Fruitful Drinking

It’s what tomatoes everywhere have been thirsting after

A smart irrigation sensor that gives plants only as much to drink as they need can increase tomato yields by more than 40 percent. The sensor has been developed by Yehoshua Sharon and Ben-ami Bravdo at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s faculty of agriculture in Rehovot, Israel. The researchers say that their system not only increases the yield of crops, but it also dramatically reduces water usage by up to 60 percent for some crops.
At the heart of the system is an electronic sensor that clips onto a plant leafy and measure its thickness to an accuracy of 1 micrometer. a leaf thickness is dependent on the amount of water in a plat, says Sharon. a healthy leaf is 60 percent water. a thin leaf is a sure sign that the plant is suffering stress because it is thirsty, and stress is bad for yields.
The sensor consists of two plates one fixed and the other spring loaded which together the leaf. The moving plate is connected to a small computer that regulates the voltage in an electronically circuit the plate moves causing a change in the voltage. This signal is fed to a processor that adjusts the plant’s water supply.
Unlike conventional irrigation systems which water crops periodically the Iseraeli system waters the plants continuity but adjusts the flow to the plant’s needs. The idea is to give the plant the proper amount of water at the correct time, according to what the plant requires, say Sharon.
Field studies show the system incerease the yield of several crops while reducing consumption of water. Yields of graceful increases by 15 percent while needing 40 percent less water. For peppers, the yield rose by 50 percent. Tomato plants yielded 40 percent more fruit while consuming 35 percent less water.
He admits that the system has to be very reliable if it so to be effective. Because the plants are watered continuously they are more to sudden changes in water supply. This means our system has to operate very reliable.
Th researchers have founded a company called Leafsen to sell the new irrigation system, and they hope to start marketing it within the next few months.