Industries in Depth

Infrared technology is helping farmers to keep their crops hydrated

Field of ripe wheat ready for harvesting is seen in Corn, Oklahoma, U.S., June 12, 2019.  REUTERS/Nick Oxford - RC1DC4482AD0

A hot plant is an early warning sign of an under-watered, unhealthy plant, which makes monitoring crop temperatures a priority for many farmers. Image: REUTERS/Nick Oxford - RC1DC4482AD0

A hot plant is an early warning sign of an under-watered, unhealthy plant, which makes monitoring crop temperatures a priority for many farmers. But to do so, they need the right equipment.

Infrared cameras can detect heat and convert it into an image, but they’re large, unwieldy, and expensive. Infrared sensors are less expensive, but they don’t provide images, which makes accurate monitoring difficult for medium and large-sized fields.

Now, researchers have developed a new approach that provides precise, visual crop temperature data at a lower cost. Combining a regular digital camera with a miniature infrared camera into a specially engineered structure, the system can provide both temperature data and detailed images, giving farmers a large amount of information about their crops.

An image from the digital camera is combined with one from the miniature infrared camera to form a complete picture of the temperature of an area of crops.
An image from the digital camera is combined with one from the miniature infrared camera to form a complete picture of the temperature of an area of crops. Image: U. Missouri

“Using an infrared camera to monitor crop temperature can be tricky because it is difficult to differentiate between the plants and background elements like soil or shade,” says Ken Sudduth, an adjunct professor of bioengineering at the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and an agricultural engineer for the US Department of Agriculture.

“By augmenting a miniature infrared camera with a digital camera, we created a system that can examine crop temperatures with great detail and accuracy.”

Have you read?

As reported in Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, the cameras together produce two distinct images of the same area: a visually detailed photograph and an infrared image. The setup, called the Multi-band System for Imaging of a Crop Canopy, allows farmers to identify problem areas from the digital camera images and analyze those areas with infrared images that map temperature to light intensity.

Coupled with an algorithm that automatically filters soil, shade, and other non-plant presences from the images, the camera system would allow farmers to precisely irrigate their crops according to the specific needs of individual plants, maximizing yields and optimizing water use without requiring the purchase of more expensive infrared cameras.

“Medium-scale farmers have big fields, but they don’t always have the funds for expensive monitoring equipment,” Sudduth says. “Our system allows for precision monitoring over a large area for a more manageable cost. That’s good for farmers who can earn a bigger profit, and it’s good for everyone who depends on their crops.”

The system needs more fine-tuning before it can be sold to farmers, and future iterations could incorporate drones for increased versatility.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Innovation

Related topics:
Industries in DepthEmerging TechnologiesFourth Industrial Revolution
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Innovation is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Why having low-carbon buildings also makes financial sense

Guy Grainger

September 18, 2024

Microplastics: Are we facing a new health crisis – and what can be done about it?

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum