Pomegranate

Description

An attractive shrub or small tree, to 20 or 30 ft (6 or 10 m) high, the pomegranate is much-branched, more or less spiny, and extremely long-lived, some specimens at Versailles known to have survived two centuries. It has a strong tendency to sucker from the base. The leaves are evergreen or deciduous, opposite or in whorls of 5 or 6, short-stemmed, oblong-lanceolate, 3/8 to 4 in (1-10 cm) long, leathery. Showy flowers are home on the branch tips singly or as many as 5 in a cluster. They are 1 1/4 in (3 cm) wide and characterized by the thick, tubular, red calyx having 5 to 8 fleshy, pointed sepals forming a vase from which emerge the 3 to 7 crinkled, red, white or variegated petals enclosing the numerous stamens. Nearly round, but crowned at the base by the prominent calyx, the fruit, 2 1/2 to 5 in (6.25-12.5 cm) wide, has a tough, leathery skin or rind, basically yellow more or less overlaid with light or deep pink or rich red. The interior is separated by membranous walls and white spongy tissue (rag) into compartments packed with transparent sacs filled with tart, flavorful, fleshy, juicy, red, pink or whitish pulp (technically the aril). In each sac, there is one white or red, angular, soft or hard seed. The seeds represent about 52% of the weight of the whole fruit.

IoT in Agriculture

The smart farm software platform has integrated IOT sensor units to sense moisture, temperature and humidity, water levels, light, pressure etc and will send the data to RipplesIOT gateway that could collect and process the data to the actuator to take necessary actions. The processed data then involves opening a solenoid valve to allow the pumping of water when the moisture level is low. The entire system work in wireless network and has options for solar powered or equipped with long life batteries. Our smart farm setup is best fit to be placed in a greenhouse where IoT based farm automation would help reduce costs and introduce efficiency into the working process, besides solving the problem of manpower shortage and distance to be covered in remote monitoring. The whole smart farm software platform can be managed through the internet, accessed using mobile phones and there is no need of a physical presence of the farmer.