Date of Award

Spring 5-2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Program

Computer Science

Department

Computer Science

Major Professor

Summa, Christopher

Second Advisor

Ware, Stephen

Third Advisor

Zibran, Minhaz

Abstract

To get the best prices, sweet cherry growers must supply blemish-free fruit. Unfortunately, mature cherries have a fragile composition, rendering them susceptible to damage from heat, wind, birds, and rain. Rain is particularly devastating, because cherries split when they absorb too much water. Since rainstorms are common in the otherwise arid regions where most cherries are grown, growers must have a system for quickly deploying rain removal methods. The current industry solution relies on human observation and implementation, which is error-prone and costly. This project proposes an automated cherry wetness system using a Decagon Devices leaf wetness sensor (LWS) and a wireless sensor network (WSN). The research consists of analyzing industry and literature for uses of WSNs and LWSs in orchards and testing a LWS in a prototype WSN. The system will be evaluated for its potential to provide a precision-agriculture solution to the problem of remote cherry wetness detection.

Rights

The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.

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