Measuring biogeochemical heterogeneity at the micro scale in soils and sediments

Steep physiochemical gradients and diffusive limitation associated with microscale features such as cracks and pores make soil and sediments remarkably heterogeneous environments, which is reflected on many environmentally important processes. If we are to understand and attempt to control the ecology of the microorganisms which inhabit these environments we must not only characterize their inhabitants, but also the complex biogeochemical landscape they live in. This includes local concentrations of electron acceptors and donors, microbial metabolites and key physical and chemical parameters such as pH and soil structure.To this end, an array of techniques for collecting data at the microscale has been developed, deployed and refined, ranging from microsensor probes to planar sensors. This review provides a general reference for and a critical comparison of microscale techniques available to the fields of soil and sediment microbial ecology. Techniques are evaluated based on their ability to provide spatially resolved data at the microscale, with focus on performance characteristics, potential for repeated measurements, degree of physical disruption they create, and accessibility.Microscale studies have given us many insights, but we outline further progress needed to make the microscale toolkit more accessible and to extend the range of analytes that can be measured simultaneously, so that we may expand our knowledge of the complex environmental microscale heterogeneity and its impact on soil and sediment ecology and functioning.     

A calibration method of detecting soil water content based on the information-sharing in wireless sensor network

In agricultural production, there is contradiction between the cost and accuracy of detection during the course of acquiring soil water content (θ) online. This conflict is one of the core issues of automatic water-saving irrigation technology in agriculture. At the same time, capacitive soil moisture sensor (CSMS) has received considerable attention, for it can acquire θ with low cost and high precision, and meet the application requirements of wireless sensor network (WSN). But CSMS is vulnerable to the soil temperature (T_s) and salinity (S_s) in the measurement process. Therefore, this study took EC-5 sensor for example to establish water detection calibration models of soil temperature and salinity for single sensor, using Least Squares Support Vector Machines on MatLAB (LS-SVMlab) as the tool. On this basis, we explored the spatial variability of T_s and S_s, and then a method, which could be used to calibrate the output signals of sensors in multi-point network, was proposed based on the information-sharing (T_s or S_s) technology of WSN. Through laboratory experiment, we effectively reduced the impact of soil temperature and salinity on the single sensor. In example analysis, we investigated the detection precision and costs under different information-sharing radiuses (r). And the results indicated that the method we proposed based on the information-sharing technology of WSN could successfully calibrate the influence of soil temperature and salinity on sensors in multi-point network, and it was an efficacious approach to determine the balance between the calibration accuracy of moisture sensor and the investment of agricultural production. For example, while the calibration precision of soil temperature and salinity is respectively 1%, the costs can be reduced by 30%.     

On-farm evaluation of an active optical sensor performance for variable nitrogen application in winter wheat

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) represents almost 50% of total cereal production in the European Union, accounting for approximately 25% of total mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer applied to all crops. Currently, several active optical sensor (AOS) based systems for optimizing variable N fertilization are commercially available for a variety of crops, including wheat. To ensure successful adoption of these systems, definitive measurable benefits must be demonstrated. Nitrogen management strategies developed based on small-scale plot research are not always meaningful for large-scale farm conditions. In 2010–2012 (5 site-years) on-farm study was implemented in northern Poland utilizing a strip-trial design. The objective was to evaluate the performance of AOS in combination with a built-in algorithm for variable N rate fertilization. In this study, the reference uniform N rates (farmer’s practice) were comparable to optimum variable N rate recommendations. Side-by-side comparisons of uniform and variable N application revealed inconsistent benefits in terms of grain yield, grain protein content (GPC), N use and N use efficiency (NUE). Anticipated yield increases and/or reduced N rates are typical drivers for AOS adoption. Significant yield increases are not easily attained on farms with winter wheat yields already close to maximum yield potential. Thus, sensor-based variable N rate recommendations for fields previously fertilized with relatively low uniform N rates would often entail more appropriate allocation (redistribution) of the same amount of total N. This would minimize N surplus in areas of lower productivity and to improve the sustainability of N management overall.     

