A new generation of sensing technology leveraging smart agriculture

A new generation of sensing technology leveraging smart agriculture

A new generation of sensor technology to leverage smart agriculture A new generation of sensor technology to leverage smart agriculture

The sensing system in the greenhouse in the South Propagation and Breeding Base of theCotton Research Institute of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences .

Academy of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Cotton sensing system in the greenhouse seed breeding base in SouthAcademy Cotton Research Institute

When the drone slowly rises in the clear sky in Sanya, on the large screen of the central control room of the South Breeding Base of the Cotton Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the general view of the base and the plant height, leaf area index, canopy temperature, chlorophyll content and other breeding experts The phenotypic data of interest gradually became clear
.

This is the scene when the drone remote sensing field breeding phenotype observation system is working in the South Propagation and Breeding Base of the Cotton Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
.

In order to solve the problems of insufficient agricultural information infrastructure, lack of basic data, and imperfect information management system, Hainan Province has invested in the construction of a comprehensive service platform for Nanfan Silicon Valley, with a new generation of agricultural sensor technology "blessing", the southern breeding base "Ears and eyes are clear" immediately

Sensing technology shows its talents

Sensing technology shows its talents

"Sensor technology is an important technological foundation for the information society
.

" Zhang Yunhe, an associate researcher at the National Agricultural Information Engineering Technology Research Center, told the China Science Daily.

Speaking of the various sensing technologies currently used in agricultural production, Zhang Yunhe listed more than 20 categories from four categories: environment, gas sensing, soil and water quality sensing, plant physiological sensing, and drone remote sensing
.

In the crop environmental information monitoring system, it can monitor real-time parameters such as video images, air temperature and humidity, light, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, soil temperature and humidity, electrical conductivity, pH value, and soil moisture in the breeding area
.

It can also monitor the temperature and humidity of the crop ear layer

For example, with its remote crop growth monitoring system, computers can collect information on crop growth, diseases and insect pests, and crop nutrition status in real time
.

At the same time, people can receive relevant data in real time on the computer and mobile phones, and view on-site information, which is convenient for experts to remotely guide

With powerful agricultural sensing technology, people can measure crop leaves and disease spots without leaving their homes.
Based on smartphones, they can acquire and identify crop leaf image information, and then process the images in real time
.

This technology is suitable for rapid detection of information such as leaf area, leaf length, leaf width, diseased spot area, and diseased spot ratio of different crops in the field environment, and the measurement error is less than 3%

In addition, the use of advanced sensing technology can also be used to measure crop leaves and disease spots, multi-functional water and fertilizer integrated management equipment, electro-physical water disinfection equipment, etc.
, to provide high-throughput information service support for field breeding decision-making
.

"The breeding environment information monitoring system based on the Internet of Things technology can realize the real-time collection and monitoring of crop growth meteorological information, soil conditions, growth conditions, diseases and insect pests, light, temperature, water, gas and other related information, providing breeding links for breeders Accurate data support for the whole process
.

" Zhang Yunhe said, "Combined with the fusion analysis system, it can realize accurate meteorological and pest warnings at the plot level, improve the precision and intelligence of crop breeding production control, and effectively improve the efficiency of breeding operations and the level of informatization.

In addition, through the three-dimensional real-world modeling and the Internet of Things system, managers can view the status of fields, greenhouses, office spaces, and weather, irrigation and other related equipment in real time, greatly improving management and production efficiency
.

The foundation of smart agriculture

The foundation of smart agriculture

"At present, we all talk about smart agriculture and smart agricultural machinery, and the core constraint is still sensors
.

" Wang Xiaoyan, Dean of the School of Engineering of Nanjing Agricultural University, told the China Science Daily.

Wang Xiaoxun has long been engaged in research on intelligent detection of crop information and intelligent control of agricultural equipment.
In daily research, he and his team not only use a large number of sensors, but also engage in the development and research of some sensors
.

