Being able to identify crop problems early can make the difference between saving a crop and losing it, but high-tech solutions can be costly. An interdisciplinary team of researchers thinks a new approach leveraging existing technology may be part of the solution. Specifically, NC State researchers in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering are launching an inexpensive camera system that can monitor crop stress remotely.
The StressCam system—constructed from parts that cost about $150—is based around a Raspberry Pi. A Raspberry Pi is a tiny, inexpensive and easily-programed computer originally designed for teaching computer science.
The tiny WiFi-enabled computer includes a camera for taking pictures of a field and is hooked up to a timer that turns the system on in the morning and off in the evening, Ramos-Giraldo said. For corn, the camera is mounted at a 90-degree angle over the field and takes photos every 30 minutes to watch for curling leaves. For soybeans, the camera is mounted at a 45-degree angle over the field and takes photos every 15 minutes to watch for wilting. The system is solar powered, with a back-up battery for cloudy days.