AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR THE PHYTOGENETIC LABORATORY PROPAGATION OF OLEA EUROPAEA REMOTELY CONTROLLED

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.317532524028

• Palavras-chave: Propagation, cuttings, control, automation, IoT.

• Keywords: Propagation, cuttings, control, automation, IoT.

• Abstract:

  In Argentina, since 1990, the area planted with olive trees has grown significantly, due not only to the increase in the profitability of olive oil production due to the price of olive oil and the information campaigns on the benefits for human health of its consumption, but also to the support measures adopted by the government, especially tax incentives. The current cultivated area (90,000 ha) has placed our country among the top ten producers worldwide.
  The asexual reproduction of plant species by direct implantation of cuttings (cuttings from an adult plant) has been known since ancient times. The olive tree multiplication technique improved from 1970 onwards, especially due to the process of rooting cuttings under nebulization. Hartman et al. of the University of California have pioneered the adaptation of this technique. 
  Based on the above-mentioned background, the objective of this work is particularly oriented to define, design and build a laboratory prototype of an equipment to optimize the rooting phase, seeking to maximize the percentage of cuttings that form adventitious roots, implementing an environmental control system tuned for this purpose. The applied methodology corresponds to an experimental development, with emphasis on the selection of sensors: ambient relative humidity, leaf humidity, temperature of the implantation substrate and ambient temperature, as well as the selection of actuators to modify the substrate temperature, irrigation and heat extraction. Using Internet of Things (conceptsIoT) , a telemetry system is integrated, which will allow alerting about any type of failure or anomaly, commanding the set points of the controlled variables and monitoring the internal and external environmental variables. The results achieved to date are presented in the paper.