The subject invention pertains to systems and methods for cost effective evaluation of the suitability of tree growth in a planting area before planting. Factors considered include whether the water and heat conditions of the area to be planted are suitable for the growth and development of the trees to be cultivated and how long the nutrient content in the soil can support the growth of the tree. The invention provides a plug-and-play urban landscape tree growth predictor. By inserting a plunger with a specialized sensor into the area to be planted, the instrument can automatically capture environmental data to drive the tree growth model, thus quickly simulating the tree's future growth. Through this method, the future growth trend of trees can be predicted and analyzed before planting to reduce the growth risk after planting.

The subject invention pertains to systems and methods for cost effective evaluation of the suitability of tree growth in a planting area before planting. Factors considered include whether the water and heat conditions of the area to be planted are suitable for the growth and development of the trees to be cultivated and how long the nutrient content in the soil can support the growth of the tree. The invention provides a plug-and-play urban landscape tree growth predictor. By inserting a plunger with a specialized sensor into the area to be planted, the instrument can automatically capture environmental data to drive the tree growth model, thus quickly simulating the tree's future growth. Through this method, the future growth trend of trees can be predicted and analyzed before planting to reduce the growth risk after planting.

Crops for human and animal consumption of many types are well known by their respective growers. Years of experience in the field provide the grower knowledge about a range of conditions that lead to the full spectrum of crop yields and crop quality, and each grower creates a store of knowledge which they can combine with the available measures of those conditions. This disclosure provides a method for indicating the onset of water stress in one or more plants located in a soil the roots of which are within the measurement zone of a soil moisture sensor located in the soil, by determining from representative data of the daily soil water usage and the evapotranspiration value in the region of the crop each day for a predetermined number of 24 hour periods consecutively prior to a stress determination day d by calculating the line of best fit for the daily crop water usage and recorded ETo for the predetermined number of consecutive 24 hour periods. Calculating the difference of each daily crop water usage from the line of best fit. Determining the statistical standard deviation of the differences of each daily crop water usage value from the line of best fit. Determine a predicted crop water usage for day d using the ETo for day d and the line-of-best fit. Determining whether the difference between the daily crop water usage for day d and the predicted crop water usage for day d, and if the difference is equal to or more than the value V, where the value V is an amount of deviation from the mean where V in an example is the standard deviation. Indicating that a period of water stress of the one or more plants has been entered as of day d to thereby control elements of a crop management arrangement to irrigate or not to irrigate automatically with no human intervention.

An agricultural photovoltaic structure (1) is described comprising at least one support structure (2), photovoltaic panels (3) and glass (4) supported by the support structure (2), irrigation means (7) for an underlying agricultural land (6), lighting means (5) of the underlying agricultural land (6), and control means. The support structure (2) comprises at least one frame (23) able to support, side by side, both the photovoltaic panels (3) and the glasses (4), implementing a cover over the agricultural land (6) partly suitable for diffusing light over the underlying agricultural land (6) by the glass (4), The irrigation means (7) include nozzles able to wet the lower part of the photovoltaic panels (3) thus cooling them, the water then falling by gravity onto the agricultural land (6). The control means are able to activate the irrigation means (7) and the lighting means (5) on the basis of sensors.

An agricultural photovoltaic structure (1) is described comprising at least one support structure (2), photovoltaic panels (3) and glass (4) supported by the support structure (2), irrigation means (7) for an underlying agricultural land (6), lighting means (5) of the underlying agricultural land (6), and control means. The support structure (2) comprises at least one frame (23) able to support, side by side, both the photovoltaic panels (3) and the glasses (4), implementing a cover over the agricultural land (6) partly suitable for diffusing light over the underlying agricultural land (6) by the glass (4), The irrigation means (7) include nozzles able to wet the lower part of the photovoltaic panels (3) thus cooling them, the water then falling by gravity onto the agricultural land (6). The control means are able to activate the irrigation means (7) and the lighting means (5) on the basis of sensors.

A diagnostic assistance system for assisting a person in performing diagnosis of an object includes target data storage means for storing target data indicating a state of the object, diagnostic task means for providing each of a first user and a second user with the target data to enable each of the first user and the second user to perform a diagnostic task of the object, diagnostic result means for receiving a result of diagnosis of the object by each of the first user and the second user, and sharing means for enabling the first user and the second user to share result of diagnosis by each of the first user and the second user. The diagnostic task includes a first sub-task of investigating the target data to output a first diagnostic result and a second sub-task of using the first diagnostic result to output a second diagnostic result.

An autonomous system for providing consistent images of leaves of plants is disclosed which includes a mobility unit configured to move from an originating position to a position about a plant in a field, one or more vacuum units coupled to the mobility unit configured to be positioned above one or more leaves of the plant, the one or more vacuum units each having one or more fans coupled to an air inlet having a grate, and configured to elevate the one or more leaves of the plant onto the grate, one or more imaging systems each having one or more cameras configured to obtain images from the one or more leaves of the plant, and a controller configured to control position of the mobility unit and activate the one or more imaging system to thereby obtain images from the one or more leaves of the plant.

An autonomous system for providing consistent images of leaves of plants is disclosed which includes a mobility unit configured to move from an originating position to a position about a plant in a field, one or more vacuum units coupled to the mobility unit configured to be positioned above one or more leaves of the plant, the one or more vacuum units each having one or more fans coupled to an air inlet having a grate, and configured to elevate the one or more leaves of the plant onto the grate, one or more imaging systems each having one or more cameras configured to obtain images from the one or more leaves of the plant, and a controller configured to control position of the mobility unit and activate the one or more imaging system to thereby obtain images from the one or more leaves of the plant.

The invention relates to a device, in particular for an animal space facility or a plant laboratory facility (for example according to WO 2011/124 209 with a changing station) or a warehouse which is suitable for performing a method for the organization of at least one object, with a rack or a cage arrangement with an operating side, with containers or cages which contain at least one object, with a device for recording the containers in the rack and with a computer unit for storing and processing of data, wherein the recording device is equipped and configured to record the location of one or more containers in the rack. Furthermore, the invention comprises a method for the process tracking of operations and/or services relating to at least one object, in particular in an animal space facility or a plant laboratory facility with a rack with containers arranged therein, which contain the object (or objects) and with a database holding data relating to the containers or their contents.

One variation of a method for automating transfer of plants within an agricultural facility includes: dispatching a loader to autonomously deliver a first moduledefining a first array of plant slots at a first density and loaded with a first set of plants at a first growth stagefrom a first grow location within an agricultural facility to a transfer station within the agricultural facility; dispatching the loader to autonomously deliver a second moduledefining a second array of plant slots at a second density less than the first density and empty of plantsto the transfer station; recording a module-level optical scan of the first module; extracting a viability parameter of the first set of plants from features detected in the module-level optical scan; and if the viability parameter falls outside of a target viability range, rejecting transfer of the first set of plants from the first module.