The roughness coefficient of the concrete irrigation canal is one of the important evaluation criteria to ensure the hydraulic performance or malfunction between water and wall surface. In this study, the roughness coefficient of the concrete irrigation canal was measured using the aerial ultrasonic wave of the transceiver type sensor. The effect of the dispersion of measurement values in relation to the arithmetical mean roughness and the peak to peak value of the reflected wave were demonstrated. The influence of wet and dry conditions of concrete surface and the verification of the measurement range were taken into account. Results obtained showed that the peak to peak value of the reflected wave could measure the arithmetical mean roughness of concrete. It was observed that the average of 15 measured values was sufficient for accuracy. The peak to peak value of the reflected wave was affected slightly under wet condition. The range of the measured diameter of aerial ultrasonic wave sensor was approximately 300 mm and 600 mm from the distance of 550 mm and 1000 mm respectively. It is concluded that the development of the measurement method of arithmetical mean roughness of concrete surface by the transceiver type aerial ultrasonic sensor can be achieved.

This study proposes a measurement system that comprises an e-Tape water level sensor, Arduino and XBee. The system was considered a success because of the linear relation between measured voltage signals and water depths obtained by it. This linearity was essential because Arduino does not have non-linear calculation ability. As a result, the numerical order of RMSE in measuring water depth using this system was obtained as 3.52 mm. For measuring water consumption for 1 day at the standard scale of paddy fields in Japan, water consumption can be estimated using the system below non-flowing water surfaces. However, when there is water flow, it will be difficult to estimate water consumption because discharge errors may be cumulative.

小規模な土地改良区の用水管理を省力化するために，情報技術（IT）を利用したIT機器類を土地改良施設に設置し，インターネット回線と携帯電話回線を利用した遠隔操作機能と遠方監視機能を付与した。まず，汎用性の高いIT機器類と防犯カメラを利用して，インターネット回線による除塵機と転倒ゲートの遠隔制御と遠方監視を行った。組合員は遠隔操作用のブラウザと遠方監視用のブラウザをパソコンの画面のなかで適切に配置するために，ブラウザの切替や大きさの調整が必要となり，画面上でのパソコン操作に不便さを感じた。しばらく運用すると，ブラウザの更新により，プラグインソフトが適合しなくなったので，遠方監視が不能となった。次に携帯電話回線による携帯電話から発信したプッシュ・トーン信号を利用して揚水機の遠隔制御を行ったが，経年使用によって携帯電話からの制御が不能となる事例が見られた。これらの不具合を改善するために，専用アプリケーションを開発した。専用アプリケーションの主な機能は，土地改良施設の制御基板に接続したIT機器類の状況や制御用スイッチなどの遠隔操作に必要な情報と，ネットワークカメラによる現場のリアルタイム画像をインターネット回線により取得し，これらの情報を利用しながら，複数の土地改良施設の現状確認，遠方監視，遠隔操作，間欠運転の設定，操作した氏名と操作内容の記録である。IT機器類と専用アプリケーションの組合せで構成されるシステムはスマートフォン，タブレット，パソコンのいずれからも同種のブラウザを使用することで，どのデバイスからも統一感のある操作が可能となった。また，同システムを2年間使用したが，遠隔操作および遠方監視に不具合はなかった。

We aimed to develop a method to evaluate lettuce freshness changes during storage using only the surface color. In the first experiment, the surface color of one lettuce were measured continuously for 6 days. At the same time, moisture contents, elemental composition and organic matter of lettuce leaves were measured by oven drying method, X-ray fluorescent analysis and Mid-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Considering a combination of the surface color and moisture and elemental contents, it was found that there were several color change points before and after the time when the moisture contents and elemental balances in the lettuce changed. These results represented that the surface color could relate to the internal quality. Additionally, it is suggested that freshness of lettuce could be quantified and predicted using surface color information. Furthermore, the data set and the method for freshness evaluation leading to machine learning were studied in the second experiment for the freshness judgement. In this experiment, 15 multispectral sensing data including lettuce color information were acquired, and the quality change point was determined using machine learning such as K-means and decision tree.

