Research Interests:
Distance education for graduated professionals and skills + knowledge accreditation is two main activities that most Universities in the world are now including in their educational activities. The use of ICT tools through the Internet is... more
Distance education for graduated professionals and skills + knowledge accreditation is two main activities that most Universities in the world are now including in their educational activities. The use of ICT tools through the Internet is an interesting option to provide potential students, at home or at their working places, with upgrading educational programs, enabling them to adapt a personalized learning time schedule. A new educational platform is presented, providing an integral educational advisory and administrative service, available for private course developers, universities and production/service companies. The platform includes many ICT tools, and a personalized tutorial support for students. The platform is being used in a Diploma in Agroforestry Technology, with e-learning and b-learning alternatives, for Agricultural and Forestry Engineers in several Latin American countries, and its use is expanding to areas like Architecture, Medicine, Chemistry, Nursing, Engineeri...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The introduction of phytomonitoring technology in table grape and avocado production in Chile is reported. Results in significant yield increments, modifications of fruit size distribution curves, as well as water and energy savings are... more
The introduction of phytomonitoring technology in table grape and avocado production in Chile is reported. Results in significant yield increments, modifications of fruit size distribution curves, as well as water and energy savings are discussed, and several irrigation strategies are quantitatively compared. Information about continuous sensing of trunk, shoot and fruit growth is correlated with soil water dynamics and climatic conditions, enabling us to schedule irrigation events (frequency and water depth applied on each cycle) according to actual and precise plant water requirements. The agronomic implications and irrigation decision support activities included in the phytomonitoring advisory scheme provided to farmers are discussed. Historic database management provided by the phytomonitoring set-up, sensors, data storage, data transmission features and software enabled us to evaluate applied research strategies to modify plant response, according to specific production objecti...
Electrical excitability and signaling, frequently associated with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, have been documented in both animals and higher plants. The presence of electrical potentials (EPs), such as action potentials... more
Electrical excitability and signaling, frequently associated with rapid responses to environmental stimuli, have been documented in both animals and higher plants. The presence of electrical potentials (EPs), such as action potentials (APs) and variation potentials (VPs), in plant cells suggests that plants make use of ion channels to transmit information over long distances. The reason why plants have developed pathways for electrical signal transmission is most probably the necessity to respond rapidly, for example, to environmental stress factors. We examined the nature and specific characteristics of the electrical response to wounding in the woody plant Persea americana (avocado). Under field conditions, wounds can be the result of insect activity, strong winds or handling injury during fruit harvest. Evidence for extracellular EP signaling in avocado trees after mechanical injury was expressed in the form of variation potentials. For tipping and pruning, signal velocities of 8...
Un modelo de simulacion para la evaluacion de alternativas de diseno y operacion del riego por surco
Research Interests:
Enfoque analitico, experimental y simulativo de la dinamica del proceso de evaporacion de agua desde un suelo desnudo
Research Interests: Humanities and Biology
Modelos matematicos y mediciones experimentales en la determinacion de infiltracion de agua en el suelo
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Physics and Humanities
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
El presente artículo presenta una propuesta de modelación de los elementos y procesos involucrados en la oferta superficial y demanda hídrica de un sistema de riego de la zona central de Chile, como metodología para el estudio del balance... more
El presente artículo presenta una propuesta de modelación de los elementos y procesos involucrados en la oferta superficial y demanda hídrica de un sistema de riego de la zona central de Chile, como metodología para el estudio del balance hídrico predial en la planificación de los recursos hídricos disponibles. El estudio contempló una descripción y evaluación general del sistema mediante visitas de terreno y recolección de información, teniendo en cuenta aspectos de suelos, cultivos, aguas, clima e infraestructura hidráulica. Mediante el análisis con herramientas de modelación hidrológica, se llevó a cabo la estimación de la disponibilidad de agua en la zona de estudio, describiendo su variación espacial y temporal en las fuentes superficiales y usando además un modelo de distribución de probabilidades, para estimar valores de caudal asociados a la probabilidad de ocurrencia. Igualmente se desarrolló la modelación espacial y temporal de los requerimientos hídricos de los cultivos y...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Development and evaluation of a real-time plant water stress sensor, based on the electrophysiological behavior of fruit-bearing woody plants is presented. Continuous electric potentials are measured in tree trunks for different... more
Development and evaluation of a real-time plant water stress sensor, based on the electrophysiological behavior of fruit-bearing woody plants is presented. Continuous electric potentials are measured in tree trunks for different irrigation schedules, inducing variable water stress conditions; results are discussed in relation to soil water content and micro-atmospheric evaporative demand, determined continuously by conventional sensors, correlating this information with tree electric potential measurements. Systematic and differentiable patterns of electric potentials for water-stressed and no-stressed trees in 2 fruit species are presented. Early detection and recovery dynamics of water stress conditions can also be monitored with these electrophysiology sensors, which enable continuous and non-destructive measurements for efficient irrigation scheduling throughout the year. The experiment is developed under controlled conditions, in Faraday cages located at a greenhouse area, both in Persea americana and Prunus domestica plants. Soil moisture evolution is controlled using capacitance sensors and solar radiation, temperature, relative humidity, wind intensity and direction are continuously registered with accurate weather sensors, in a micro-agrometeorological automatic station located at the experimental site. The electrophysiological sensor has two stainless steel electrodes (measuring/reference), inserted on the stem; a high precision Keithley 2701 digital multimeter is used to measure plant electrical signals; an algorithm written in MatLab(®), allows correlating the signal to environmental variables. An electric cyclic behavior is observed (circadian cycle) in the experimental plants. For non-irrigated plants, the electrical signal shows a time positive slope and then, a negative slope after restarting irrigation throughout a rather extended recovery process, before reaching a stable electrical signal with zero slope. Well-watered plants presented a continuous signal with daily maximum and a minimum EP of similar magnitude in time, with zero slope. This plant electrical behavior is proposed for the development of a sensor measuring real-time plant water status.