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Recommended Application in Gerbera

BACKGROUND

Gerbera species bear a large capitulum with striking, two-lipped ray florets in yellow, orange, white, pink or red colours. The capitulum, which has the appearance of a single flower, is actually composed of hundreds of individual flowers. The morphology of the flowers varies depending on their position in the capitulum. The flower heads can be as small as 7 cm (Gerbera mini 'Harley') in diameter or up to 12 cm (Gerbera ‘Golden Serena’).

Gerbera is very popular and widely used as a decorative garden plant or as cut flowers. The domesticated cultivars are mostly a result of a cross between Gerbera jamesonii and another South African species Gerbera viridifolia. The cross is known as Gerbera hybrida. Thousands of cultivars exist. They vary greatly in shape and size. Colours include white, yellow, orange, red, and pink. The centre of the flower is sometimes black. Often the same flower can have petals of several different colours.

Gerbera is also important commercially. It is the fifth most used cut flower in the world.

Gerbera is a tender annual plant. It is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds, but resistant to deer.

PYHTOMONITORING IN GERBERA

Application of various sensors for assessing plant physiological conditions is becoming a common practice in crop growing.

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Recommended set-up for 5 hectars Plant sensors:
	Dendrometer Sensor - 1 The Dendrometer is a highly precise incremental LVDT-based sensor for monitoring micro-variations of trunk radius in micron range. Plant growth and water balance affect diurnal behavior of trunk radius. The growth rate depends on a vegetation stage and environmental conditions. The diurnal variations represent mostly fluctuations of water content in plants. Two radius-based indices are commonly used for evaluating plant water status: daily contraction amplitude and trend of daily maxima. The Dendrometer allows investigating effects of irrigation rate and other environmental factors on water balance and growth of plants. Range of measurement: 0-10 mm Resolution: 0.005 mm Suitable stem diameter range: above 5 cm
	Fruit Growth Sensors - 1 Two phenomena affect fruit diameter. These are growth and internal water content. The growth component is usually dominant. At the same time, in some cases, the fruit may loose water that is manifested in deceleration of growth rate or even shrinkage of the fruit. It may be a result of water stress, lack of light, or another limiting factor. Thus, the FI-type sensor allows investigating effect of irrigation rate and other environmental factors on both water balance and growth of fruits. Range of measurement: (7 - 30 mm, 30-100mm, 15-70mm) Resolution: 0.01mm Temperature stability: 0.005 mm/cÂ° max. Suitable fruit diameter range: (7 - 30 mm, 30-100mm, 15-70mm)
Soil sensors:
	Tensiometer Sensor - 2 Measures water tension in the soil Pipes length: 30 cm, 60 cm, 90 cm Measurement range: 0 - 84 cBar Temperature range: 0-40 C
	Soil Moisture Sensor - 2 Monitors the volumetric water content (VWC) of the soil Comes with 5cm two prong design Measurement Range 0-70% moisture
	Environmental sensors:
	Phytechâ€™s Weather station Including 6 sensors: 1. Wind Speed meter. 2. Wind Direction (optional: Leaf wetness) 3. Rain Meter. 4. Irradiation meter. 5. Air temperature. 6. Air humidity.