Demands for real-time field monitoring systems are increasing in order to pass good agricultural cultivation practices down to future generations. In this study, a low cost and robust field image monitoring system was developed for acquiring real-time conditions from remote sites. The system consists of inexpensive commercial USB devices and an embedded Linux based broadband router equipped with some USB ports. A 3G USB modem dongle and data communication were used to access the Internet. The total cost of the system was almost 300 US dollars. Field experiments showed that this system met most of the requirements for field image monitoring in agriculture. In our research, the field image monitoring system was built using a WL-500gP vl with a USB port as a CPU board, using embedded Linux and various USB devices. As a result of field experiments in which this system was installed outdoors, it was possible to demonstrate that it can withstand even high temperature conditions, in which the interior of the system enclosure reaches 50 C, as was the case during the 6 month installation period which included the summer. In addition, this system can connect to the network using cellular phone communication even in an area as a field where a wired network connection cannot be used. That is a gateway of the network in the field.

Japan has many concrete irrigation channels with total length of about 400,000 km. Most of these channels are now too old for continued use. It would be too costly to reconstruct these channels. The concrete surfaces of the channels have been abraded by the flow of water and sand. The roughness of the concrete surface causes a decline in the water flow function. Over the years, considerable attention has been paid to the measurement of the arithmetic mean roughness. However, a method that can measure roughness underwater has not yet been developed. The purpose is to develop a sensor able to measure roughness underwater. We propose a method using underwater ultrasonic waves. We used 200 kHz frequency sensor. We measured the reflected waves and analyzed the peak to peak. We examined four experiments. The propagation loss became larger as the distance was reduced. The theoretical value and the measured value showed good agreement. The dispersion of measured values stabilized within 0.5% using a 10-point moving average. The measurement range was considered and found to be 300 mm. Its application to measure roughness was considered by testing the relationship between the measured value and the arithmetic mean roughness as measured by another method. The measured value decreased as the arithmetic mean roughness increased. The determination coefficient R 2 at a distance of 500 mm was 0.91. The R 2 at a distance of 1000 mm was 0.79. The results of these experiments show that the underwater ultrasonic wave sensor is an effective tool for underwater.

In Japan, the total length of the main concrete agriculture irrigation canals is estimated to beabout 50,000 km. These canals deteriorate over time and most of the canal surface has become rough. Onemethod of measurement of the roughness of the concrete surface is by the aerial ultrasonic sensor. As far asthe literature is concerned, no study of the use of 42-kHz sensors for the evaluation of ultrasonic attenuationduring air propagation has been conducted. The aim of this study is to evaluate and correct the attenuated valuesof an ultrasonic wave. In this paper, the reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave was measured under differentconditions of temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure with a smooth board and a rough board. Thesewere corrected by using the ISO9613-1 equation. It is concluded that the relative error of the corrected valueis small when compared with the measured value. The results of this study reveal that correction using theISO9613-1 equation for attenuation of the 42-kHz ultrasonic wave is an effective method.

To produce high-quality wine in vineyards, it’s necessary to understand the characteristics of the cultivation environment. This knowledge is obtained through long-term monitoring. To provide this knowledge, we developed a new wireless sensor network (WSN) that could be used to monitor the vineyard growing environment. To support the use of this data, we developed a Web-based application to help growers take advantage of the information obtained on cultivation conditions. In the WSN, we adopted the 920 MHz band that is used in the Wi-SUN standard (to replace the older 2.4 GHz band) to obtain data from a weather station and soil moisture sensors. In the WSN data-acquisition method, data was standardized using a predetermined name for each sensor and standardized measurement units. The accuracy of the acquired weather station data was verified by comparison with data from a nearby Japan Meteorological Agency weather station. The Web application let growers improve cultivation management using data on the growing environment, such as the cumulative growing degree-days (GDD), growing season temperature (GST), cool-night index (CI), heliothermal index (HI), biologically effective degree-days (BEDD), and dryness index (DI).

