Catalog of Agricultural Sensors, Benefits of Agricultural Sensors
Agricultural sensors is a device that detects data. It converts this data into an electrical signal or other forms of information. Sensors follow specific guidelines to meet the needs of transmitting, processing, storing, displaying, recording, and controlling information. As the Internet of Things technology advances, various sectors, including agriculture and industry, increasingly utilize sensors.
Agricultural sensors measure things like air temperature, humidity, soil moisture, soil pH, light intensity, and carbon dioxide levels. These sensors collect data at various stages of crop development. This includes seeding, growth, and harvesting. Farmers utilize sensors for agricultural conductivity and pH to oversee water and fertilizer management. The integrated monitoring system keeps track of the mixed fertilizer solution.
What precisely are agricultural sensors?
Agricultural sensors mainly include plant data sensors and environmental sensors. Researchers design plant information sensors to detect how plants grow and develop. They track these growth signs to check plant health. Environmental sensors monitor and analyze the conditions that affect plant growth. They check water, soil, and air quality. This helps track changes in the environment and ensures the best conditions for growth. At present, the agricultural sector frequently utilizes sensors such as temperature, humidity, pH, gas, biosensors, photoelectric, and pressure sensors.
What constitutes a smart agriculture monitoring system?List of agriculture sensors
Sensors serve as the cornerstone. Using IoT technology helps collect data on plants and animals. This allows for real-time monitoring of their changes. Sensors are important in farming. They help collect data for tasks like fertilization, spraying, and irrigation. We can check soil conditions, pest presence, humidity, and other plant data. This helps us find the best times for fertilizing, spraying, and irrigating. This helps prevent wasting resources and harming the environment, which often happens with traditional methods.
1.Sensor for temperature and humidity
The sensor for air temperature and humidity is capable of tracking changes in these parameters within agricultural planting environments. It has default monitoring ranges of -40℃ to +80℃ for temperature and 0%RH to 100%RH for humidity. The device’s wall-mounted casing enables users to affix it in greenhouses or other shaded areas with good air circulation. For outdoor monitoring, you can place it in a solar radiation shield alongside an agrometeorological station for weather tracking. The CODA sensor utilizes a temperature and humidity measurement unit imported from Switzerland and features a built-in industrial-grade microprocessor chip from the US, ensuring precise measurements and reliable communication.
2. Soil moisture sensor
The soil moisture sensor ranks among the most crucial sensors in agriculture. It plays a vital role in determining the water availability for crops. Excessive or insufficient soil moisture can negatively impact the healthy growth of crops above the soil surface. Optimal soil moisture levels ensure that root water uptake and leaf transpiration are balanced, fostering the growth of crop roots. The CODA soil moisture sensor assesses the soil’s moisture volume percentage by evaluating its dielectric constant. This soil moisture testing method, compliant with current international standards, provides a direct and stable indication of the actual moisture content across various soil types.
3. Soil pH Sensor
Ensuring the correct soil pH is essential for the healthy growth of crops. The CODA soil pH sensor functions by detecting when its electrode (sensor) makes direct contact with the soil. It utilizes the current produced by the oxidation-reduction reaction during the chemical process. The system uses this current value to drive the data of various pH value units, which the ammeter displays and the host converts. The report presents the results as numerical values. A manufacturer crafts the steel needle from a special alloy material, making it a unique anti-corrosion electrode that withstands acid and alkali corrosion. The manufacturer fully seals the casing with black flame-retardant epoxy resin, which boasts an IP68 protection rating.
4. Light Sensor
The light sensor is comprised of three components: a transmitter, a receiver, and a detection circuit, all of which are made up of electronic elements. It does not account for mechanical operation time. This sensor can swiftly measure light intensity ranging from 0 to 200,000 Lux with a rapid response time. In the context of greenhouse agriculture, the use of light sensors enables farmers to precisely understand the patterns of sunlight exposure, the light saturation point, and the light compensation point for plant growth. This knowledge allows them to adjust light conditions using manual control techniques, thereby enhancing crop growth scientifically to achieve higher yields.
