Agriculture is the process of farming, which involves both the raising of animals for food, wool, and other goods as well as the preparation of the soil for crop growth. The invention of agriculture, which allowed people to farm domesticated species and produce surpluses of food that allowed people to live in cities, was crucial in the creation of sedentary human civilization.
The development of modern technology over the last few centuries has been both a blessing and a curse, increasing yields dramatically while also causing extensive ecological and environmental harm, such as contributing to global warming, deforestation, antibiotic resistance, and the use of growth hormones in industrial meat production.
In modern-day agricultural practices, Carbon Dioxide Sensor and other gas sensing technology can help improve the productivity of farming. Let’s find out more about it.
How are Gas Sensors used within Agriculture?
Commercial greenhouse control systems monitor and adjust the temperature and CO2 levels to ensure the best crop development. The low-range CO2 sensors are an affordable choice for long-term, continuous CO2 measurement.
During the gas stunning process, carbon dioxide levels must be checked in pig and poultry production. The sensors are frequently used in pig and poultry processing applications that employ high CO2 concentrations to detect CO2.
Gas sensors for CO2 measurement can be used to find grain rotting in storage.
Methane and carbon dioxide sensors, together with monitoring methane emissions from agriculture and dairy farming, are essential to the anaerobic digestion process that creates biogas.
Did you know?
In order to produce fruits and vegetables, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ethylene must all be closely controlled. They are crucial to the production of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses and in the post-harvest period.
The Need for Gas Analysis
After harvest, during storage, during transportation, and during retailing, levels of all three gases—oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ethylene—must be kept at optimal levels. Similar controls must be made over these gases in greenhouses, where airflow is constrained. The growth and ripening processes in plants can be impacted by a buildup or depletion of these gases.
Oxygen
Every phase of a plant’s existence requires oxygen. There is no central organ or tissue that absorbs oxygen; rather, the entire plant respires. Thus, leaves, fruits, and roots take in oxygen from the atmosphere. Increases in temperature can occasionally be accompanied by a high soil water content in a closed greenhouse setting. As a result, the amount of oxygen in the soil drops from 8 parts per million by volume (ppm) to 2 ppm, which has an impact on root development and general plant health.
Fruits serve as sinks and draw in the glucose created during photosynthesis; despite the fact that they use the glucose for respiration, they continue to enlarge. Respiration, however, depletes the glucose reserves after harvest, lowering the fruit’s quality. As a result, post-harvest oxygen must be kept at low levels. However, anaerobic fermentation results in fruit degradation when there is no oxygen present at all. To decrease respiration after harvest, oxygen levels must be lower than 5%. Temperature and the type of fruit affect how quickly it breathes. Fruits’ respiration increases as the temperature rises. Additionally, heat generated by breathing can build up in enclosed areas.
Carbon Dioxide
In greenhouses, during the day when photosynthesis takes place, carbon dioxide concentrations can drop below 200 ppm. To increase the gas levels to 280–340 ppm at these levels, carbon dioxide must be added, either through periodic ventilation or carbon fertilisation.
During post-harvest, low carbon dioxide levels are preferred. Fruit deterioration, uneven ripening, and the production of unpleasant aromas in storage or ripening rooms can all be caused by carbon dioxide concentrations exceeding 1 to 5% by volume. By reducing the production of ethylene, carbon dioxide levels below 7 percent by volume limit fruit ripening.
Depending on the fruit type, the ideal ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen will exist. Furthermore, the gas is hazardous at large concentrations and might be dangerous for the workplace. Extremely high carbon dioxide levels can have a variety of negative effects, including headaches, unconsciousness, and even death. As a result, levels in storage and ripening rooms should be carefully checked. The average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 0.04 percent by volume.
Ethylene
Despite the fact that ethylene has a variety of roles in a plant’s life, from germination to senescence/aging, its ripening effect is the most crucial for commerce. At the end of maturity, ethylene production increases in climacteric fruits, causing ripening. Even after harvest, ripening still happens.
By changing the environmental conditions that reduce ethylene production, storage time can be increased. Low oxygen levels and high carbon dioxide levels inhibit the formation of ethylene and stop the ripening of the fruits. Ethylene gas must be thoroughly evaluated because ripening might start at just 1 ppm of concentration.
Modern Measuring Technology
It takes extreme accuracy to measure the gases in tiny levels. There are many technologies out there, but not all of them are appropriate for small devices that can be employed in the production and supply chain. Miniature gas chromatography detection, infrared spectroscopy, electrochemical sensing, and pyroelectric detection are a few of the common techniques.
Miniature gas chromatography detection
The components of a sample of gas taken from the fruit chambers are separated by nitrogen in a column. The gases’ identities and concentrations are determined via flame ionisation. This process, which works well for oxygen and ethylene, calls for large equipment and skilled workers.
Infrared spectroscopy
This optical technology can be used to monitor ethylene, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in compact, portable devices. The fruit’s infrared light emission, reflectance, and absorption are all recorded without the need for sample preparation.
Electrochemical sensing
The sensitivity of this approach to ethylene, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations is very high. When there is electricity present, the gas chemically reacts with the sensor substance to provide an electric signal. This alters the electrical circuit’s resistance or current, which is subsequently measured.
Pyroelectric detection
This particular kind of thermal sensor is employed to find carbon dioxide. It fits into compact devices and is comparable to the technology seen in burglar alarm systems.
