Software for the Automatic lon Control of Nutrient Solutions.

  • INDEN Haruhisa
    Faculty of Agriculture, Miyazaki University
  • KUBOTA Yutaka
    Faculty of Agriculture, Miyazaki University United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Kagoshima University
  • OKAMOTO Kana
    Faculty of Agriculture, Miyazaki University
  • KITAHARA Takao
    Research Laboratory, Kyushu Electric Power Co. Inc.

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 養液イオン濃度自動管理プログラムの開発
  • Software for the automatic ion control of nutrient solutions

Search this article

Description

A computer software program for aiding the mixture of macronutrients in nutrient solutions, named 'IonAdjuster', has been developed to select the best combination from various nutrient sources to determine required addition rates, according to user-specified demand and current analysis results. This software program is a personal computer spreadsheet program that runs on Excel 97. The user specifies the desired solution composition suitable for a cultivated plant by means of milli-equivalents or weight per volume of macronutrients. IonAdjuster determines the quantity of concentrated stock solution to be added from differences in required composition and the present macronutrient concentrations in solution. In practical hydroponic culture of tomatoes, fluctuation of ion contents of the solution was decreased and the percentage of top-grade fruit increased by the nutrient stock addition according to IonAdjuster. It is assumed that the combination of IonAdjuster and automatic ion sensing, such as that by a multi-ion meter, may allow for appropriate and continuous control of solutions in closed hydroponics. This developed system may result in higher crop production, more efficient use of fertilizer and elimination of groundwater pollution due to the drainage of large amounts of nutrient solutions from open hydroponic systems.

Journal

  • Shokubutsu Kojo Gakkaishi

    Shokubutsu Kojo Gakkaishi 12 (3), 176-181, 2000

    JAPANESE SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL, BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS

Citations (2)*help

See more

References(7)*help

See more

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top