Research exploring greenhouse environment control over the last 50 years

Tadashi Takakura

Abstract


Environments do not exist in isolation. Their main components in greenhouse systems are plants. Without consideration of plants, analysis of greenhouse environments and environmental control of greenhouses can be accomplished, although it is not simple to achieve. Initial attempts were undertaken to analyze greenhouse environments and then reproduce them. Ventilation rate effects on plant photosynthesis in a growth chamber were reported in 1966. Computer simulations then became a main subject of research. The first dynamic computer simulation of a greenhouse environment including plants was published in 1971. According to innovations of computer technology, the use of minicomputers and microcomputers spread in many areas. By measuring the net photosynthesis of lettuce plants grown under artificial lighting, air temperature was optimized using a minicomputer with the hill-climbing method. The method was designated as the Speaking Plant Approach to environment control (SPA). After the author developed the first reported environmental control system in Japan, systems using microcomputers spread widely for greenhouse environmental control. Knowledge-based expert systems were tested for plant management. Also, a machine vision system was developed to detect critical moments for watering of muskmelon plants. The first feed-forward control method for greenhouses with a large heat mass was reported. Then space farming was tested in 1996 to assess gravity effects on plants. Energy-saving aspects such as solar sterilization, ground heat storage system, and storage using phase change material (PCM) have been reported. Defects of ordinary solarimeters were reported in 2008 along with an approach to estimate evapotranspiration in a greenhouse without the effect of so-called cosine law. Later, this technique was expanded to estimate photosynthesis of the plant canopy in a greenhouse using newly developed sensor units.
Keywords: computer control, evapotranspiration, global and diffused solar radiation, nondestructive and non-contact measurement, photosynthesis, SPA
DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191205.5179

Citation: Takakura T. Research exploring greenhouse environment control over the last 50 years. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(5): 1–7.

Keywords


computer control, evapotranspiration, global and diffused solar radiation, nondestructive and non-contact measurement, photosynthesis, SPA

Full Text:

PDF

References


Businger J A. The glasshouse (greenhouse) climate in physics of plant environment (van Wijk W R Ed.), North Holland Publ. Co., 1963; pp.277–318.

Walker J N. Predicting temperatures in ventilated greenhouses. Trans. ASAE, 1963; 8: 445–448.

Takakura T. Predicting air temperatures in the glasshouse (I). J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 1967; 45: 40–52.

Takakura T. Predicting air temperatures in the glasshouse (II). J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 1968; 46: 36–44.

Takakura T, Manning T O, Giacomelli G A, Roberts W J. Feed-forward control for a floor heat greenhouse. Trans. ASAE, 1994; 37: 939–945.

Takakura T. Temperature gradients in the greenhouse. J. Appl. Meteor., 1967; 6: 956–957.

Takakura T. The effect of room ventilation on net photosynthesis rate. Bot. Mag., 1966; 79: 143–151.

Takakura T, Jordan K A, Boyd L L. Dynamic simulation of plant growth and environment in the greenhouse. Trans. ASAE, 1971; 14: 964–971.

Takakura T, Kania S, Roberts W J. Simulation analysis of solar sterilization systems. Proc. 27th National Agricultural Plastics Congress, 1998; pp.119–126.

van Bavel C H M, Takakura T, Bot G P A. Global comparison of three greenhouse climate models. Acta Hort., 1985; 174: 21–33.

Takakura T, Climate under cover. Digital dynamic simulation in plant bio-engineering. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1993; 155p.

Takakura T, Fang W. Climate under cover. Digital dynamic simulation in plant. bio-engineering (2nd Edition). Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002; 190p.

Takakura T, Son J E. Simulation of biological and environmental processes. Kyushu Univ. Press, 2004; 139p.

Takakura T, Kozai T, Tachibana K, Jordan K A. Direct digital control of plant growth. I. Design and operation of the system. Trans. ASAE, 1974: 17: 1150–1154.

Takakura T. Plant growth optimization using a small computer. Acta Hort., 1975; 46: 147–156.

Takakura T, Ohara G. Direct digital control of plant growth II. Physiological analysis of cucumber plants. J. Agr. Met., 1976; 32: 107–115.

Takakura T, Okada M, Shimaji H, Nara M. Development of a microprocessor-based multi-variable control system for greenhouses. J. Agr. Met., 1979; 35: 97–102.

Takakura T. Historical overview environmental engineering in biology in Japan through over 50 years of research. Climate in Biosphere, 2018; 18: 3–12.

Takakura T. Climate control to reduce energy inputs. Acta Hort., 1989; 245: 406–415.

Kurata K, Takakura T. Simulation of climate within a solar greenhouse equipped with underground heat storage units. Proc. Int. Sym. on Thermal Application of Solar Energy, 1985; pp.521–526.

Kurata K, Takakura T. Underground storage of solar energy for greenhouse heating I. Analysis of seasonal storage system by scale and numerical models. Trans. ASAE, 1991; 34: 563–569.

Kurata K, Takakura T. Underground storage of solar energy for greenhouse heating II. Comparison of seasonal and daily storage systems. Trans. ASAE, 1991; 34: 2181–2186.

Takakura T, Nishina H. A solar greenhouse with phase change energy storage and a microcomputer control system. Acta Hort., 1981; 115: 583–590.

