Farming can often include high-risk and low-profit margins and uncertainty around plant growth—especially in years with volatile growth conditions. 

Researchers are experimenting with high-throughput automated plant phenotyping, a technology that reduces risks and increases the profits of farming. Part of that technology includes ToughSonic® ultrasonic distance sensors by Senix.

The Study

A Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln used ToughSonics and other sensors to determine whether automated, non-contact measurements of crops early in the growing season would relate to end-of-season crop yields. 

Tests were initially conducted in the 2015 season to measure crop canopy height, or how tall soybean and wheat plants were. Other sensors were used to measure the “Normalized Difference Vegetation Index," temperature, reflectance and RGB color.

The Outcome

In summary, strong and significant correlations were observed between various types of non-contact sensor data taken early in the growing season and the eventual crop yields at the end of the season.

"The Senix sensor worked well for us," said Yufeng Ge, a research team member and assistant professor. "I found it robust and reliable for the plant height measurements in our applications." 

Professor Ge says similar plant growth research was done in the two years following the original study, and that they will continue expanding to include corn, sorghum, and camelina in future studies. 

The Future

Agricultural equipment manufacturers are now discussing using Senix ToughSonic sensors to measure crop canopies in real-time while rolling through fields. 

“Precision agriculture” is the process of the right amount of fertilizer and water to small individual sections of a field—and in some cases, down to individual plants—based on real-time crop measurements. 

Senix is proud to be a part of this agricultural technology, reducing risks and increasing profits for farmers.

For more information on how Senix can help with your application, contact us at info@senix.com or click here.