to produce organic matter and release oxygen is called photosynthesis. The main work in cultivation revolves around photosynthesis. Switching on and off shading devices and using plant lights for supplemental lighting are both applications of light. In fully artificial lighting environments, when supplemental lighting is used, the carbon dioxide concentration in the air must be monitored. Supplemental lighting without carbon dioxide replenishment will result in significantly reduced photosynthetic efficiency. Many plant light manufacturers are unaware of this.
Common equipment includes: illuminance sensors, roller blind/shade film controllers, and plant lights/dimmers. Plants require different intensities, wavelengths, and colors of light at different growth stages. Using a dedicated plant supplemental lighting dimmer allows for timed, group, linear, and spectrum-adjusted control based on the growth cycle. There are thousands of plant lights available, varying in size, power, and spectral characteristics depending on the application and conditions. These must be specified in the planting plan or customized by consulting the manufacturer.
IV. Water
Plant growth is inseparable from water. Whether drip irrigation, aeroponics, or hydroponics, impurities in the water must be filtered before irrigation. Water has pH levels, which are monitored using a pH sensor. Liquid fertilizer can be added to the water for integrated irrigation. Various irrigation methods exist; traditional drip and flood irrigation are being replaced by tidal irrigation. Drip irrigation and hydroponics often prevent plant roots from breathing properly. "Watering thoroughly only when the soil is completely dry" is more in line with plant physiology and promotes the accumulation of dry matter.
Common equipment: water flow sensor, flow meter, solenoid valve controller, water temperature sensor, liquid level sensor.
V. Air
With light, plants inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. Without light, they inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. The composition of the air is closely related to plant growth. In greenhouses, the primary air component monitored is carbon dioxide. In artificial lighting environments, the concentration of carbon dioxide is crucial; supplementing light without carbon dioxide will be much less effective. In natural light environments, the carbon dioxide concentration is around 400 ppm. In artificial light environments, where the light is intense, the carbon dioxide concentration must be maintained between 440 ppm and 600 ppm.
There are two ways to supplement carbon dioxide: gas cylinders and carbon dioxide generators. Gas cylinders are more expensive and suitable for small-scale laboratory cultivation. For large-scale cultivation, carbon dioxide generators are necessary. Based on the gas production principle, carbon dioxide generators fall into two categories: natural gas combustion type and ammonium bicarbonate reaction type. Combustion of natural gas (liquefied petroleum gas, coal briquettes, etc.) in a confined space gradually consumes oxygen, causing a decrease in oxygen concentration and leading to incomplete combustion, producing carbon monoxide. This is extremely dangerous and can easily cause carbon monoxide poisoning. There have been recorded deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by combustion in China. Therefore, ammonium bicarbonate reaction formulas should be the first choice.
Common equipment: Carbon dioxide sensor, TVOC sensor, ammonia sensor, oxygen sensor, carbon dioxide generator.
VI. Fertilizer
From a development trend perspective, liquid fertilizer will become the mainstream, mainly due to its convenience in fertilization and automated control. Nutrient solution is dissolved in water during irrigation, facilitating rapid absorption by plants. Liquid fertilizer also offers the advantages of precise control, faster results, and easier observation of planting effects by agronomists. The main component of liquid fertilizer (nutrient solution) is inorganic salts. With advancements in technology and understanding, organic nutrient solutions will become the mainstream.
The concentration of the nutrient solution is detected using an EC sensor (electrical conductivity), and the pH is detected using a pH sensor. The measured values of EC and pH are dynamic; the detection time and the uniformity of liquid agitation will affect the test results. To determine the accuracy of EC and pH sensors, dedicated EC and pH testing solutions can be used.
Common equipment: EC sensor, pH sensor, integrated water and fertilizer system
VII. Vision
Cameras are visual sensors. Introducing cameras into greenhouses facilitates remote observation, teaching, and dissemination. Cameras are the most intuitive tool for shared farms. In scientific research, cameras are also beneficial for continuous monitoring and artificial intelligence analysis. Network cameras require high bandwidth; in automated control systems, it's best to use separate channels for cameras and control signals to avoid bandwidth congestion.
Common equipment: Cameras, monitoring hosts, fiber optic transceivers, switches
VIII. Electricity
Greenhouses using biological supplemental lighting are high-energy consumers. Current, voltage, and power monitoring and statistics are essential.
Common equipment: Smart meters, smart electrical boxes, smart multiplexers, circuit breakers, contactors, industrial power supplies.
IX. Pipes/Lines/Troughs/Racks
Facility agriculture relies on buildings, pipes, pipelines, planting troughs/containers, and planting racks to achieve planting objectives. Planting planning, architectural design, shelving planning and design, and IoT automation design are closely related.
X. Operating System
All equipment and tools rely on an IoT operating system for unified management. In facility agriculture, the IoT operating system is the soul. Basically, whichever company's equipment you use, you must use their operating system. Those who attempt to manage other people's equipment with their own so-called cloud backend often fall into the trap of uncertain delivery times.
