SBIR Phase I: Water potential probe for real-time, spatially resolved measurements of water potential in precision agriculture

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will provide farmers with water status measurements that are unprecedented with respect to spatial and temporal resolution, cost, and ease-of-use. In a first market - precision agriculture - the hardware and associated services will provide an invaluable guide to agronomic practice, from site selection and the definition of cropping strategies, to the management of irrigation, and through to the timing of harvest. Domestically, water sensing for precision agriculture represents a potential market of $1 billion. The technology and methods developed under this award will create value for the customer by reducing the cost of inputs (water), by maximizing product yield and quality, and by improving reliability. The technology developed under this program will be ready for beta-testing and initial sales. Further, it will provide a foundation for the development of a suite of services tailored to support the decision-making of the customer with respect to water management. On a societal level, this technology will help customers improve food security, manage water resources with respect to both consumption and pollution, minimize the impacts of weather and climate variability, and improve the economics of their businesses and regions. The intellectual merit of this project leverages a laboratory breakthrough: the ability to manipulate liquid water at negative pressure as plants do to form a sensor of drought stress. This biomimetic approach builds on a series of innovations in material science, microfabrication, and micro and nano-fluidic design by the investigators. This project will address outstanding design and manufacturing challenges to optimize the sensor for use across all agricultural contexts. The key advances relate to microelectromechanical design and the engineering of nano-structured materials within an integrated sensing platform. Additional challenges that will be addressed relate to understanding the physics of water transfer and uptake from soils in order to define best practice in the evaluation of water stress for irrigation management. Successful completion of these tasks will allow for commercialization of the sensor and build a foundation for continued innovation in tools and services for water management in agriculture and other markets. The new tools and understanding generated under this award will also support developments in plant science, ecophysiology, geotechnical engineering, and industrial processes related to food, advanced materials, and biotechnology.