approaches. Traditional method of managing a large area based on some hypothetical mean properties results in gross inaccuracies as agricultural system exists with
inherent spatial and temporal heterogeneity with reference to soil, crops, weather,
etc. Accurate sensing of location-specific variations regarding management practices, soil properties, and/or environmental conditions within fields, data acquirement, manipulation, storage, and transfer is thus vital in handling this variability to
fine-tune management operations accordingly. The revolution in electronics of the
last several decades has produced two technologies like Global Positioning System
(GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Along with GPS and GIS, a wide
range of sensors, monitors, and controllers are used to instruct exact motion of
equipment, deliver at precise location, apply fertilizers and pesticides, and analyze
all data in combination with agronomic, climatic, and other sources of data for
precise monitoring of crop environment.
Wireless Nanosensors in Precision Farming
The sensing devices with sensing dimensions (at least one dimension) less than
100 nm are called nanosensors. In precision farming, nanosensors are crucial for
(a) monitoring chemical and physical event in crop and soil environment,
(b) assessing soil and plant nutrient status, (c) detecting pathogens in crops, etc.
Nanosensors are broadly categorized as physical (to measure pressure, mass, displacement, or force), chemical (to determine gas concentration, the occurrence of
particular molecular species), and biological (to monitor biomolecular processes)
nanosensors. In case of precision farming, wireless nanosensor networks are
required for precise and continuous monitoring. A wireless nanosensor network
(WNSN) is a group of integrated nanosensor nodes which interact through electromagnetic communication. Some key features of the WNSN can be highlighted as
size of the nanosensor devices (one to few hundreds of nm), graphene-based
nanoantennas for electromagnetic communication in terahertz frequency, enormously higher bit rate (Terabits/s), and extremely low transmission ranges (tens of
millimeters) (Rupani et al. 2015). Unlike classical communication where transmission is based on continuous signal, nanodevice fails to produce high power signals in
the nanoscale at terahertz frequency due to size and energy constraint of
nanodevices. In WNSN, short pulse-based Time Spread On–Off Keying (TS–
OOK) modulation technique is used (Rupani et al. 2015).
Network Architecture of WNSNs
WNSNs are a very exciting research area due its numerous practical utilities
impacting our daily lives and changing the society. The association of nanosensor
and nanoactuator devices, prevailing wireless communication networks, and eventually the Internet needs to make new networking architectures. WNSN is composed
of several components that are nano-nodes, nano-router, nano-micro interface, and
9 Application of Nanotechnology in Agriculture
323
inherent spatial and temporal heterogeneity with reference to soil, crops, weather,
etc. Accurate sensing of location-specific variations regarding management practices, soil properties, and/or environmental conditions within fields, data acquirement, manipulation, storage, and transfer is thus vital in handling this variability to
fine-tune management operations accordingly. The revolution in electronics of the
last several decades has produced two technologies like Global Positioning System
(GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Along with GPS and GIS, a wide
range of sensors, monitors, and controllers are used to instruct exact motion of
equipment, deliver at precise location, apply fertilizers and pesticides, and analyze
all data in combination with agronomic, climatic, and other sources of data for
precise monitoring of crop environment.
Wireless Nanosensors in Precision Farming
The sensing devices with sensing dimensions (at least one dimension) less than
100 nm are called nanosensors. In precision farming, nanosensors are crucial for
(a) monitoring chemical and physical event in crop and soil environment,
(b) assessing soil and plant nutrient status, (c) detecting pathogens in crops, etc.
Nanosensors are broadly categorized as physical (to measure pressure, mass, displacement, or force), chemical (to determine gas concentration, the occurrence of
particular molecular species), and biological (to monitor biomolecular processes)
nanosensors. In case of precision farming, wireless nanosensor networks are
required for precise and continuous monitoring. A wireless nanosensor network
(WNSN) is a group of integrated nanosensor nodes which interact through electromagnetic communication. Some key features of the WNSN can be highlighted as
size of the nanosensor devices (one to few hundreds of nm), graphene-based
nanoantennas for electromagnetic communication in terahertz frequency, enormously higher bit rate (Terabits/s), and extremely low transmission ranges (tens of
millimeters) (Rupani et al. 2015). Unlike classical communication where transmission is based on continuous signal, nanodevice fails to produce high power signals in
the nanoscale at terahertz frequency due to size and energy constraint of
nanodevices. In WNSN, short pulse-based Time Spread On–Off Keying (TS–
OOK) modulation technique is used (Rupani et al. 2015).
Network Architecture of WNSNs
WNSNs are a very exciting research area due its numerous practical utilities
impacting our daily lives and changing the society. The association of nanosensor
and nanoactuator devices, prevailing wireless communication networks, and eventually the Internet needs to make new networking architectures. WNSN is composed
of several components that are nano-nodes, nano-router, nano-micro interface, and
9 Application of Nanotechnology in Agriculture
323