Utilization of Sensors to Monitor Small Scale Environmental Variation in High Tunnels and Under Row Covers

The annual plas??culture system of strawberry produc??on has been increasing in Kentucky and provides strawberries 4-6 weeks earlier than the tradi??onal mated row system. It is an expensive system with costs approaching $15000/acre (Plas??culture Strawberries, htps://www.uky.edu/ccd/sites/www.uky.edu.ccd/files/plas??culture_strawberries.pdf accessed June 5, 2023) One of the significant costs in produc??on is floa??ng row cover. Floa??ng row cover is a spun-bonded or woven plas??c, polyester or polypropylene material that is placed over plants to exclude pests or extend the growing season by retaining heat — all while s??ll being permeable to light, water, and air. The use of these materials is well accepted in Kentucky. There are different manufacturers of these materials, and each manufacturer commonly produces different weights of these materials for different needs. A typical use in plas??culture strawberry produc??on is to apply them late in the season, around the first of November depending on the year and weather, to retain heat, help prevent desicca??on, and deter deer feeding. A second layer is then applied a??er the New Year. These covers will be le?? on the plants un??l Around St. Patrick’s Day and then only placed over the strawberries when needed for frost protec??on. In Kentucky 0.75 oz/yd2 is commonly used to achieve a total weight of 1.5 oz/yd2. Unfortunately given the different manufacturers and different weights, growers o??en are unsure of how much light transmission a fabric will allow and how much frost protec??on a given treatment will provide even though general informa??on is provided by the manufacturer. In addi??on to these challenges there are also microclimate differences on farms due to aspect, orienta??on, and other factors. Our project cooperators have experienced this challenge on their own farm, and it has impacted their farm profitability. We are proposing using remote sensing and data loggers from Spectrum Analy??cal on the farm to monitor these condi??ons to document differences in three environments with sensors above and below rowcovers. The three sites include open field, inside a single layer tunnel, and inside a double layer tunnel. Data collected will be Photosynthe??cally Ac??ve Radia??on (PAR), temperature, rela??ve humidity, and for the outside loca??on only, windspeed. While the complexity of the situa??on and the uniqueness of every farm se??ng preclude the development of predic??ve models, this will allow us to document exis??ng variability and allow for beter decision-making on their farm. Row cover management has been more of a challenge in Kentucky, and Ohio, and has limited produc??vity in the Ohio Valley region rela??ve to North Carolina where winter condi??ons are not as limi??ng (Brad Bergefurd, personal communica??on) and where the plas??culture industry was developed. By developing an understanding of the variability within a small area, Kentucky plas??culture strawberry growers will develop a beter understanding of the skills necessary to improve their own produc??on, and hopefully their own profitability.