Technical Note: Datalogger control of environmental chambers for variable-temperature germination experiments

Abstract

Environmental conditions in the seedbed are much more variable than have historically been simulated in laboratory germination experiments. This paper describes a laboratory control system for real-time simulation of seedbed temperature regimes. The system is composed of a set of small refrigerators that have been enhanced with incandescent and fluorescent lights, fans and electrical-resistance heaters. The germination chambers are regulated by an electronic data acquisition/control system that allows each chamber to vary internal temperature on a continuous basis. Field temperatures can be transmitted to the laboratory and the germination chambers programmed in near-real-time for simultaneous laboratory germination/field emergence studies.