The aim of the Vegetal-Etal (vegetal stall) project is to improve knowledge and understanding of the phenomena concerning cut vegetables (with no roots) and the exchange phenomena between the vegetable's humidity and its surrounding atmosphere. Experiments will be carried out on four different types of vegetable, classified according to their exchange capacity. One of the objetives will be to deepen experimental knowledge on leaf / atmosphere parietal exchange. All the macro-phenomena acting on a vegetable will be studied, including :

• Sources of stress and their impact on vitamin D
• Lighting : two cycles will be set up (sales cycle and night cycle) for deducing the optimal lighting system needed for vegetables that enables them to open their stoma as efficiently as possible to improve their humidity absorption
• Humidity transit phenomena (temperature, lighting, humidity ratio, pressure)

The partners in this 3-years project are :

• ARECO, which initiated the project and is in charge of creating a climatic room
• The PEIFL
• Avignon University : a research student will be in charge of the bio-vegetal part, i.e. characterising each vegetable and qualifying its status
• The CEMAGREF : in charge of measurement with a macro vision of the whole counter
• The CTIFL in charge of organoleptic measurements
• Electronie : in charge of the electronic part (sensors and transmission)
• OSEO
• The Provence, Alpes, Côtes d’Azur Region

On the basis of the results, ARECO wishes to deduce optimal "after-picking" conservation conditions and, in this way, determine water droplet and air distribution levels (variations in nebulisation flow and speed) on target vegetables as accurately as possible and envisage zone-by-zone piloting for optimizing nebulisation on complete vegetable display counters.