Plant Growth Monitoring: Design, Fabrication, and Feasibility Assessment of Wearable Sensors Based on Fiber Bragg Gratings

Abstract

Global climate change and exponential population growth pose a challenge to agricultural outputs. In this scenario, novel techniques have been proposed to improve plant growth and increase crop yields. Wearable sensors are emerging as promising tools for the non-invasive monitoring of plant physiological and microclimate parameters. Features of plant wearables, such as easy anchorage to different organs, compliance with natural surfaces, high flexibility, and biocompatibility, allow for the detection of growth without impacting the plant functions. This work proposed two wearable sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) within silicone matrices. The use of FBGs is motivated by their high sensitivity, multiplexing capacities, and chemical inertia. Firstly, we focused on the design and the fabrication of two plant wearables with different matrix shapes tailored to specific plant organs (i.e., tobacco stem and melon fruit). Then, we described the sensors’ metrological properties to investigate the sensitivity to strain and the influence of environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, on the sensors’ performance. Finally, we performed experimental tests to preliminary assess the capability of the proposed sensors to monitor dimensional changes of plants in both laboratory and open field settings. The promising results will foster key actions to improve the use of this innovative technology in smart agriculture applications for increasing crop products quality, agricultural efficiency, and profits.

Alternative flours from pulp melons (Cucumis melo L.): Seasonality influence on physical, chemical, technological parameters, and utilization in bakery product

“…A homogeneous behavior was also observed concerning the comparison between harvest and off-season, as in the off-season, all flours presented significantly high moisture contents, which can be justified by the climatic condition in the vegetable growing environment (microclimate), which influences plants physiological reactions, and the energy exchange activities between the plant and the environment. Soil moisture and local temperature can affect plants' ability to use water and their flooding mechanisms [ 59 ]. Furthermore, during the off-season, greater concentrations of rainfall are observed in the melon-growing region, increasing soil moisture, which will be absorbed by the vegetable [ 60 ].…”

Flexible Matrices for the Encapsulation of Plant Wearable Sensors: Influence of Geometric and Color Features on Photosynthesis and Transpiration

“…In two other studies, a transparent and compact silicone matrix was used to encapsulate FBG sensors and monitor the growth of fruits and leaves. In [ 42 ], a ring-shaped matrix was used to measure fruit growth, and in [ 15 ], a multi-sensor flower-shaped matrix was used to measure both the growth of a leaf for approximately 4 days and the growth of a fruit for approximately 3 days. Although the results of these works are promising, no investigations of the effect of the proposed flexible wearable sensors based on FBG technology on plant physiology were carried out.…”

Wearable sensor supports in‐situ and continuous monitoring of plant health in precision agriculture era

“…The optoelectronic properties of photosensitive materials play a crucial role in photodetector performance. These properties encompass the spectral range, responsivity, ON/OFF ratio and response time (Kim et al ., 2017; Presti et al ., 2023). An optical sensor detects light intensity on the plant, while temperature is gauged through a temperature sensor at the same time (Lu et al ., 2020).…”