Nishina H, Takakura T. Studies on solar greenhouses with latent heat storage systems. Heating experiment in a greenhouse. J. Agr. Met., 1985; 40: 313–321.

Takakura T. Plant solarimeter for energy balance. Acta Hort., 2008; 801: 615–621.

Takakura T, Kubota C, Sase S, Hayashi M, Ishii M, Takayama K. Measurement of evapotranspiration rate in a single-span greenhouse using the energy-balance equation. Biosys. Eng., 2009; 102: 298–304.

Miyahira M, Tamaki M, Akutsu M, Usui T, Okushima L, Kaiho A, et al. Calibration device development for spherical solar radiation sensors. J. Adv. Agr., 2015; 4: 371–376.

Miyahira M, Usui T, Kaiho A, Okushima L, Takakura T. Lightweight, low-cost, automatic monitoring of global and diffused solar radiation. J. Agr. Met., 2014; 70: 133–138.

Takakura T, Sunagawa H, Tamaki M, Usui T, Taniai N. In situ net photosynthesis measurement of a plant canopy in a single-span greenhouse. J. Adv. Agri., 2017; 7: 1015–1020.

Takakura T, Shimomachi T, Takemasa T. Non-destructive detection of plant health. Proceedings of International Symposium on Design and Environmental Control of Tropical and Subtropical Greenhouses. Taichung, China, 2001; pp.147–151.

Shimomachi T, Ou S, Ichimaru Y, Cho S, Takemasa T, Yamazaki Y, et al. Nondestructive detection of salt stress in tomato plants using microwave sensing: Method using an open-ended coaxial probe. Environ. Control in Biology, 2005; 43: 47–55.

Shimomachi T, Takemasa T, Takakura T, Kurata K. Nondestructive detection of plant water stress by microwave sensing. Acta Hort., 2006; 710: 465–470.

Son J E, Takakura T. Effect of EC of nutrient solution and light condition on transpiration and tipburn injury of lettuce in a plant factory. J. Agr. Met., 1989; 44: 253–258.

Goto E, Takakura T. Prevention of lettuce tipburn by supplying air to inner leaves. Trans. ASAE, 1992; 35: 641–645.

Goto E, Takakura T. Promotion of Ca accumulation in inner leaves by air supply for prevention of lettuce tipburn. Trans. ASAE, 1992; 35: 647–650.

Chun C, Takakura T. Dynamic management of root exposure to air above the nutrient fluid surface for production of tomato transplants. Acta Hort., 1992; 319: 483–488.

Chun C, Takakura T. Rate of root respiration of lettuce under various dissolved oxygen concentration in hydroponics. Environ. Control in Biol., 1994; 32: 125–135.

Kurata K, Nagano T, Takakura T. Effects of fluctuating light on photosynthesis of some vegetables. J. Agr. Met., 1984; 40: 269–272.

Akutsu M, Izena J, Takakura T. Effect of EOD-FR on the growth and morphology of Brassicaceae family plants in each cropping season. Hort. Res. (Japan), 2016; 15: 409–415.

Akutsu M, Izena J, Takakura T. Effect if EOD-FR treatment on the growth and morphology of Japanese mustard spinach and pak-choi. Hort. Res. (Japan), 2017; 16: 449–454.

Takakura T, Goto E, Tanaka M. The effect of gravity on plant germination. Adv. Space Res., 1996; 18(4-5): 255–258.

Goto E, Iwabuchi K, Takakura T. Effect or reduced total pressure on spinach growth. J. Agr. Met., 1993; 51: 139–143.

Iwabuchi K, Goto E, Takakura T. Effect of O2 pressure under low air pressure on net photosynthetic rate of spinach. Acta Hort., 1995; 399: 101–106.

Goto E, Takakura T. Application of plant growth models to estimate the gas and water balance in a crop production module. CELSS Journal, 1995; 7: 9–13.

Takakura T, Shono H, Hojo T. Crop management by intelligent computer systems. Acta Hort., 1984; 148: 317–318.

Okamura N K, Kurata K, Takakura T. Analysis of color changes in leaves of muskmelon plants under water stress. Environ. Control in Biology, 2001; 39: 27–34.

Okamura N K, Shimomachi T, Takakura T. Nondestructive detection of water stress in tomato plants by NIR spectroscopy. Environ. Control in Biology, 2001; 39: 75–85.

Quan Z, Takakura T. Estimation of the seasonal cooling or heating load using a simulation model. J. Agr. Met., 1988; 44: 287–294.

Quan Z, Takakura T. A strategy for calculating the maximum cooling load of a green-house. Acta Hort., 1988; 230: 519–526.

Li S, Kurata K, Takakura T. Scale-model experiments on improving solar radiation transmission in a Chinese style lean-to greenhouse. J. Agr. Met., 1995; 51: 47–51.

Li S, Kurata K, Takakura T. Solar radiation transmissivity into a lean-to greenhouse. Acta Hort., 1995; 399: 127–134.

Li S, Kurata K, Takakura T. Scale-model experiments on direct solar radiation penetration into row crop canopies in a lean-to greenhouse. ASAE Paper, 1995; No.954489, 12p.

Li S, Kurata K, Takakura T. Solar radiation enhancement in a lean-to greenhouse by use of reflection. J. Agric. Eng. Res., 1998; 71: 157–165.




Copyright (c) 2019 International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

2023-2026 Copyright IJABE Editing and Publishing Office