Delta-T Devices Ltd. articles
Introduction: The full ASCE/FAO-56 Penman-Monteith evapotranspiration (PM-ET) equation and crop coefficients are often employed for irrigation scheduling of open-field crops. To obtain PM-ET derived water-use figures requires access to full weather station datasets, which includes radiation, air temperature, wind-speed, and relative humidity measurements.
Over the years there have been many studies aiming to create (and evaluate) simpler models with fewer measurements that are easi
Daily measurements of the slab by hand meter give essential information on what is going on in the slabs. This is important to confirm the readings of any fixed sensors and to show the standard deviation across the glasshouse. This data will give more potential control over the crop to increase yield and quality as well as more efficient use of water and fertilisers. The substrate manufacturer Saint-Gobain Cultilene has developed measuring protocols to standardize the way of measuring and to
2020 was a record year for strawberry yields at the Water Efficient Technology Centre (WET Centre), based at NIAB EMR in Kent, UK.
The WET Centre is an extensive research and demonstration facility that features a portfolio of innovative growing techniques and smart irrigation systems for the soft fruit sector. It showcases the latest solutions to improve water use efficiency and local water security, reduce costs and achieve industry leading yields and financial returns.
Recent research projects run by Dr E Thompson (University of Greenwich), the photovoltaics company Polysolar, and Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, have been exploring the potential for UK soft fruit farms to harness solar power while simultaneously producing high quality crops.
By retrofitting semi-transparent photovoltaic materials to glasshouses and polytunnels, the projects have demonstrated how solar energy generation and crop production can coexist successfu