New Device Lets Plants Talk (I’m thirsty!) June 29, 2009Posted by David in Uncategorized.
Here’s an excerpt from an article in the online journal IEEE Spectrum about using technology to save water AND energy in agricultural irrigation. Will our houseplants be Tweeting next?
New Device Lets Plants Talk. Smart sensors let crops text-message growers for more water.
BY Willie Jones // May 2009
Although technology has benefited agriculture in a number of ways, there are some things that growers still do the old-fashioned way. Among them is putting their hands and other measuring devices in the dirt and judging, based on how moist the soil is, whether their crops need water and how much should be added. But AgriHouse, an agricultural technology firm based in Berthoud, Colo., says it is marketing a new device that can eliminate irrigation guesswork by letting plants call growers via cellular networks to indicate when they need a drink. To be specific, the plants send text messages alerting growers if their water uptake is too little, too much, or just right.