Greenhouse Monitor with Full Spectrum Quantum Sensor

Apogee Instruments

Greenhouse Monitor with Full Spectrum Quantum Sensor

  • Vendor:Apogee

Availability: Available Item
$1,543.00
Qty Price
Buy 1 $1,583.00 ea
Buy 10 $1,503.85 ea

The Apogee Guardian controlled environment agriculture (CEA) monitor is an elegant device that provides accurate measurements of important indoor environmental parameters.

The Guardian is a user-friendly datalogger with multiple integrated sensors to measure PAR (SM-500) or ePAR (SM-600), air temperature, humidity, vapor pressure deficit and dewpoint, CO2 concentration, barometric pressure, daily light integral, and photoperiod.

Two Models

  • SM-500: Full-spectrum is accurate for measuring 389-692 nm under all light sources including LEDs.
  • SM-600: ePAR is accurate for measuring the newly discovered extended PAR (ePAR) 383-757 nm range under all light sources.

Accurate, Stable Measurements
Sensors are cosine-corrected to maintain accuracy when radiation comes from low angles (± 5 % at 75° zenith angle). Long-term non-stability determined from multiple sensors in accelerated aging test and field conditions is less than 2 % per year.

Data Collection and Display
Graphical summaries of environmental measurements can be downloaded to dataloggers via Modbus or smartphones via Bluetooth with the ApogeeConnect app (iOS/Android). While the Guardian can take measurements as a stand-alone device mounted to a mast or hung by thin wires, it can also integrate into systems for greenhouses, grow rooms, and vertical farms via Modbus or Bluetooth. Bluetooth and Modbus connectivity can be simultaneous, allowing for in-person spot checks and supplementary logging even while connected to a larger controller system.

Rugged Design
The Guardian is constructed from high-quality ASA plastic with low thermal conductivity and a gloss white finish in selective areas to lower emissivity with an IP rating of IP53. The Guardian is filled with foam to provide additional thermal insulation. Additionally, a quantum sensor is mounted on the top of the shield to measure PAR (SM-500) or ePAR (SM-600). The internal airway utilizes a small venturi constriction to maximize airflow efficiency over the thermistor, which minimizes the thermal boundary layer’s influence on temperature measurements. Simultaneously, a separate module used to measure CO2, humidity, and pressure is aspirated by a passive, low velocity airstream using a “fluid entrainment” principle.

Mounting
There are two primary ways the Guardian can be deployed: hanging from thin wires or being mounted to a mast. Each package comes complete with wires for suspending the Guardian. Apogee also sells a mounting bracket for attaching the Guardian to poles or masts called the AM-270 (coming soon).

Typical Applications
Accurate environmental measurements in controlled environments, such as greenhouses and growth chambers, help aid in decision making and environment management. Monitoring PAR or ePAR intensities, daily light integral and photoperiod, CO2 concentration, barometric pressure, and other parameters is critical for plant health, growth rate, photosynthesis levels, plant morphology, and crop steering. Required levels vary greatly by species and should be measured and controlled for optimum specimen health.

Calibration
To ensure accuracy, each embedded quantum sensor located in a Guardian is carefully calibrated in controlled conditions and traceable to NIST reference standards.

Spectral Response
The Guardian comes in two different spectral ranges: 389 to 692 nm PAR (SM-500) and 383 to 757 nm ePAR (SM-600). The spectral responses of SM-500 (blue) and SM-600 (green) can be seen in the graph below.