Partnership Seeds Two Agricultural Sensor Projects

A new partnership among NC State University’s Institute for Connected Sensor Systems, N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative and Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science has provided seed funding for two interdisciplinary research projects aimed at using sensors to advance agriculture.

One project involves creating a system that would overcome obstacles for generating solar energy on crop fields, and the other involves using field robots, sensors and stereo imaging to detect and measure vegetables that grow underground without disturbing them.

As N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative Executive Director Adrian Percy explained, the Institute for Connected Sensor Systems (IConS) and the N.C. PSI planned to award just one entry from their request for proposals for multimodal sensor projects in agriculture, but reviewers were particularly impressed by each of the two projects. That’s when the Kenan Institute stepped in to help with funding.

“We’re grateful for the seed funding provided by both IConS and the Kenan Institute for exemplary interdisciplinary projects,” Percy said. “This seed funding incentivizes researchers around problem-solving topics and will help them get started while they seek additional funding to carry out their projects.”

Solving problems, creating opportunities for farmers

Lauren Maynard, N.C. PSI’s project launch director, said the request for proposals was designed to help researchers identify partners who can offer translatable state-of-the-art sensor solutions for agricultural applications.

Raj Narayan, the Kenan Institute’s associate director, called the projects innovative and reflective of an institute’s mission of developing compelling partnerships.

The projects “will bring together scientific experts from various disciplines at NC State working collaboratively to improve the vitality and sustainability of our agricultural resources,” he added.  “The research supported exemplifies NC State’s ‘Think and Do’ approach toward addressing enduring problems and will have a positive impact on our environment and economy.”

Creating synergy with agrovoltaics

Through one of the winning projects, Agrivoltaics Synergy: Maximizing Agricultural Potential and Energy Harvest Via Solar Splitting, five researchers are exploring a solution to challenges that come with using solar farms in crop fields. Conventional solar panels impede plant growth because they block the sunlight that plants need to convert carbon dioxide into water and plant nutrients.

The researchers, led by principal investigator Ricardo Hernandez of the Department of Horticultural Science, plan to build and test devices that allow plants to get the photosynthetically active radiation they need while capturing near infrared wavelengths to generate electricity. If successful, their system would allow farmers to produce both crops and clean energy at the same time, in the same fields.

Other project team members are Michael Kudenov of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Chris Reberg-Horton of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Brendan O’Connor of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Andrea Monteza of N.C. PSI and Mark Hoffmann of the Department of Horticultural Science.

Sensing and measuring underground crops

The other project is designed to assess the status of vegetables growing under ground; estimate yield without having to dig them up; and track plant growth at different stages.

According to the proposal, the research “will provide invaluable insights for researchers and farmers in decision-making, ultimately improving overall crop yield and contributing to sustainable agriculture.”

Principal investigators for the tuber project include Wenye Wang of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Lirong Xiang of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and Ruozhou Yu of the Department of Computer Science.

Support for graduate students and more

The two winning project teams each received funding for a yearlong graduate research assistantship, with the possibility of extending the assistantship to two years, depending on funding availability, plus $6,000 for materials and supplies.

In addition, the N.C. PSI has pledged to support the teams in launching their project and developing future proposals, providing them with priority use of N.C. PSI resources, including the makerspace, greenhouse and growth chambers; and assisting with research computing and data and education and outreach programs.

Meanwhile, IConS will offer the teams support for proposal writing, use of a prototyping lab and pursuing translational technology development or industry partnerships. The teams can also request undergraduate student support. 

IConS co-directors Michael Daniele and Alper Bozkurt said that these seed grants are great examples of how research in sensors and sensing systems impacts fundamental strengths at NC State, such as engineering, agriculture and plant sciences.

“At IConS, we plan for additional partnerships with PSI and connect with other organizations at NC State to enable our researchers to develop cutting-edge solutions that enhance innovation and promote a sustainable future for the state, nation and the world,” Daniele said.