The underground tiles that drain farm fields can release water into remote and shallow waterways. It’s not always easy to get out there with equipment to sample and test for agricultural chemicals such as nitrate.
Improving testing capabilities is important for managing nitrate levels in drinking water, which are federally regulated, and in waterways where nitrates can contribute to marine dead zones.
“Lab-on-a-drone” technology, as described in a recent paper published by the scientific journal ACS (American Chemical Society) Sensors, can quickly fly to those remote drain outlets in agricultural watersheds and, within 7 minutes, collect a water sample with a pump and hose, run the sample through a sensing system, record accurate nitrate levels, flush the sample and fly on to the next test 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, a professor of mechanical engineering. (See sidebar for the full research team.)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture is supporting the project with a three-year, $590,000 grant. The U.S. National Science Foundation and Iowa State’s Digital and Precision Agriculture Applications program also provided support.
Looking for a new way
Claussen said members of the research team, including some who study water quality, wondered if drones could be an effective way to access and test remote waterways that are difficult to reach in person or by boat due to marshy terrain, low water levels or physical obstructions.
Source : iastate.edu