We have tried to develop the guidance system for farmers to cultivate using various phenological indices. As the sensing part of this system, we deployed a new Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). This system uses the 920 MHz radio wave based on the Wireless Smart Utility Network that enables long-range wireless communication. In addition, the data acquired by the WSN were standardized for the advanced web service interoperability. By using these standardized data, we can create a web service that offers various kinds of phenological indices as secondary information to the farmers in the field. We have also established the field management system using thermal image, fluorescent and X-ray fluorescent methods, which enable the nondestructive, chemical-free, simple, and rapid measurement of fruits or trees. We can get the information about the transpiration of plants through a thermal image. The fluorescence sensor gives us information, such as nitrate balance index (NBI), that shows the nitrate balance inside the leaf, chlorophyll content, flavonol content and anthocyanin content. These methods allow one to quickly check the health of trees and find ways to improve the tree vigor of weak ones. Furthermore, the fluorescent x-ray sensor has the possibility to quantify the loss of minerals necessary for fruit growth.

The aim of this study is to contribute in irrigation scheduling by proposing adaptable models that are widely used for the estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) in Herat, Afghanistan. Six well-known models, The Penman-Monteith (ET0PM), Hargreaves (ET0Hrg), Hamon (ET0Ham), Thornthwaite (ET0Trw), solar radiation based (ET0Rs) and Net radiation based (ET0Rn) were compared, and the pan evapotranspiration (k(p)) model was used as indicator. The pan coefficient (k(p)) proposed by Pereira was used to convert pan evaporation (E-pan) to ETpan Results obtained showed that, the ET0 values estimated by all the methods were shown to be close to those of ETpan in the second period (spring, fall and winter). However, large differences emerged in the first period (the windy summer), with the exception of ET0PM. This method displayed a small difference only in June and July. Pearson's correlation (R) showed that the estimates produced by all the simpler methods were significant correlated with those of ETpan in the second period, but weakly correlated in the first period. The ET0PM method produced the lowest value of 1.3 mm day(-1), based on the standard error estimation (SEE). The seasonally-based average difference between ETpan and ET0PM was smaller than that of the other methods in the first period, at 1.9 mm day(-1). The ET0PM estimation rate was therefore closest to ETpan. It is concluded that the methods that used wind factor are more adaptable than those not used wind factor especially in Herat, Afghanistan. The wind might be the reason of the differences between ETpan and ET0PM in the windy summer.

The present purpose is to develop a method for the continuous remote monitoring of thesurface color changes of agricultural products with the atmosphere condition data during cultivation. Thetomatoes (Momotarou) cultivated in a greenhouse located in the Farm Station of Mie University, Tsu, Japanwere prepared for the experiments. Single-lens reflex and web digital cameras were used for the imageacquisitions. The tomato images through the post-post-ripening process were taken by the digital cameraboth in the standard image acquisition system and in the field conditions from the morning to the evening.Some kinds of images were acquired with the standard RGB color chart setting up just behind the tomatofruit on a black matte. By applying the color calibration to the image acquired in the field conditions, theinfluence of the light environments could be experimentally eliminated, and the calibrated color informationconsistently agreed with the standard ones acquired in the system through post-post-ripening process.Furthermore, the surface color change of the tomato on the tree in a green house was remotely monitoredduring maturation using the digital cameras equipped with the Field Server. The digital color imagesacquired in the green house were sent from the Farm Station and BIFE Laboratory of Mie University viaVPN. The time behavior of the calibrated color information represented the standard color change of thetomato in the maturing process.

