The cultivation assistance information generated and provided by past systems has been insufficient as information for assisting even beginner gardeners to expertly cultivate plants. In this information processing device for assisting the cultivation of plants, a cultivation information acquisition unit 510 acquires information indicating the conditions for each plant being cultivated by each of a plurality of users. A growth model generation/update unit 612 generates the optimum growth model for each environment the plants are placed in on the basis of the acquired information. A comparison information generation unit 511 generates comparison information for comparing the acquired information and the growth model. A learning unit 511 compares the comparison information and the growth model and updates the growth model. A cultivation assistance unit 512 compares the comparison information and the growth model and generates information for assisting the cultivation of the plants.

The cultivation assistance information generated and provided by past systems has been insufficient as information for assisting even beginner gardeners to expertly cultivate plants. In this information processing device for assisting the cultivation of plants, a cultivation information acquisition unit 510 acquires information indicating the conditions for each plant being cultivated by each of a plurality of users. A growth model generation/update unit 612 generates the optimum growth model for each environment the plants are placed in on the basis of the acquired information. A comparison information generation unit 511 generates comparison information for comparing the acquired information and the growth model. A learning unit 511 compares the comparison information and the growth model and updates the growth model. A cultivation assistance unit 512 compares the comparison information and the growth model and generates information for assisting the cultivation of the plants.

Described is a hydroponic system wherein a feed formulation comprising a plant's nutritionally required mineral nutrients is applied to the foliage of the plant and the roots of the plant are in contact with an incomplete water solution that may comprise only hydrogen and oxygen. The feed formulation, methods of feeding a plant or plant seed, and plants produced thereby are also described.

Described is a hydroponic system wherein a feed formulation comprising a plant's nutritionally required mineral nutrients is applied to the foliage of the plant and the roots of the plant are in contact with an incomplete water solution that may comprise only hydrogen and oxygen. The feed formulation, methods of feeding a plant or plant seed, and plants produced thereby are also described.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for evaluation of the effect of a treatment on one or more characteristics of a plant. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for high throughput analysis of the effect of a treatment on one or more characteristics of a plant.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for evaluation of the effect of a treatment on one or more characteristics of a plant. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for high throughput analysis of the effect of a treatment on one or more characteristics of a plant.

A dense array of sensors positioned in a virtual environment is reduced to a sparse array of sensors in a physical environment, which provides sufficient information to a controller that responds to environmental conditions and parameters in the physical environment in substantially the same manner as it would to the same environmental conditions and parameters in the equivalent virtual environment. Data from a sparse array of virtual sensors is correlated with data from a dense array of virtual sensors and is used for generating control signals for hardware devices that influence a real or virtual interior environment. The correlated data and the control signals are used to train an artificial intelligence based controller that then controls the values of the parameters of the interior environment. A model of the interior environment is created using basic parameters in a computer-aided design application.

A lighting system with selectable emission characteristics may include a housing, a controller, a first plurality of light sources operatively coupled to the controller and carried by the housing, and a second plurality of light sources operatively coupled to and controlled by the controller and carried by the housing. The first and second pluralities of light sources may be operable to emit first and second combined lights, respectively, and to emit a first light having a wavelength within the range of 650 nanometers to 700 nanometers, a second light having a wavelength within the range of 500 nanometers to 570 nanometers, and a third light having a wavelength within the range of 430 nanometers to 470 nanometer. The second light may be characterized by a human photopic response of greater than 0.0 and less than 0.4 throughout the range from 500 nanometers to 570 nanometers.

The invention relates to a device for treating soil with electromagnetic radiation, comprising: a magnetron antenna (9) for generating microwave radiation with a relatively high frequency; a wave guide (16) connected to the output of the magnetron antenna (9); downward directed tubular members (18, 19) connected to the wave guide (16); a manifold (17) arranged between the two tubular members (18, 19) and the wave guide (16); a tuner unit (26) arranged on the wave guide (16); and cooling means (22, 22, 22) for cooling the electromagnetic radiation reflected by the soil. The invention also relates to a cable (24) provided with a single high-voltage cable and one or more low-voltage cables and/or a number of optical cables which are arranged in a shared cable. The invention finally relates to a method for disinfecting soil, wherein a magnetron (9) placed on a vehicle is moved over the soil, wherein the radiation reflected by the soil is minimized by tuning the wave guide (16) connected to the magnetron (9), and wherein the minimized reflected radiation is absorbed by a water load which is connected to one or two water tanks (22, 22) which are placed on the vehicle and which hold the temperature of the water within predetermined limits.

The invention relates to a device for treating soil with electromagnetic radiation, comprising: a magnetron antenna (9) for generating microwave radiation with a relatively high frequency; a wave guide (16) connected to the output of the magnetron antenna (9); downward directed tubular members (18, 19) connected to the wave guide (16); a manifold (17) arranged between the two tubular members (18, 19) and the wave guide (16); a tuner unit (26) arranged on the wave guide (16); and cooling means (22, 22, 22) for cooling the electromagnetic radiation reflected by the soil. The invention also relates to a cable (24) provided with a single high-voltage cable and one or more low-voltage cables and/or a number of optical cables which are arranged in a shared cable. The invention finally relates to a method for disinfecting soil, wherein a magnetron (9) placed on a vehicle is moved over the soil, wherein the radiation reflected by the soil is minimized by tuning the wave guide (16) connected to the magnetron (9), and wherein the minimized reflected radiation is absorbed by a water load which is connected to one or two water tanks (22, 22) which are placed on the vehicle and which hold the temperature of the water within predetermined limits.