Improving greenhouse environmental control using crop-model-driven multi-objective optimization

ABSTRACT

Optimal control of greenhouse environments can be improved by using a combined microclimate-crop-yield model to allow selection of greenhouse designs and control algorithms to maximize the profit margin. However, classical methods for optimal greenhouse control are not adequate to establish the tradeoffs between multiple objectives. We use NSGA-II to evolve the setpoints for microclimate control in a greenhouse simulation and define two objectives: minimizing variable costs and maximizing the value of the tomato crop yield. Results show that the evolved setpoints can provide the grower a variety of better solutions, resulting in greater profitability compared to prior simulated results. The Pareto front also provides additional information to the grower, showing the economic tradeoffs between variable costs and tomato crop yield, which can aid in decision making.

References

1. Deb, K., Pratap, A., Agarwal, S. and Meyarivan, T. A Fast and Elitist Multiobjective Genetic Algorithm: NSGA-II. IEEE transactions on evolutionary computation, 6, 2 (2002), 182--197.
2. Vanthoor, B. H. A Model-Based Greenhouse Design Method. PhD. Dissertation. Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 2011.
3. Xu, L., Hu, H. and Zhu, B. Energy-saving control of greenhouse climate based on MOCC strategy. In Proceedings of the first ACM/SIGEVO Summit on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation (GEC 09) ACM, New York, NY, USA, 645--650.
4. Zhu, C., Unachak, P., Llera, J., Knoester, D., Runkle, E., Xu, L. and Goodman, E. Robust multi-objective evolutionary optimization to allow greenhouse production/energy use tradeoffs. Acta horticulturae (2014). International Society for Horticultural Science, 1037, (2014), 525--532. Leuven, Belgium, 2014.

Index Terms

• Applied computing

  • Operations research

    • Decision analysis

      • Multi-criterion optimization and decision-making

  • Physical sciences and engineering

    • Earth and atmospheric sciences

      • Environmental sciences