Possible Applications in Precision Farming
Nanosensor-based devices can be the key players for real-time and automatic
monitoring if they perform as per their design and omnipresent wireless sensors
will become an indispensable aid of getting this vision of precision agriculture to a
maturity. The networked nanosensors distributed throughout the field are anticipated to deliver detailed and comprehensive data on crop and soil environments
like soil moisture, nutrient status of soil and crop, soil temperature, weed infestations, insects, and plant diseases and transmit that information in actual time to a
distant place (Joseph and Morrison 2006). Such real-time monitoring with wireless
nanosensors throughout the crop fields provides crucial data on best sowing and
harvesting time of the crops, the precise application of required amount of water
and fertilizers, spraying of herbicides and pesticides, and other treatments. This has
motivated precision farming to maximize its controlling power. In the near future,
more precise water distribution systems can be developed which requires storing of
water, in situ water holding capacity (WHC), soil moisture availability at roots,
plant’s efficiency to absorb water, demand-based release of encapsulated water,
and communication with field intelligence through wireless nanosensor networks.
As the components of nanodevices such as nanosensors, processor, antenna, and
memory consume very less energy, the nanosensor mote provides prolonged
battery duration than normal sensor which used to be positioned in the crop
plant. Again, smallness of sensor node sharply reduces the chance of damaging
the mote (Rohith 2015). Another two important applications are monitoring of soil
temperature and soil moisture. In water, being a critical input in agriculture, precise
information on water distribution near roots is crucial for developing irrigation
controlling systems. Traditional methods though expensive and time-consuming
are unable to detect and dispatch real-time information of soil moisture and
temperature when required. Development of low-cost sensors based on wireless
nanotechnology showed huge potential for moisture detection as well as soil
temperature. These sensors are made up of MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) cantilever beams covered with nanopolymer layer sensitive to moisture
detection and on-chip piezo-resistive sensor for temperature sensitivity. MEMS
sensors based on nanotechnology are capable of sensing as well as responding to
variations in the crop and soil environments using microelectronic circuits (Madou
1997). A project called SoilNet focused to develop a sensor network sensitive to
soil moisture variations for temporal and spatial monitoring in small catchment
area of the Wüstebach (about 26.7 ha) consisting of 12 coordinator nodes along
with 286 sub nodes was established. The SoilNet has typical features like dynamic
and expansible wireless sensor network using high-level communication protocol
(Zigbee), longer battery life, easily accessible database for measured data, and
customized configurations for nodes to facilitate adapted measurement arrangements. It was effective in monitoring the soil moisture changes on a 100 by
100 meter forest plot site located on the premises of the Forschungszentrum Jülich
equipped with 25 end devices each consisting of 6 vertically arranged soil water
content sensors. (http://eprints.dbges.de/57/1/3.pdf).
9 Application of Nanotechnology in Agriculture
325
Nanosensor-based devices can be the key players for real-time and automatic
monitoring if they perform as per their design and omnipresent wireless sensors
will become an indispensable aid of getting this vision of precision agriculture to a
maturity. The networked nanosensors distributed throughout the field are anticipated to deliver detailed and comprehensive data on crop and soil environments
like soil moisture, nutrient status of soil and crop, soil temperature, weed infestations, insects, and plant diseases and transmit that information in actual time to a
distant place (Joseph and Morrison 2006). Such real-time monitoring with wireless
nanosensors throughout the crop fields provides crucial data on best sowing and
harvesting time of the crops, the precise application of required amount of water
and fertilizers, spraying of herbicides and pesticides, and other treatments. This has
motivated precision farming to maximize its controlling power. In the near future,
more precise water distribution systems can be developed which requires storing of
water, in situ water holding capacity (WHC), soil moisture availability at roots,
plant’s efficiency to absorb water, demand-based release of encapsulated water,
and communication with field intelligence through wireless nanosensor networks.
As the components of nanodevices such as nanosensors, processor, antenna, and
memory consume very less energy, the nanosensor mote provides prolonged
battery duration than normal sensor which used to be positioned in the crop
plant. Again, smallness of sensor node sharply reduces the chance of damaging
the mote (Rohith 2015). Another two important applications are monitoring of soil
temperature and soil moisture. In water, being a critical input in agriculture, precise
information on water distribution near roots is crucial for developing irrigation
controlling systems. Traditional methods though expensive and time-consuming
are unable to detect and dispatch real-time information of soil moisture and
temperature when required. Development of low-cost sensors based on wireless
nanotechnology showed huge potential for moisture detection as well as soil
temperature. These sensors are made up of MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) cantilever beams covered with nanopolymer layer sensitive to moisture
detection and on-chip piezo-resistive sensor for temperature sensitivity. MEMS
sensors based on nanotechnology are capable of sensing as well as responding to
variations in the crop and soil environments using microelectronic circuits (Madou
1997). A project called SoilNet focused to develop a sensor network sensitive to
soil moisture variations for temporal and spatial monitoring in small catchment
area of the Wüstebach (about 26.7 ha) consisting of 12 coordinator nodes along
with 286 sub nodes was established. The SoilNet has typical features like dynamic
and expansible wireless sensor network using high-level communication protocol
(Zigbee), longer battery life, easily accessible database for measured data, and
customized configurations for nodes to facilitate adapted measurement arrangements. It was effective in monitoring the soil moisture changes on a 100 by
100 meter forest plot site located on the premises of the Forschungszentrum Jülich
equipped with 25 end devices each consisting of 6 vertically arranged soil water
content sensors. (http://eprints.dbges.de/57/1/3.pdf).
9 Application of Nanotechnology in Agriculture
325