For example, the team is developing sensors based on in-situ root detection in soil; sensors for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in nutrient hydroponics; sensors for detecting nitrate and phosphate in aquaculture; and crop pest monitoring based on hyperspectral and fluorescent images sensor technology

“If the intelligent control system does not have the input signal of the sensor, it cannot compare and form a closed-loop control.
If the agricultural big data system does not have a sensor, there will be no data source, and the artificial intelligence system will not be able to obtain sufficient knowledge
.
” Wang Xiaoyan said, “From this perspective In other words, the sensor is completely the core technology of modern smart agriculture, and it is also a technology that is easy to be
" stuck ".
"

At the beginning of 2019, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Medicine and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) jointly released a research report describing the five major research directions in the agricultural field in the eyes of American scientists
.
The second one is "the new generation of sensor technology will become the underlying driving technology that promotes the progress of the agricultural field".
The development and application of high-precision, accurate and field-deployable sensors and biosensing is one of the keys to future technological breakthroughs.
The other major research directions may be related or based on them
.

At present, China's sensor technology has been widely used in the agricultural field, but it is mainly focused on the measurement of individual characteristics, such as temperature and humidity.
The new generation of sensor technology not only includes the monitoring and integration of the physical environment and biological characteristics, but also Including the use of materials science, microelectronics, and nanotechnology to create new types of nano and biosensors to monitor the cyclical movement of water molecules, pathogens, and microorganisms across soil, animals, plants, and the environment
.

"The new generation of sensors has the capabilities of rapid detection, continuous monitoring, real-time feedback, and intelligent processing
.
" Zhang Yunhe said, "If you can accurately discover and quantitatively identify possible problems in the utilization of resource elements, and optimize and adjust them in real time, It will completely change our country's agricultural production and utilization methods
.
"

Multidisciplinary joint research is required

Multidisciplinary joint research is required

Since the beginning of this year, the world’s three major staple food producing areas of wheat, corn, and rice have all been affected by extreme weather
.
Australia, a traditional wheat exporting country, has suffered severe drought and plans to import wheat for the first time after 12 years; the United States, a major corn exporter, is affected by rainy weather and planted the lowest level in the same period in history.
Affected by the drought, the Philippines, a rice exporter, has also seen a major increase.
Scale poor harvest
.

As we all know, China feeds 20% of the world's population with 7% of the world's arable land, but it also uses about 1/3 of the world's chemical fertilizers and 1/2 of the pesticides
.
Increasing food production and reducing the amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides urgently require a new generation of sensor technology, the construction of high-standard farmland, the development of precision agriculture and smart agriculture, and the new generation of sensor technology has become a "rigorous need
.
"

Wang Xiaochan believes that although the development of smart agriculture in China is still in the growth stage compared with the international advanced level, it also means that there is a large space for value
.
Thanks to the promotion of China's policies and land policies, China's smart agriculture started late, but its development speed is particularly fast
.

The performance of sensors affects the improvement of agricultural productivity.
At present, China's smart agriculture is still in the initial stage of monitoring environmental factors, and the quality of sensors on the market is uneven
.
At the same time, most of the sensors used in smart agriculture face relatively harsh environments, and low power consumption, corrosion resistance, and good low temperature resistance have become the basic requirements of agricultural sensors
.
In addition, some agricultural producers are limited by the level of operation of the instrument, and agricultural sensor parts should try to choose products that are simple in installation, convenient to carry, good in stability and short in calibration cycle
.

"The new generation of sensor technology involves a lot of content, not a single discipline and major can be completed alone, it requires multi-disciplinary joint research
.
" Wang Xiaoyan said
.

For example, Wang Xiaoyan said that to monitor the properties of animals and plants, it is possible to use hyperspectral images, fluorescence images, nanotechnology, 3D printing, etc.
; to monitor the cyclic movement of NPK, pathogens, microorganisms in soil, water, etc.
, it is It will be used in optoelectronics, materials science, microelectronics, and nanotechnology
.

"At the same time, one of the most critical factors restricting the entry of a new generation of sensors from the laboratory into the industry is also the rapid and stable detection, continuous and reliable monitoring, and the ability of the new generation of sensors to effectively integrate with the Internet of Things
.
" Wang Xiaochan said
.