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Developing a Non-Destructive Sensor for Real-Time
Estimation of Plant Biomass in the Field
Knowing plant volume and biomass at different stages
of crop growth could provide valuable information on
the health and needs of a crop. Plant biomass variation
can cause variation in yield; therefore, knowing the
crop status early in the growing season could give farmers
a chance to correct the probable yield-limiting causes.
A laser scanner was used in this project. The scanner
emits an infrared laser beam. If the beam hits an object
in its path, it is reflected and the reflected beam
will be detected by the sensor. The sensor calculates
the distance to the object by measuring the time of
flight and knowing the speed it can calculate the plant
volume and correlate that with the plant biomass. In
addition to precision agriculture, this sensor has the
potential to be used to estimate tree canopy volume
for target spraying of orchards, which would reduce
pesticide use. Another non-precision agriculture application
is use of the biomass sensor in greenhouses and research
labs to monitor plant growth rate for plant-specific
application of agricultural inputs, such as nutrients,
pesticides and water. The sensor is currently going
through the patent process within the University.
More...
Investigator: Reza Ehsani, Food, Agricultural and Biological
Engineering
Contact: Reza Ehsani
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