City Research Online

Abstract

In this study, we assess the appropriateness of tetrapolar bioimpedance needle plant sensors for interrogating the full plant stem and for differentiating between hydration (watering) and fertigation (feeding) events in herbaceous plants. Our sensor features a tetrapolar configuration of needle electrodes arranged in 'paired pairs'. The goal is to develop a bioimpedance-based sensor that automatically monitors watering and fertigation status in tomato plants, offering optimal performance, easy installation, and cost-effectiveness. We detail our design methodology using COMSOL FEM simulations to assess the needle geometry in terms of its ability to effectively interrogate the stem across its diameter. The tomato stem's bioimpedance was modelled as a lumped-impedance equivalent circuit, with R and C values computed from experimental data. The theoretical model indicated similar characteristics to those extracted experimentally. Experiments were carried out over 27 days with impedance magnitude and phase periodically monitored for ten frequencies, with the results clearly indicating watering and feeding events, which were accurately classified using a PCA-based clustering algorithm.

Publication Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Additional Information:	© 2025 IEEE. For the purpose of open access, the author(s) has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to any Accepted Manuscript version arising
Publisher Keywords:	plant sensor, plant wearable, bioimpedance, impedance, tetrapolar, cuff electrode, cable-tie cuff, flexible PCB
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science Q Science > QK Botany S Agriculture > SB Plant culture T Technology > T Technology (General) T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Optometry & Visual Science School of Science & Technology School of Science & Technology > Department of Engineering
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

Export

Downloads