The NC State Plant Sciences Initiative (PSI) is implementing the Multimodal Sensors in Agriculture program as part of its Connecting2Grow effort. This is an outgrowth of the prior GRIP4PSI effort which was previously supported by KIETS. Led by Adrian Percy (PSI Executive Director), Prof. Cranos Williams (PSI Platform Director) and Lauren Maynard (PSI Interdisciplinary Project Launch Director), this project extends and amplifies the collaboration and support between the PSI and the Institute for Connected Sensor Systems (IConS). This collaborative initiative supports proposals from faculty to provide multimodal sensor solutions for monitoring agricultural systems that can contribute to advancing sustainable agriculture practices, improving yield, and reducing the negative impact of extreme environmental conditions. KIETS support complements funding being provided by the PSI and IConS to support two graduate research assistantships over a period of two years. PSI and IConS are also committing critical infrastructure, including support for research computing and data management, education & extension programming development, proposal development, innovative/industry engagement, and project launch support. Projects currently supported include the following:
- Non-Invasive Detection and Measurements of Underground Tuber Plants with Radio-Frequency Signals and Stereo Imaging; PIs: Wenye Wang (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Lirong Xiang (Biological and Agricultural Engineering) and Ruozhou Yu (Computer Science); This project has the potential to revolutionize environmental and agricultural sciences by developing a new platform for automated, non-invasive underground sensing, which could lead to advancements in plant breeding, growth monitoring, and resource management. The integration of RF sensing and ground robotics aims to create a flexible and scalable underground sensing platform, fostering innovation and potentially generating new applications across diverse fields like geology, biology, and disaster relief.
- Agrivoltaics Synergy: Maximizing Agricultural Potential and Energy Harvest Via Solar Splitting; PIs: Ricardo Hernández (Horticulture); Michale Kudenov (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Brendan O’Connor (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering); Chris Reberg-Horton (Computer Science); Andrea Monteza (PSI); Mark Hoffman (Horticulture); Central Crops Research Station. The spectral beam-splitting agrivoltaic system addresses the critical global challenge of balancing food security and renewable energy expansion by enabling simultaneous crop cultivation and solar energy production on the same land, thus promoting sustainable land use. By diversifying income streams for farmers through the dual harvest of crops and electricity, and by enhancing water-use efficiency and reducing yield variability, this technology has the potential to improve the economic stability and climate resilience of agricultural practices, particularly for small- to medium-scale growers. This project also successfully secured $50,000 from Cubico Sustainable Investments.