PFI-TT: Soil Nutrient and Moisture Monitoring Probe Sensors to Optimize Fertilizer and Water Use

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is to optimize fertilizer and irrigation in farming with data collected from novel sensors. These sensors will continuously monitor soil nitrogen, salinity, and moisture throughout an entire growing season (up to four months). Currently, farmers usually do not measure these soil parameters because it requires them to tediously ship samples back to a laboratory for expensive analysis. These sensors will provide a low-cost, on-site method to perform these soil parameter tests. This project will improve soil and watershed health through reduced fertilizer runoff and irrigation water. The data collected will inform soil parameter models to enable better predictions of regional soil health. This project's materials and sensors can be adapted to other monitoring applications, such as chemical pollution in watersheds and drinking water or remediation efforts at polluted environmental sites. The system will improve farming profit margins, environmental and public health, and water scarcity. The proposed project will advance sensors for agricultural monitoring. The objectives are to: (2) develop sensors to monitor nitrogen and salt concentration levels in the soil, (2) integrate the sensors into polymer-based probes that can be buried in a farm field, and (3) evaluate the completed sensor probe during an entire corn crop cycle. Anticipated challenges include: the simultaneous sensing of nitrogen, salinity, moisture, and conductivity; the longevity of sensors to last the entire growing season; acquiring sensor readings at different soil depths under different temperatures and pH; and powering and transmitting the sensor data to a handheld data logger. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.