WLS - Leaf wetness sensor
Main applications
- Agro-meteorology
- Greenhouses
- Crop disease monitoring
More information
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Description
MAIN FEATURES
WLS is a sensor that measures the wetting of leaves by faithfully reproducing their thermodynamic properties. The wetting percentage of the leaves is a fundamental piece of information in the agro-meteorological field as it allows to determine the presence of condensation on the leaves and consequently to establish the most appropriate phyto-sanitary treatment to prevent any diseases of the plants.
WLS has two detection surfaces that allow simulating the wetting conditions both above and below the leaf, as the two sides of the leaf have different drying times. The sensor surface is treated to resist the atmospheric agents and chemicals present in the pesticides, in order to guarantee a long life of the sensor itself. The electronics are protected inside the watertight sensor body made of plastic material suitable for operating even in environments with high condensation. WLS is available with analogue voltage output with connection cable integrated with the sensor body (standard length 5m).
WORKING PRINCIPLE
There are two grid-shaped electrodes on the sensitive surface of the sensor. The sensor detects the variation in the dielectric constant between the two electrodes caused by the presence of drops of water on the surface. Thanks to the operating principle used, WLS is able to detect even the presence of very small drops of water, unlike common sensors based on resistance or conductivity measurement, which require that the drop of water between the two electrodes has a minimum size to be detected. The construction materials and the white colour of the sensitive surface have been chosen to simulate as closely as possible the thermal and radiant properties of a real leaf. The analogue voltage output 0.5 ... 3 V corresponds to the wetting degree 0 ... 100%. The degree (percentage) of wetting indicates how much sensitive surface is covered by water compared to the total surface of the sensitive area.
MAIN APPLICATIONS
- Agro-meteorology
- Greenhouses
- Plant disease monitoring
ADVANTAGES
- Low cost
- Good precision
- Resistant to chemical and atmospheric agents
- Excellent quality / price ratio