Since ancient times, plants have served as a source of food and medicine. Their tissues’ active components are what give them their mending abilities. The concentration of this dynamic element, known as phytochemicals, varies based on the type of plant. Research on phytochemicals is required to identify the ideal dosage and composition of therapeutic medicines. Plant growth chambers are essential research equipment. Researchers can precisely quantify and track the effects of environmental influences on the development of plants in a controlled environment. They have an unrivaled opportunity to examine the impact of different factors on plant development because of their capacity to manipulate the atmosphere precisely. These chambers are used to research how fertilizers, diseases, and other components affect plants and the effects of light, temperature, and humidity.
What is it?
It is a device used to control the environmental conditions of plants. It is a small, enclosed space with controlled temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels. The temperature can be set to 5 and 40 degrees Celsius (41-104°F).
The most common type is those that provide light for plants and heat, water and CO2 levels. They are often used in scientific photosynthesis experiments due to their ability to control all these factors simultaneously.
How is it used?
A plant growth chamber is a room or enclosure in which plants are grown under controlled environmental conditions. The goal of using it is to study how plants thrive under different conditions and what effects these conditions have on the development of the plant. It can be used for many other purposes, including
- Studying how plants respond to environmental changes (such as sunlight and temperature)
- Studying how chemical treatments affect plant health and development
What do you want to measure?
The first step to building a growth chamber is deciding what you want to measure, which will help determine which type of growth chamber is right for you. The following are some considerations:
- Temperature and humidity – If you’re looking at building a basic greenhouse, your focus might be on the temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse. In this case, you can use an OAT reflectometer that measures temperature and relative humidity (RH). This will allow you to monitor these critical environmental variables without opening up your greenhouse every day or two.
- CO2 – If your focus is on carbon dioxide (CO2), then using a closed-loop system may be ideal because it allows for precise control over levels of CO2 inside the growth chamber with minimal user intervention required outside the initial setup. However, if money isn’t an issue or if there’s some emergency where access isn’t available immediately after opening up the door into an unheated room where plants are being grown indoors during winter months like here in Canada (where winters are frigid), then it may make more sense financially speaking not only because they’re cheap but also because they don’t require much maintenance at all beyond changing out filters once every month or so unless something goes wrong. Which rarely happens but still should be considered nonetheless! 🙂
How can I automate my measurement?
If you’re looking for more information about monitoring your growth chamber, there are a few ways.
- A data acquisition system (DAQ) is the first step in automating your measurements. It can be done using a computer and software that works with the DAQ, or it can be hooked directly into your network. One of the advantages of this method is that you’ll have access to your measurements through an app or website, which makes it easy to keep track of all your data points if you need them at some point down the road.
- If monitoring through a computer isn’t enough for you—or if there’s no way around buying another piece of equipment just yet—you could also use a programmable logic controller (PLC). PLCs are used commercially in everything from manufacturing plants to power stations; however, they can be costly if purchased new and require extensive training before being used properly.
- If neither DAQs nor PLCs appeal to you and are outside budget constraints, think about getting multiple temperature sensors placed throughout the growth chamber instead (for example, two at each end). Doing this regularly over time using different thermometers throughout each location would provide valuable results without needing much effort beyond placing them where required every week or two.”
The proper lighting for your project.
Before determining how many plants to place in your growth chamber, it’s essential to understand some of the fundamentals of the sections.
Light intensity, for instance, is a vital factor in plant growth. Light intensity determines how much light reaches the plants and how fast they grow. It can be measured in units called foot candles (FC). The higher the FC reading, the brighter the light will appear to humans while operating at total capacity. It’s important to know that there are different ways to measure light intensities: by using a lux meter or by measuring FCs directly with a handheld meter or an electronic device such as a digital camera equipped with an infrared remote control or an infrared filter attachment; these kinds of meters measure reflected or emitted light instead of emitted infrared radiation like those used on cameras do!
To calculate these values properly requires knowledge about two things: firstly, how much power we’re using (watts), and secondly, what kind of lens is being used behind each lamp type – this depends on whether you’re working indoors or outdoors because outdoor fixtures tend towards having larger lenses than indoor ones so that they don’t get blocked out by dust particles inside our homes.”
Thus, plant growth chambers are very useful for plant research. We can use them to control the temperature, humidity, and light levels to get the perfect conditions for our plants. They are also accommodating when we want to monitor the effects of different compounds on plants or study how they grow at different temperatures or with varying amounts of water available in their soil.
