IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jagris/v11y2021i2p101-d487368.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Role of Engineering Thermodynamics in Explaining the Inverse Correlation between Surface Temperature and Supplied Nitrogen Rate in Corn Plants: A Greenhouse Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Heba Alzaben

    (Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • Roydon Fraser

    (Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada)

  • Clarence Swanton

    (Plant Agricultural Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada)

Abstract

Nitrogen stress plays a critical role in corn yield reduction. Thermal remote sensing has many applications: as an assessment tool for urban heat island, as an ecological indicator of ecosystem development, and as a water-stress-detection tool. In this study, it was hypothesized that corn crops supplied with optimum or high rates of nitrogen would have lower surface temperatures compared to corn grown under nitrogen-stressed conditions. Two experiments were conducted in the greenhouse at the University of Guelph, Canada, from the period between 2015 and 2016, involving three rates of nitrogen (high, medium, and low rates) supplied to corn plants after seed emergence. Leaf and whorl temperatures were collected by using a high-resolution thermal camera, an infrared handheld point measurements gun, and a type T thermocouple, respectively. An approximate difference of 2 °C was observed in temperatures between plants receiving high and low rates of nitrogen. These results supported the hypothesis that nitrogen-stressed plants have higher temperatures compared to less stressed plants, at a 0.05 significance level. This study investigated the application of the exergy destruction principle through thermal remote sensing, to detect crop stress at early growth stages under greenhouse conditions, to increase the production and reduce the harmful environmental impact.

Suggested Citation

  • Heba Alzaben & Roydon Fraser & Clarence Swanton, 2021. "The Role of Engineering Thermodynamics in Explaining the Inverse Correlation between Surface Temperature and Supplied Nitrogen Rate in Corn Plants: A Greenhouse Case Study," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-16, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:2:p:101-:d:487368
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/2/101/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/2/101/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wall, Goran, 1987. "Exergy conversion in the Swedish society," Resources and Energy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 55-73, June.
    2. Unkovich, Murray & Baldock, Jeff & Farquharson, Ryan, 2018. "Field measurements of bare soil evaporation and crop transpiration, and transpiration efficiency, for rainfed grain crops in Australia – A review," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 72-80.
    3. Maes, W.H. & Pashuysen, T. & Trabucco, A. & Veroustraete, F. & Muys, B., 2011. "Does energy dissipation increase with ecosystem succession? Testing the ecosystem exergy theory combining theoretical simulations and thermal remote sensing observations," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(23), pages 3917-3941.
    4. Jørgensen, S.E. & Nors Nielsen, Søren, 2007. "Application of exergy as thermodynamic indicator in ecology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 673-685.
    5. Abraham, Noble & Hema, P. S. & Saritha, E. K. & Subramannian, Shinoj, 2000. "Irrigation automation based on soil electrical conductivity and leaf temperature," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 145-157, July.
    6. Wall, Göran, 1990. "Exergy conversion in the Japanese society," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 435-444.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liao, Wenjie & Heijungs, Reinout & Huppes, Gjalt, 2012. "Thermodynamic analysis of human–environment systems: A review focused on industrial ecology," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 76-88.
    2. Alfonso Biondi & Enrico Sciubba, 2021. "Extended Exergy Analysis (EEA) of Italy, 2013–2017," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-21, May.
    3. Dai, Jing & Fath, Brian & Chen, Bin, 2012. "Constructing a network of the social-economic consumption system of China using extended exergy analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(7), pages 4796-4808.
    4. Chen, G.Q. & Qi, Z.H., 2007. "Systems account of societal exergy utilization: China 2003," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 208(2), pages 102-118.
    5. Ertesvåg, Ivar S & Mielnik, Michal, 2000. "Exergy analysis of the Norwegian society," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 25(10), pages 957-973.
    6. Serrenho, André Cabrera & Warr, Benjamin & Sousa, Tânia & Ayres, Robert U. & Domingos, Tiago, 2016. "Structure and dynamics of useful work along the agriculture-industry-services transition: Portugal from 1856 to 2009," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 1-21.
    7. Qi, Hai & Dong, Zhiliang & Dong, Shaohui & Sun, Xiaotian & Zhao, Yiran & Li, Yu, 2021. "Extended exergy accounting for smelting and pressing of metals industry in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Saidur, R. & Sattar, M.A. & Masjuki, H.H. & Abdessalam, H. & Shahruan, B.S., 2007. "Energy and exergy analysis at the utility and commercial sectors of Malaysia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 1956-1966, March.
    9. Sousa, Tânia & Brockway, Paul E. & Cullen, Jonathan M. & Henriques, Sofia Teives & Miller, Jack & Serrenho, André Cabrera & Domingos, Tiago, 2017. "The Need for Robust, Consistent Methods in Societal Exergy Accounting," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 11-21.
    10. Zhang, Bo & Chen, G.Q., 2010. "Physical sustainability assessment for the China society: Exergy-based systems account for resources use and environmental emissions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(6), pages 1527-1545, August.
    11. Jadhao, Sachin B. & Pandit, Aniruddha B. & Bakshi, Bhavik R., 2017. "The evolving metabolism of a developing economy: India’s exergy flows over four decades," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 851-857.
    12. Byers, Edward A. & Gasparatos, Alexandros & Serrenho, André C., 2015. "A framework for the exergy analysis of future transport pathways: Application for the United Kingdom transport system 2010–2050," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 849-862.
    13. Lucia, Umberto & Grisolia, Giulia, 2017. "Unavailability percentage as energy planning and economic choice parameter," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 197-204.
    14. Oladiran, M.T. & Meyer, J.P., 2007. "Energy and exergy analyses of energy consumptions in the industrial sector in South Africa," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(10), pages 1056-1067, October.
    15. Talens Peiró, L. & Villalba Méndez, G. & Sciubba, E. & Gabarrell i Durany, X., 2010. "Extended exergy accounting applied to biodiesel production," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 2861-2869.
    16. Liu, G.Y. & Yang, Z.F. & Chen, B. & Zhang, Y., 2011. "Ecological network determination of sectoral linkages, utility relations and structural characteristics on urban ecological economic system," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(15), pages 2825-2834.
    17. Warr, Benjamin & Schandl, Heinz & Ayres, Robert U., 2008. "Long term trends in resource exergy consumption and useful work supplies in the UK, 1900 to 2000," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1-2), pages 126-140, December.
    18. Utlu, Zafer & Hepbasli, Arif, 2007. "A review on analyzing and evaluating the energy utilization efficiency of countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 1-29, January.
    19. Chen, G.Q. & Ji, Xi, 2007. "Chemical exergy based evaluation of water quality," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 200(1), pages 259-268.
    20. Warr, Benjamin & Ayres, Robert & Eisenmenger, Nina & Krausmann, Fridolin & Schandl, Heinz, 2010. "Energy use and economic development: A comparative analysis of useful work supply in Austria, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US during 100Â years of economic growth," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 1904-1917, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jagris:v:11:y:2021:i:2:p:101-:d:487368. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.