Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID ND_2023_Dey_2

Towards a Low-cost, Pervasive Metasurface-based Dielectric Resonator Wireless Soil Salinity and Moisture Sensing System for Precision Agriculture  

Institute: North Dakota
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2024-05-20 End Date: 2024-08-24
Total Federal Funds: $2,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $2,782

Principal Investigators: Shuvashis Dey

Project Summary: North Dakota relies heavily on agriculture, making water a precious commodity. Both the quantity and quality of water in the soil must be monitored to ensure successful agriculture. Soil salinity refers to the concentration of dissolved minerals in soil water, while soil moisture refers to the total amount of water in the soil. To better plan for irrigation and planting, farmers need to know how much water is in the soil. However, soil salinity can reduce crop yields by limiting water uptake by plant roots, which can lead to dried plant, and by hindering nitrogen uptake by plants. Hence, the development and production of crops can be negatively affected. To address these issues, a metasurface-based dielectric resonator-based wireless soil salinity and moisture sensing system is proposed for precision agriculture.