Design and development of prototypes of fiber optic sensors for soil nutrients detection and ph for application in precision agriculture

• Grant number: 19/22968-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: January 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Jonas Fontes Garcia
• Grantee: Jonas Fontes Garcia
• Company: Luxtec Sistemas Ópticos Ltda
• CNAE: Atividades de apoio à agricultura ; Atividades de apoio à produção florestal
• City: Campinas
• Associated research grant(s): 23/06990-4 - Project and Development of Fiber Optic Sensor Prototypes for Soil Nutrient and pH Detection for Precision Agriculture Applications., AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/12210-9 - Design and development of prototypes of fiber optic sensors for soil nutrients detection and pH for application in Precision Agriculture, BP.PIPE

Abstract

In this project, we intend to develop a colorimeter based on multimode optical fibers to determine the values of N, P and K in soil samples as well as their pH, by performing the colorimetric measurement of the aqueous solution of the same. The color sensor is based on the principle of the selective absorption of certain wavelengths of light by the solution. The sensor probe along with signal processing circuits will be constructed to detect the amount of the deficient component in the soil and thus guide the fertilization with the required amount of fertilizer and pH correction. The cost of this colorimeter is two orders of magnitude less than that of a commercial. All these advantages allow a low-cost detection operation and good accuracy in a monitoring network. The colorimeter to be developed has excellent prospects for applications in precision, environmental and biological agriculture. (AU)