LEAF

Focus of our collaboration is the development and implementation of a novel portable electrochemical sensor platform, specifically designed for use on plant leaves. This represents a significant advance in precision agriculture and plant monitoring and jump starts Smart Farming for our industrial partners. At the heart of this innovation is a polymer-based receptor system. These receptors offer a high degree of selectivity and enable continuous real-time measurements of critical chemical properties directly at the plant level. Unlike conventional monitoring instruments, which often rely on delayed or indirect measurements, this sensor provides immediate insights into plant physiology, allowing farmers and researchers to detect subtle changes in health, stress or nutrient status before visible symptoms emerge. This early detection capability is designed to open up new avenues for efficient resource management, optimized cultivation practices, and overall more sustainable crop production.
The project is being led by a diverse consortium of two leading research institutions and several commercial partners. This collaborative approach brings together expertise in various fields: advanced materials science and sensor technology from the academic partners, artificial intelligence and machine learning methods for big data analysis, state-of-the-art solutions for wireless data transmission, and in-depth horticultural knowledge from industrial partners. By bringing together these complementary skills, the consortium aims to develop robust, scalable and user-friendly sensor products readily available for market applications. It directly meets the demands of modern farming while remaining adaptable and expandable to a wide range of crops in the future.