Soil Sensors

The beginning of this farming season will mark the initial tests of a new type of sensor designed to be plowed directly into the ground and wirelessly transmit information regarding soil temperature and moisture content to the surface. The driving force behind the project is the need to conserve water while still meeting the world’s growing food demands.

The low-cost, low-power sensors that collect and store the information can be left in place for years without maintenance. They communicate via radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips that receive power from an RFID reader mounted on a tractor as it passes over the node.

Over the past several years, I have shared that the sensors in the soil could also send their readings to an intelligent irrigation system so that only the plants that need water will get sprayed. This could save large amounts of water.

It is currently estimated that up to 70 percent of our fresh water resources are used for agriculture, but that consumption could be reduced by 30 or 40 percent without reducing yields. In fact, optimizing water availability (not too much and not too little) could actually improve yields, which is essential if production is to keep up with rising population projections.