基于单片机的超声测距系统设计

介绍一种基于单片机的脉冲反射式超声测距系统,提出了系统的总体构成,针对测距系统发射、接收、检测、显示部分的总体设计方案进行了论证,分析了系统各部分的硬件及软件实现。最后文中分析了误差产生的原因,并对系统完善提出了一些建议。     

Landscape irrigation scheduling efficiency and adequacy by various control technologies

Automated residential irrigation systems tend to result in higher water use than non-automated systems. Increasing the scheduling efficiency of an automated irrigation system provides the opportunity to conserve water resources while maintaining good landscape quality. Control technologies available for reducing over-irrigation include evapotranspiration (ET) based controllers, soil moisture sensor (SMS) controllers, and rain sensors (RS). The purpose of this research was to evaluate the capability of these control technologies to schedule irrigation compared to a soil water balance model based on the Irrigation Association (IA) Smart Water Application Technologies (SWAT) testing protocol. Irrigation adequacy and scheduling efficiency were calculated in 30-day running totals to determine the amount of over- or under-irrigation for each control technology based on the IA SWAT testing protocol. A time-based treatment with irrigation 2 days/week and no rain sensor (NRS) was established as a comparison. In general, the irrigation adequacy ratings (measure of under-irrigation) for the treatments were higher during the fall months of testing than the spring months due to lower ET resulting in lower irrigation demand. Scheduling efficiency values (measure of over-irrigation) decreased for all treatments when rainfall increased. During the rainy period of this testing, total rainfall was almost double reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) while in the remaining three testing periods the opposite was true. The 30-day irrigation adequacy values, considering all treatments, varied during the testing periods by 0-68 percentile points. Looking at only one 30-day testing period, as is done in the IA SWAT testing protocol, will not fully capture the performance of an irrigation controller. Scheduling efficiency alone was not a good indicator of controller performance. The amount of water applied and the timing of application were both important to maintaining acceptable turfgrass quality and receiving good irrigation adequacy and scheduling efficiency scores.     

基于无线传感器网络的土壤信息采集系统

针对土壤信息采集的需要,提出了把无线传感器应用于土壤信息采集的思路,研究设计了一套基于无线传感器网络的土壤信息采集系统。节点设计采用低功耗MSP430单片机和CC2430 ZigBee无线射频芯片完成,可采集土壤温度、湿度和土壤含水率。系统网关设计基于ARM7系列S3C4480X、GPRS模块SIM100,搭建了农田中...     

基于霍尔传感器反馈的AVR单片机直流电机伺服系统设计

文章介绍了以ATmega8单片机作为核心控制芯片,采用PWM控制方式,应用PID控制算法,通过直流电机驱动芯片LM298和霍尔传感器实现的速度反馈闭环控制系统,给出了硬件电路和相应的软件设计.     

基于51单片机的会场人数监控仪

以单片机STC89C51为控制核心的检测装置,利用两对红外发送接收传感器分别检测进入会场和离开会场的人数,单片机通过外部中断实时检测红外传感器输入的电平信号,经过数据处理记录会场当前人数并显示在数码管上,同时可通过语音播放电路播放会场当前人数,通过串口通信将单片机中记录的人数信号传送给计算机并显示.此系统利用单片机控制,能实时检测并播报会场当前人数,具有实用价值,同时具有计算机上显示和语音播放人数等创新.     

基于Kalman滤波的田间导航车辆定位校正方法研究

以装载了RTK-DGPS导航系统的KUBOTASPU-68水田插秧机为试验平台,以姿态测量系统提供载体姿态信息,研究农业机械导航的姿态校正方法。在分析车载GPS倾斜误差产生原因基础上,提出了采用多传感器联合测量载体姿态角以提供校正信息。采用MEMS传感器集成模块ADIS16355作为惯性测量单元,卡尔曼滤波实现传感器信息融合以计算姿态角,设计了姿态测量系统。阐述了两种传感器融合测量实时姿态角的算法,基于ARM7Cotex-M3微处理器设计了姿态测量系统硬件。     

基于AT89S51的蔬菜大棚温控系统设计

以AT89S51单片机为控制核心,以数字温度传感器DS18B20为测温元件,采集温室内的温度信息。通过对当前温室环境的现状进行分析,对温室温度参数进行调节,以达到栽培作物生长发育的需要,为作物的生长提供最适宜的温度环境,大幅提高作物的产量和质量。