Current sensors are not good enough. Scientists propose a new way to monitor plant health

Although modern agriculture needs to be based on accurate real-time data on soil, plant, and environmental conditions, affordable, sufficiently sensitive, and robust monitoring devices for this purpose are currently missing. According to scientists, low-cost sensors based on new smart materials and printing technologies offer a suitable solution. The results of multidisciplinary research thus far and proposals for the development of these devices have been presented by researchers from Czechia, Great Britain, Spain, and the USA in a review article in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

“Sensor technologies for monitoring plant health are still in their infancy. Only simple sensors capable of monitoring basic parameters such as pH, soil moisture, or temperature are commonly available on the market. However, if farmers are to face current challenges, including climate change, and ensure sufficient food for humanity, they need much more effective tools that will enable them to monitor, for example, various pathogens, including bacteria and fungi. In our opinion, a suitable solution is a combination of new smart materials and printing for the production of inexpensive, durable, and scalable materials,” said the article’s first author, David Panáček from CATRIN, who worked on the study during his internship at Imperial College London.