Re: Flow rates

At 20.57 22/01/98 +1100, you wrote:
>G'day gang,
>I was thinking that all the nutrients that go into the pumpkin have to flow
>along the thin pipe that feeds the fruit. At the moment my fruit are putting
>on about 15 kg a day through a vine of about 2-3 cm in diameter, that is a
>cross-sectional area of about 7 sq cm. Assuming the liquid weighs about 1kg
>per litre then we have a flow rate of 15 liters per 24 hrs through 7 sq cms.
>That means about 100 ml per hour per sq cm of cross-section (and faster at
>night). This should be measurable along the lines that blood flow is
>measured. We have a conductor (the liquid) and by creating a magnetic field
>you would generate an electric field, the strength of which would indicate
>the flow rate.
>By clamping sensors based on this principle around various vines you could
>determine where the nutrients were going. It should be easier in a well
>trimmed Christmas Tree vine.
>Does anyone know if such sensors are used in plant science?
>Stewart ACT Aust
>sdeans@pcug.org.au
>
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Stewart,

This is an interesting concept. In fact you are talking about a type of
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which I am involved in directly as a
radiologist. I am also the one who plans to use some radioactive water this
summer on some of my plants to try and answer some of our nutrient and flow
questions. On the surface your idea seems a little far fetched because the
strength of the magnets, coils, cryogens etc make for a very combersome
machine, at least in human imaging. I wouldn't be surprised however if
there is such a device for plants or perhaps some other flow measuring
device that would be applicable. I'll check with the experts here at Cornell.

Once again I would ask for the input of this group to come forth with ideas
and questions before I design an experiment that turns out to be of little
practical use even if I can pull it off.



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