5. CO2 sensor
Crops consistently take in CO2 from the air for photosynthesis, which they utilize to generate nutrients essential for their growth and development. Research indicates that an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels significantly boosts plant photosynthesis. The CODA carbon dioxide sensor employs innovative infrared verification technology to assess CO2 levels in the surroundings. It offers a rapid and sensitive response, circumventing the lifespan and long-term drift issues associated with traditional electrochemical sensors. The standard measurement span is 0 to 5000 ppm, featuring temperature compensation to reduce the effects of external temperature changes.
6. Barometric Pressure Sensor
A barometric pressure sensor is capable of detecting variations in atmospheric pressure. Farmers can utilize this sensor to gain insights into weather changes, such as decreases in air pressure and shifts in wind speed, enabling them to effectively implement disaster prevention and crop damage mitigation strategies. For instance, if the weather forecast predicts a continuous drop in air pressure, farmers can preemptively harvest ripe crops to prevent losses due to adverse weather conditions.
7. Rain Gauge
A rain gauge is a device designed to track precipitation levels. Rainfall and snowfall serve as natural methods for replenishing soil moisture. The widely used outdoor tipping bucket rain gauge offers precise measurements with minimal error. When paired with an evaporation sensor, it allows for a more detailed analysis of soil moisture. This tool is essential in agricultural sensors for monitoring precipitation and its frequency, providing crucial data for effective irrigation management.
What advantages do agricultural sensors offer?
Irrigation system control: By assessing soil moisture, ambient humidity, and weather data from weather stations, we can accurately gauge soil moisture levels. This ensures that the soil receives adequate water promptly. For instance, you can integrate the CODA multi-layer soil sensor with irrigation systems to enable automated watering, while mobile device programs manage the timing and volume of irrigation.
Implement pest and disease surveillance:
Set up insect traps and pesticide sprayers across the farmland. Sensors can track temperature, humidity, air pressure, and other environmental data in real-time. This helps improve pest and disease management in the fields. For instance, an insect monitoring device equipped with a weather sensor allows growers to select the appropriate insecticide based on this data.
Enhance fertilizer management:
By assessing the levels of dissolved oxygen, metal ions, and hydrogen ions in the soil, we can gain insights into soil conditions, understand crop nutritional requirements, and improve fertilizer management. For example, employing a water-fertilizer system to monitor soil nutrients and automatically supply fertilizers can assist farmers in optimizing fertilizer usage and minimizing waste.
Enhance planting efficiency:
Sensors play a crucial role in interpreting meteorological data, allowing for the scientific management and maintenance of crops throughout their growth stages. For instance, sensors that assess light intensity and temperature are beneficial in various weather and microclimate scenarios, enabling the understanding and regulation of the crop growth environment, thus maximizing production efficiency.
Encourage sustainable development:
Agricultural sensors assist farmers in precisely calculating land use, minimizing agricultural wastewater and emissions, lessening environmental impact, and supporting efforts towards sustainable development.
Farmers primarily employ agricultural sensors for monitoring, particularly in systems that integrate water and fertilizer. Researchers chiefly utilize these sensors to track the conductivity, pH, and temperature of the fertilizer solution after mixing. The system displays the data on an LCD screen and transmits it to the water and fertilizer management system. Equipped with built-in memory chips, the agricultural conductivity and pH sensors can store historical data for two and three days, respectively. They utilize high-precision AD conversion and single-chip micro-processing technology, offering various functionalities such as data collection and automatic temperature compensation.
In contrast to contemporary farming, traditional agriculture, which depends heavily on human labor and employs basic tools and machinery, has increasingly revealed its shortcomings. Modern agriculture leverages the Internet of Things and sensor technology to deliver precise and timely data on crop growth, enabling the development of scientific planting strategies, reducing labor, enhancing crop varieties, and boosting both quality and yield.