Precise and Continuous Biomass Measurement for Plant Growth Using a Low-Cost Sensor Setup.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Plant Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Accurate biomass measurement is crucial for optimizing plant production systems and enabling data-driven cultivation strategies.
• Traditional methods like destructive sampling are time-consuming, while image-based methods require frequent retraining and are sensitive to environmental changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a low-cost, load-cell-based biomass monitoring system for vertical farming.
• To provide tray-level biomass data for localized control and optimization, bridging the gap between plant-level and rack-level measurements.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a scalable, retrofittable load-cell sensor system at the growing tray level.
• Validation of the sensor's accuracy by comparing its measurements against manual harvest data.

Main Results:

• The load-cell system provides continuous and accurate biomass monitoring at the tray level.
• The system demonstrated high agreement with actual plant biomass, confirming its suitability for vertical farming.

Conclusions:

• The developed sensor offers a practical and robust solution for biomass monitoring in dynamic vertical farming environments.
• Tray-level biomass data enables finer control, layer-specific optimization, and anomaly detection, enhancing commercial and research applications.