Sensors

Sensors in Agriculture

A primer on sensors currently being used or developed in agriculture.

Today we are living in the “information age”. Use of important pieces of information to make better decision is crucial for success of any enterprise. Agricultural enterprises are no different. However, what makes things challenging in agriculture is the process of gathering information to make a better decision. A sensor, i.e. equipment to sense information remotely or in contact of an object, helps in this regard. Sensors have been used in agriculture for ages, for example, sensing soil moisture content, soil pH, compaction, greenness of a leaf, etc. However, what is different in today’s age and technology is sensing soil and crop properties in real-time, and making crop management decisions in real-time as a continuous process during various operations in a field. Such sensors are commonly called as “on-the-go” sensors.

There are a number of “on-the-go” sensors that are commercially available, and others that are under development or in the test phase. The most popular sensor being used today in agriculture is the “crop yield sensor”. Yield sensors have revolutionized the farmers’ perspective about the inherent variability that exists on their fields. They are fast becoming standard piece of equipment on grain combines. Like wise, sensors to quantify the differences in soil properties across a field using soil electrical conductivity meters are rapidly gaining popularity among farmers. Sensors to remotely assess the health of the crop throughout the growing season, are also available, and are being developed further for real-time applications.

This issue of our Extension Newsletter will give you a primer on various sensors that are commercially available and are currently being used in different parts of the country. Articles presented in this newsletter are from Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and therefore should give you a perspective on the use of sensors in agriculture in this region. Specific questions concerning site-specific farming, managing field variability, applicability of a particular sensor for your farming or consulting enterprise should be directed to Dr. Raj Khosla, Precision Agriculture Specialist, Colorado State University.

GPS equipped hand-held chlorophyll sensor

GPS equipped hand-held chlorophyll sensor to monitor in season nitrogen stress in corn.

Raj Khosla
Assistant Professor
Precision Agriculture
Extension Specialist
Colorado State University


FROM THE GROUND UP agronomy news is a monthly publication of Cooperative Extension, Department of Soil & Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. Web Site: http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/SoilCrop/extension/Newsletters/news.html The information in this newsletter is not copyrighted and may be distributed freely. Please give the original author the appropriate credit for their work.

Raj Khosla, Technical Editor Direct questions and comments to: Deborah Fields Phone: 970- 491-6201 Fax: 970-491-2758 e-mail: dfields@lamar.colostate.edu		Extension staff members are:
	Troy Bauder, Water Quality Mark Brick, Bean Production Joe Brummer, Forages Betsy Buffington, Pesticide Pat Byrne, Biotechnology Jessica Davis, Soils Jerry Johnson, Variety Testing		Raj Khosla, Precision Farming Sandra McDonald, Pesticide Calvin Pearson, New Crops James Self, Soil, Water & Plant Testing James R. Stanelle, Colorado Seed Growers Reagan Waskom, Water Resources


	Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Colorado counties cooperating. Cooperative Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. The information given herein is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Colorado State University Cooperative Extension is implied.