| Aeroponics can provide suitable nutrition, water and air environment for plant roots’ growth.Therefore, aeroponics is considered as one of the most important cultivation styles in greenhouse in thefuture. Automatic operation and regulation plays key roles in aeroponics, because providing suitablewater and fertilizer condition bases on the plant’s needs is the key technology of aeroponics. Currently,the wide application of aeroponics is limited in China due to lack of the economically and efficientlyautomatic regulation methods. Therefore, it is necessary to develop low costs automatic operationsystem for greenhouse cultivation. The aim of this research was development a kind of aeroponicsregulation system for greenhouse tomato cultivation based on LabVIEW, and discussed its feasibility.In order to meet the technical requirements of intelligent control for aeroponics，the automaticcontrol system for tomato cultivation in greenhouse has been designed and developed based onLabVIEW by using modular concept and virtual instrument and coordinating aeroponics rootenvironment control and greenhouse environmental factors. The system is mainly composed of thecomputer, remote computer, the data acquisition card, sensors and actuators. Relational databasemanagement used MySQL and LabVIEW toolkits achieved remote monitoring via WEBserver. Theaeroponics system has a friendly interface, full-featured function, and simple operation, which can bewidely applied for tomato production in greenhouse. Based on the results of pervious research, thisstudy developed an automatic operation system which could meet tomato growth requirement andaccurately regulated root environment of tomato plants with the combination of traditional aeroponicsand modern industrial methods.The system used LabVIEW toolkits and MySQL to achieve relational database management andremote monitoring. The aeroponics system has a friendly interface, full-featured function, and simpleroperation, can achieve greenhouse aeroponics tomato production automation management and remotemonitoring. The system test results in greenhouse of IEDA(CAAS) show that:1) This aeroponics automatic control system for tomato cultivation in greenhouse coordinatedaeroponics root environment control and greenhouse environmental factors, which is scientific,feasibleand low-cost.2) Sensors can realizes the real-time monitoring of environmental elements and acquisitionbasically; The solution with powerful analysis and control through the LabVIEW application of MySQLdatabase; The aeroponics root environment temperature control accuracy for±1℃; Nutrient solutionconductivity control precision of±0.2mS/cm; Nutrient solution pH value control precision of±0.5;Filled gas CO2concentration is controlled in the450~500μL/L.3) The performance of test results show that: the control system can effectively improve theaeroponics production management and production efficiency. The intermittent spray control methodcan consider plant requirement, improve utilization rate of CO2and electricity. This system ishigh-efficient in utilization of resource. 4) Aeroponics system in the period of plant growth has great promoting effect of tomato.Compared with rock wool culture，tomato root activity, root length, stem diameter, plant height, leaf up7.5%,411%,94%and411%; Dry matter of aeroponics tomato is higher by32%. Tomato production ishigher by17.6%, tomato average fruit weight is higher by10%. Moreover, fruits without deformityshape and with uniform size were produced by using aeroponics system.This control system provides a new technology and equipment support for aeroponics productionand rapid popularization. It is a new thought for control system. |
