BOTANICAL
Basil yields exceeding projection in Florida site
Basil cv. Genovese trending +37% biomass at week 9, well above the +24% lab baseline. Humidity coupling? Installing a second transducer array next week to test array-density effects.
Context
The Florida greenhouse is our first non-lab botanical site. Lab baseline of +24% biomass at week 9 was set over six replicates in a climate-controlled enclosure; field replication was expected to underperform, not overperform.
Method
- 01Two adjacent benches, 96 basil plants each (cv. Genovese), randomized.
- 02Treatment bench exposed to a single 528Hz transducer at 1.2m above canopy.
- 03Biomass measured as fresh-weight harvest of the third true-leaf pair at week 9.
Findings
- ▸Treatment biomass +37% vs control, p<0.01.
- ▸Ambient humidity averaged 78% RH vs 54% in the lab — primary candidate variable.
- ▸Leaf morphology unchanged; gain is mass, not size, suggesting denser tissue.
Next steps
Install a second transducer array next week to disentangle array-density effects from humidity coupling. If density alone reproduces the gain, the field protocol gets a humidity-independent recommendation.