Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute has successfully developed a manpower-saving and real-time monitoring system to automatically control the growing environment of greenhouse fruit and vegetables. This scientifically designed decision-support system allows better management decisions that enhance production efficiencies and improve product qualities. Connecting with various sensing devices, the system acquires and transmits the environmental parameters in the greenhouse in real time, thus the managers can immediately track and ensure that the greenhouse condition is optimal for plants growth.

    Through close control of the environment in the protective structures such as greenhouses, net houses, etc., growers could overcome challenges such as impacts of climate change, extreme weather elements, limited space, and high energy prices, while stabilizing yields and improving quality. Production of tomatoes, peppers and melons under protective structures has many additional benefits for growers, consumers and society as a whole. In addition to optimizing temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity and carbon dioxide concentration, and the moisture, nutrient content and electrical conductivity of growth media, the system improves efficient monitoring and control of diseases and pests, thus the products are less likely to become contaminated with pesticide residues and other food=borne pathogens. The system has been introduced to cherry tomato and sweet pepper growers in December 2012. And the event has received considerable compliments and feedbacks for improvement.

    The very monitoring system is equipped with a touch-screen computer and a webcam to capture real-time images in the greenhouse and with sensing devices to collect environmental data, uses remote computer, smart phone or tablet PC to access the acquired data, and employs IO modules and software to monitor and automatically control the various equipment to maintain pre-set optimal temperature, humidity, and light intensity in the greenhouse suitable for plant growth and development. All the data can be exported from touch-screen computer to Excel spreadsheets and stored, or transmitted to remote computer for the specialists to track the conditions of the greenhouse.