cropsensor

A cropsensor is a device or system used in agriculture to measure properties related to crop health, growth, and the surrounding environment in order to support decision making in precision farming. The term encompasses both proximal sensors that operate near or within the crop canopy and remote sensing platforms that collect data from above, including drones and satellites.

Common cropsensor measurements include spectral reflectance in visible and near-infrared bands, chlorophyll content, leaf area index, and canopy temperature, as well as soil moisture, soil nutrients, and microclimate data. Proximal sensors include handheld chlorophyll meters, SPAD meters, soil moisture probes, and leaf wetness sensors, while airborne and satellite systems provide multispectral or hyperspectral imagery, thermal data, and sometimes LiDAR. Data products often include vegetation indices such as NDVI and EVI, as well as maps of soil moisture, nutrient status, and canopy temperature. These data support applications in irrigation scheduling, fertilizer management, stress detection, disease and pest monitoring, yield estimation, and plant phenotyping in breeding programs.

Deployment varies from handheld devices used by agronomists to mounted sensors on implements, and from drones to fixed field stations. Output is typically integrated with farm management software, GIS, or variable-rate application systems to guide site-specific interventions.

Limitations include cost, need for calibration and expertise, data interpretation challenges, weather dependence, and potential data privacy concerns.