三重南紀地域では,担い手の減少や高齢化に伴う熟練者の技術継承,さらには毎年夏場の降雨パターンや温度変化によりミカン栽培自体が厳しい栽培環境においても要求される品質のミカン栽培を可能にする樹体・灌水管理方法等の問題を解決するために,「マルドリ方式」が導入され,つづいて平成20年度には,農業用小型計測ロボット「フィールドサーバ」が導入された.本研究では,フィールドサーバと屋外用センサーネットワークeKoを効果的に活用し,植物の生理を考慮し,農業従事者の立場で考える圃場環境計測を実現するための実証実験を行った.具体的には,センサーノードの最適配置,センサーの最適設置,ゲートウェイの改良を伴う長期・安定運用のためのセンサーネットワーク構築,および農業従事者が使いやすいフィールドサーバソフトウェアとeKoデータ閲覧ソフトウェアの開発を行った.eKoシステムのハードウェアとソフトウェアを改善したことにより,1haをカバーする面情報が安定通信のもと長期間取得可能となった.また,データベースの構築とソフトウェアの開発により,計測データと近隣のアメダス計測地点とのデータ比較が可能となった.この比較の結果,高品質ミカン生産のためには,産地の代表地点での環境計測,とりわけ降水量の計測と土壌水分計測の重要性が示された.

Field monitoring is thought to be one of the most essential term to inherit the experienced farmer's skill to future generations. As sudden power supply failure or network communication shutdown might occur in agricultural farmland, robustness and redundancy were required in these kinds of system. In this study, some low-cost field monitoring systems were developed for acquiring real-time field condition from remote site. Linux was chosen as an OS of the system, because it reduced the cost of the system and made it more flexible. Computer board and I/O devices were properly arranged according to the purposes. These systems were installed in the field, and long term experiments were carried out. Continuous and stable data acquisition was possible due to the solid stated system.

The olive culture in Shodoshima has the 100 years history, yet faces to the crisis when looking at the century ahead. In modern society, it is assumed that there has been a strong link between food culture and two kinds of aspects which consist quality necessary for cultural succession. One is the promotion of target products and the consideration of consumer behavior and quality requirements from consumers. The other is the creation of cultivation recipe which clarifies the method and component necessary for the production of products fulfilling the required quality by consumers. Therefore, we attempted to construct the strategic website for consumer driven food culture extension and to make cultivation recipe by the installation of Field Server in agricultural field and its data utilization. This paper shows the case that adopted the ICT in both consumer-led promotion and agricultural production for passing food culture down the generations.

The demand of captured images at agricultural farm is getting more important for recognizing field condition from remote site. However, as high durability is required for field observation instruments, they usually would be costly. In this study, the potential of low-cost USB webcams f or field monitoring was investigated. USB webcam was control led by a tiny Linux box in which moving components were removed to improve endurance under high temperature and humidi ty condition. The developed system was put in the chas si to prevent the occurrence of dew condensation and the invasion of insects and dust. The quality of the images capt ured by the system was high enough to evaluate the field condit ion. It was also supposed to be applied to diagnose the crop gr owth by non-contact image analysis. Keywords-webcam, image capture, field monitoring, Linux

BIX is an XML standard for the data exchange between sensed data of the information arising on the spot and database. The nutrimental components in plants are important information for the diagnosis and the cultivation control of the agricultural products. Application of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopic and the X-ray fluorescent (XRF) spectroscopy to the simple, non-destructive, simultaneous, and rapid monitoring of the nutrient information of fresh plants is desirable as the high potential implements. The both spectroscopic methods provide substantial potential as the quantitative tools in the fields for the chemical components relating to the plant vigor. Since it is necessary to take an accurate grasp of the quality change in time and to make a suitable cultivation management for the change, we also carried on research of ldquothe development of BIX Image Broker System (BIX-IBS)rdquo and ldquothe remote monitoring of color of agricultural products for evaluating the qualityrdquo. BIX has to determine a standard not only for data acquisition and exchange but also for data storage, concentration and handling.