Application of Automatic Weather Stations in Greenhouse Cultivation Management

The “Digital Steward” of Smart Greenhouses: In-Depth Application of Automatic Weather Stations in Greenhouse Planting Management

As modern agricultural technology advances rapidly, greenhouses have become the core cornerstone for ensuring winter vegetable supply in northern regions and off-season vegetable supply nationwide. To keep tender cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers fruiting abundantly even in harsh cold seasons, large-scale greenhouses are undergoing a profound transformation from “experience-based planting” to “data-driven” management.

Traditional planting models are severely constrained by natural climate, and farmers often fail to timely detect subtle changes in the greenhouse micro-environment, missing the optimal timing for ventilation, heating, or irrigation, ultimately leading to reduced yields or even losses. As a leading global provider of smart agriculture monitoring solutions, the compact automatic weather station launched by NiuBoL is becoming the “digital steward” for large greenhouses, providing scientific planting decision-making basis through 24-hour real-time monitoring.

1. Greenhouses: Artificial Ecosystems Breaking Space-Time Constraints

Greenhouses are essentially semi-enclosed artificial ecosystems constructed with transparent covering materials (such as plastic film or glass). Their core principle is to capture and retain solar radiation energy through the “greenhouse effect,” creating a growth environment with temperatures higher than outdoors.

However, in this enclosed space, sudden temperature rises, excessive humidity accumulation, and carbon dioxide depletion can all become “shackles” limiting growth. NiuBoL automatic weather stations, through integrated cutting-edge sensing technology, convert previously invisible physical quantities into visualizable data, helping growers understand the quantitative relationships inside and outside the greenhouse under different seasons and weather conditions.

2. Core Sensing Layer: Analysis of Greenhouse Meteorological Sensor Functions and Roles

The effectiveness of an automatic weather station depends on its array of sensors. In greenhouse environment management, monitoring the following six core elements is crucial:

2.1.Air Temperature and Humidity Sensor
Role and Function: This is the “primary benchmark” for greenhouse management. Temperature determines crop growth rate, while humidity directly relates to pest and disease occurrence probability.
Monitoring Value: Through monitoring, growers can precisely know when to open side windows for ventilation and dehumidification or when to activate heating equipment. NiuBoL sensors have high sensitivity, capturing 0.1℃ subtle changes, effectively preventing flower and fruit drop due to excessive temperature differences.

2.2.Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) Sensor
Role and Function: Not all light can be utilized by plants. PAR specifically measures energy in the 400-700nm band used for photosynthesis.
Monitoring Value: In low-light winter conditions, PAR data is the sole standard for deciding whether to turn on artificial supplementary lighting, ensuring crops remain in the optimal photosynthetic efficiency range.

2.3.Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Concentration Sensor
Role and Function: Carbon dioxide is the “food” for plant photosynthesis. In enclosed greenhouses, CO₂ concentration often becomes severely insufficient in the afternoon due to photosynthetic consumption.
Monitoring Value: Real-time CO₂ monitoring scientifically guides growers on when to apply artificial CO₂ fertilization, the “secret” to increasing off-season vegetable yields.

2.4.Soil Temperature Sensor
Role and Function: Root activity is greatly affected by ground temperature.
Monitoring Value: For warm-loving vegetables (such as peppers and eggplants), low ground temperature can cause root water absorption obstacles. Ground temperature data from automatic weather stations is the core indicator for evaluating ground film coverage effectiveness and ground heating system operation.

2.5.Soil Moisture Sensor
Role and Function: Monitors soil water content, reflecting the true water shortage status in the root zone.
Monitoring Value: Avoids the drawbacks of manual “gut-feel” watering, achieving on-demand irrigation, saving water resources while preventing root rot due to hypoxia.

2.6.Solar Radiation Sensor
Role and Function: Measures total solar radiation energy per unit area across all bands.
Monitoring Value: Combined with indoor/outdoor data, it calculates greenhouse insulation ratio and shading coefficient, assisting managers in optimizing greenhouse structure or adjusting shading curtain opening ratios.

3. From Collection to Warning: NiuBoL System Workflow

NiuBoL automatic weather stations are not isolated monitoring points but complete closed-loop service systems:

Sensor Monitoring: Sensors distributed throughout the greenhouse for wind speed, direction, temperature, humidity, etc., sense physical changes in real time.
Data Collection: All element information is synchronously collected and pre-processed by NiuBoL high-precision collectors.
Wireless Transmission: Data is instantly transmitted to cloud servers or backend computers via 4G, WIFI, or LoRaWAN modules.
Intelligent Analysis and Warning: Backend staff or intelligent algorithms analyze data; once values exceed preset risk thresholds (e.g., low-temperature freeze warning, high-humidity disease warning), the system immediately issues alerts.
Planting Tips Service: Combined with professional forecasts from local meteorological bureaus, growers receive practical and authoritative “vegetable planting tips” including cold protection, warming, and supplementary lighting.

4. Benefits of Automatic Weather Stations in Greenhouse Management

4.1.Understand Internal-External Correlations for Precise Control
Using NiuBoL monitoring systems and correlation analysis, growers can establish temperature relationship models inside and outside the greenhouse. For example, when outdoor temperature drops to -10℃, how long until indoor temperature reaches growth limits without heating? Such quantitative analysis allows preventive measures to precede disasters.

4.2.Reduce Energy Costs and Improve Economic Returns
Precise monitoring of light and humidity significantly reduces unnecessary supplementary lighting duration and fertilizer/pesticide use. Data shows that greenhouses managed with automatic weather stations can reduce overall energy consumption by about 15%-20%, while crop output value increases by over 10%.

4.3.Build All-Weather “Authoritative Data Warehouse”
Data recorded by automatic weather stations not only guides current production but also serves as long-term scientific research basis, providing authoritative indoor environment historical records for future introduction of superior varieties or improved planting plans.

5. FAQ About Greenhouse Weather Stations

Conclusion: Data Empowerment, Letting the Land “Speak”

The application of automatic weather stations in greenhouse planting is an important symbol of modern agriculture shifting from “depending on weather” to “controlling weather with technology.” Through NiuBoL's full-element sensing system integrating light, CO₂, soil moisture, etc., growers can for the first time examine crop growth environments from a digital perspective.

In future agricultural competition, mastering environmental data means mastering initiative in yield and quality. NiuBoL is willing to work with growers to use weather stations, gain insights into plant growth, and jointly usher in the high-yield era of smart greenhouses.

If you are planning automation upgrades for large greenhouses or need a detailed sensor configuration list, please contact NiuBoL for professional one-stop solutions.

Technical Specifications and Communication Reference:
Collection Elements: Air temperature and humidity, ground temperature, soil moisture, CO₂ concentration, PAR, total radiation
Communication Protocol: Modbus RTU
Interface: RS485
Wireless Link: 4G / LoRaWAN / 5G/GPRS
Power Supply: DC 12-24V or AC 220V compatible
Average Power Consumption: Less than 1W (low-power collection mode)