By Andi Anderson
Researchers have developed a new “lab-on-a-drone” system that can test nitrate levels in remote farm waterways quickly and efficiently.
Farm fields often use underground drainage tiles that release water into shallow or hard-to-reach waterways. Testing these locations is difficult using traditional equipment, making it challenging to monitor agricultural chemicals such as nitrate.
Accurate nitrate testing is important because high nitrate levels affect drinking water quality and contribute to marine dead zones. To address this issue, Iowa State University researchers designed a drone that can fly to remote drainage outlets, collect water samples, analyze nitrate levels, and move on within minutes.
As explained in a recent study published in the scientific journal ACS Sensors, the drone carries a small pump and hose system that collects water and sends it through a sensing device. Within about seven minutes, nitrate levels are recorded, the sample is flushed, and the drone continues to the next site.
“The user-friendly, cost-effective, and energy-efficient payload enables real-time sensing, allowing researchers to map nutrient concentrations and helping farmers determine whether fertilizer is being effectively retained in the field or lost to surrounding waterways – an evaluation critical for both economic and environmental sustainability,” wrote a team of Iowa State University researchers led by Jonathan Claussen.
The project is supported by a three-year, 590,000 dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Additional support came from the U.S. National Science Foundation and Iowa State’s Digital and Precision Agriculture Applications program.
Researchers began exploring drone use because many waterways are difficult to access due to mud, low water, or physical barriers. Engineering students helped design an early prototype that showed drones could both collect and analyze samples rather than only collecting water for later testing.
Michelle Soupir highlighted the benefits of this approach, saying, “This project has the potential to increase the resolution of water monitoring without the need to invest in expensive and stationary sensors.” She added, “The drone could allow sampling from sites that are difficult to access, especially during certain weather conditions.”
The sensing system uses specialized electrodes, custom membranes, and electronics built by university researchers. The total cost of the drone’s sensing equipment is less than 135 dollars.
Researchers believe the technology could later detect pesticides and bacteria. “Hence, we believe this lab-on-a-drone system can serve as the foundation for a versatile platform capable of supporting a wide range of real-time environmental monitoring applications in precision agriculture,” they wrote.
Claussen called the work “a new adventure for the lab,” marking an important step forward in agricultural innovation.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-seregalsv
Categories: Iowa, Equipment & Machinery