A decision-support system for real-time management of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thunb) scheduling and height .1. System description

A decision-support system was developed for recommending night and day temperature settings to control the timing and height of Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum Thumb.). Existing biological models and qualitative rules were combined into an overall model of the response of plant development rate to temperature. A process control algorithm was used to determine appropriate height control actions based on a graphical control chart of plant height over time. A knowledge-based system checked the feasibility of output from the development and height control models and generated a text report. This model was implemented on a personal computer in a program called ''The Greenhouse CARE System'' and has been linked directly with an environmental computer to control greenhouse temperatures. A companion article describes validation of this model. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.