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Motivation:
Measuring Plant Health through Moisture Content
The goal of this project was to design a method that allowed a scientist or hobbyist to measure relative moisture content of a plant with low-cost materials. Moisture content is an important factor in terms of plant health, and the amount of research attempting to quantify plant health using non-invasive methods is growing quickly. Many studies and research papers have suggested that resistance and capacitance of wood/plant materials decrease with increased moisture, which in turn led the team to base their approach on measuring relative impedance of a plant and relating it to its moisture content.
Story:
The Botanical Sensor Experiment
After researching surrounding literature, the team began an experiment using electric impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methodology. They used the open-source tool NanoVNA, a handheld, open-source vector network analyzer, to gather their data. They developed custom electrode attachments and connected them to several plants to study over the course of several days. After gathering relevant data from these methods, the team noted that their results were inconclusive, but they encourage further research in this area.
Research Paper on the Sensor Experiment
This paper is a summary of the team’s attempt to sense plant health using a NanoVNA to measure impedance. It was written by Bene Skirde under the supervision of Robert L. Read with help from Lawrence Kincheloe.
Related Open-Source Projects
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