Instruments for Soil, Plant and Environmental Monitoring

For more than 26 years Qubit Systems has been supplying the research and industrial community with high-quality, cost-effective analyzers for monitoring respiration in soil, fermentation processes, and greenhouse gases. Recently, we have formed a collaboration with JB Hyperspectral of Germany to provide hyperspectral analysers to monitor incident and reflected irradiance spectra for plant and algal biochemical analysis, and to measure solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence for non-invasive monitoring of photosynthesis in plant canopies.  We’ll be exhibiting our products on Booth #1550 at the American Geophysical Union Conference in Chicago starting December 13th 2022. Please visit us there. Brief descriptions of some key products are given below

The SP1LP Q-Box Soil Respiration Package is used to measure CO2 evolution from the soil in the field or the laboratory. Respiration is measured in situ with a soil chamber placed over the soil in the field, and soil samples may be brought back to the lab and measured in a flow-through chamber. The Q-Box SR1LP package includes a probes to measure soil temperature and moisture plus RH analyzer to monitor soil water loss. Flow through the system is monitored by a mass flow monitor, and an absolute pressure sensor measures atmospheric pressure. Analog signals from all of the sensors and analyzers are converted to digital signals via 7-channel integrated interfaces. Data is displayed, recorded, and manipulated on a PC or Macintosh computer using Logger Pro software. Learn MORE

Qubit’s world class laboratory packages have always had a convenient modular format that allows you to switch components (gas analyzers, pumps, flow meters etc.) depending on the type of experiment you wish to conduct (respirometry, photosynthesis, N2 fixation, fermentation etc.). With the Q-Box concept, the modularity is maintained, but each component is preconfigured into a rugged case that can be transported anywhere within or outside your teaching or research facility. Each Q-Box gas exchange system comes ready to go, with data acquisition interface and software plus experimental files and manuals. All you need to provide is a computer (PC or Mac). We can customize our Q-Box Packages to accommodate more than one application, and you can swap components so that a single Q-Box can be used for multiple applications. Each component may also be removed easily and used independently (see gas analyzer options below). Prices for complete Q-Box systems start at less than $8000 USD. See the full Q-Box range HERE.

Qubit manufactures an extensive range of analyzers for monitoring biologically important gases in the laboratory and field.  Each analyzer may be configured for use in a Q-Box system or as a portable stand-alone instrument.  Different ranges are available for different applications, such as 0-2000 ppm CO2 for high resolution respiration measurements and atmospheric monitoring to 0 – 10% CO2 (and higher) to monitor fermentation processes. Our methane analysers have ranges of 0 – 100; 0 – 500; and 0 – 5000 ppm. Our H2 analyzers are used to monitor N2 fixation, and our water vapour analysers for measuring evaporative and transpiration water loss. For the most accurate measurements in field conditions with varying temperature, our gas analyzers may be supplied in a temperature-controlled case to ensure stable calibration. Prices start at less than $2000 USD. MORE

The ROX is an automated field spectroscopy device capable of collecting unattended, continuous, long-term hyperspectral measurements. It was developed from a collaboration between Jülich Research Center and the Remote Sensing of Environmental Dynamics Laboratory of the University Milano Bicocca, and is designed for long term measurements of solar radiance, reflected radiance and reflectance. Its robustness and flexibility make the ROX suitable for numerous applications including vegetation monitoring (numerous reflective vegetation indices such as NDVI, PRI etc.), and monitoring water quality, snow and ice. Learn MORE.

Recent Publications:

Retrieval of Dust Properties From Spectral Snow Reflectance Measurements. A. Kokhanovsky, B. Di Mauro, R. Garzonio, R. Colombo (2021) Front. Environ. Sci. 
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.644551/full

Changes of NOx in urban air detected with monitoring VIS-NIR field spectrometer during the coronavirus pandemic: A case study in Germany. P. Näthe, M. Delaney, T. Julitta (2020)  Science of The Total Environment. 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720348154

The FLOX Box is a self-contained dual hyperspectral system for monitoring long and short-term fluctuations in Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF). SIF is considered the most direct, non-invasive remote-sensing signal for tracking photosynthetic activity and its dynamics at the leaf, canopy, ecosystem, and global scale. Accurate measurements of SIF are crucial for understanding photosynthesis and its dynamics in the field. SIF may be used to monitor changes in plant and algal responses to environmental factors that may affect growth and yield, including temperature, water and nutrient availability, the effects of herbicides and pesticides, pollution, herbivory, plant pathogens and other abiotic and biotic stresses. The FLOX represents the most advanced system available for SIF measurements in agriculture, forestry and other remote locations. MORE

Recent Publications:

Unpacking the drivers of diurnal dynamics of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF): Canopy structure, plant physiology, instrument configuration and retrival methods. Chang C.Y. et al. (2021) Remote Sensing of Environment 265:112672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112672

Physiological dynamics dominate the response of canopy far-red solar-induced fluorescence to herbicide treatment. L. Wu et al. (2022) Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 323.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2022.109063