CULTIVATION TIPS JOHN PEETERS Why half a degree makes a world of difference
Nowadays, almost all growing rooms have computer control enabling a perfectly regulated growing room climate. However, the grower still determines the degree of autonomy of the control computer. Some growers rely on their own observations and set the climate computer very precisely, almost manually, and change the settings every day or even twice daily. Others rely more on the computer to assess whether outside air is suitable for cooling, dehumidifying and so on. A computer program can also manage a growing cycle practically independently, and with some minor adjustments, mushrooms will grow. But what a computer lacks are senses. A computer cannot look at the beds, feel the compost or smell if something is wrong in a growing room. The grower’s observations remain essential. And it is up to the grower to set and operate the controller. Management tools, of which vision systems are perhaps the most developed, are also available. Cameras installed above the beds in the growing room already allow us to see how mycelium is developing, how many pinheads actually emerge, whether there are any diseases and other important things. AI systems are on the rise. For example, a database with 100 cropping cycles that are analysed by the controller for the best yields, before it tries to predict what the next step in the cultivation cycle should be. Big Data, everyone is talking about it. But all these systems still depend on the accuracy of information and the input. As an example; if you simply assume that the data entered in the climate computer is correct, you could have a nasty surprise. The growing room air temperature and RH are crucial parameters used by the computer to control the climate conditions. If these values are incorrect, many things can go
seriously wrong with the crop. The RH unit, typically comprising a dry bulb and a wet bulb sensor with a small fan that blows air continuously over them, is just about the most crucial device in a growing room. So before filling a growing room again, critically check the unit for the following aspects. Does the fan work properly? Are there any tears or holes in the unit? Has the water for the wick around the wet bulb sensor been replenished? Remove the wick from the wet sensor and compare the two temperatures. They must be exactly identical, because even just a 0.2 degree difference in the sensors already indicates a 2% deviation in the RH. This increases to a 10% deviation with a 1 degree difference. I also frequently see the same wick being used again and again, even if it is practically disintegrating. “Invest” in a new wick! The wick will last a little longer if the RH unit is always filled with demineralised water. But most importantly: calibrate the temperature sensors. This differs for each system but use a calibrated thermometer and ensure that the two sensors that measure the air temperature and RH in a cell are always calibrated correctly. If necessary, check the correct procedure with the system supplier, as this will ensure the control computer always has the correct information, which the grower can then base the right decisions on.
Rectification S
everal annoying errors crept into the caption of the FOCUS section on the center pages of Mushroom Business 132.
The Mycelia Academy pasteurization masterclass took place at Kechagia Mushrooms, Manitaria, in Kilkis, not at ‘Dirfis Mushrooms on Evia’, as stated. The hospitality and support came from the owner Athanasios Kexagias, the Manitaria team and manager Christos Nikolaidis, not from ‘Thanasis Mastrogiannis and Lefteris Lachouvaris’, mentioned in the article. We apologize for this.
The editor.
Manager Christos Nikolaidis (red jacket) talking with the ESSMI group during the Masterclass.
44 MUSHROOM BUSINESS
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