Greenhouse Monitoring with Biocompatible Humidity Sensor for Smart Farming

For increasing and sustainable food production, smart farming requires cost-efficient, miniaturized sensors and sensor nodes. Especially early detection and prevention of diseases can reduce the use of plant protection products. Leaf wetness and microclimate sensors detect essential parameters for decision-making. However, the current state-of-the-art sensors are big, bulky, and mimic the leaf properties. In this work, we present miniaturized leaf wetness sensors that can be attached directly to the leaf and measure the real leaf properties. We integrated the miniaturized sensor and application specific integrated circuit to a Raspberry Pi system and tested the system in a research greenhouse. The result proves the working principle of the developed miniaturized biocompatible sensor technology under relevant conditions.