Systems and methods for monitoring and assessing crop health and performance can provide rapid screening of individual plants. The systems and methods have an automated component, and rely primarily on the detection and interpretation of plant-based signals to provide information about crop health. In some cases knowledge from human experts is captured and integrated into the automated crop monitoring systems and methods. Predictive models can also be developed and used to predict future health of plants in a crop.

This disclosure sets forth systems and techniques that trace plant provenance and determine a likelihood of plant spoilage within a plant growth operation. Particularly, a plant health monitoring system may monitor and record plant growth data of one or more individual plants during a plant life cycle from germination through to harvest. The plant growth data may include data relating to environmental conditions that surround the individual plants, and plant-specific data drawn from time-lapse images captured during the plant life cycle. A plant grower may use the time-lapse image data to identify changes in plant structure that indicate the degree of health of an individual plant, or the encompassing batch of plants. Further, a plant grower may use the plant growth data to generate one or more financial instruments that may be distributed to one or more financial institutions as support for securing capital to fund the plant growth operation.

The present disclosure provides for an electronic sensor for detecting a root of a plant in soil, the electronic sensor that includes a first conductor plate configured to be disposed in soil, a switch, a power supply, and signal extractor. The switch is electrically coupled to the first conductor plate and is configured to switch between a first mode and a second mode. The power supply is electrically coupled to the switch and is configured to provide an electrical charge to the first conductor plate in the first mode of the switch. The signal extractor is electrically coupled to the switch and is configured to extract a signal response at the first conductor plate in the second mode of the switch. The present disclosure further provides a second conductor plate configured to be disposed in soil adjacent to and substantially parallel to the first conductor plate. The second conductor plate is electrically coupled to ground.

Systems and methods for monitoring and assessing crop health and performance can provide rapid screening of individual plants. The systems and methods have an automated component, and rely primarily on the detection and interpretation of plant-based signals to provide information about crop health. In some cases knowledge from human experts is captured and integrated into the automated crop monitoring systems and methods. Predictive models can also be developed and used to predict future health of plants in a crop.

Systems and methods for monitoring and assessing crop health and performance can provide rapid screening of individual plants. The systems and methods have an automated component, and rely primarily on the detection and interpretation of plant-based signals to provide information about crop health. In some cases knowledge from human experts is captured and integrated into the automated crop monitoring systems and methods. Predictive models can also be developed and used to predict future health of plants in a crop.

An information processing apparatus configured to display results of measurement for a plurality of items about an agricultural crop as a graph, acquires measurement information including an item for which the measurement is performed and a measured value obtained by the measurement, acquires information about a reference value set for each of the plurality of items, performs conversion of the measured value into a display coordinate value on a graph for each of the plurality of items to make reference values agree with each other on the graph, and displays a graph including a plurality of pieces of series data corresponding to the respective plurality of items and having display coordinate values converted by the conversion unit, and an index indicating the reference values for the plurality of items.

An information processing apparatus configured to display results of measurement for a plurality of items about an agricultural crop as a graph, acquires measurement information including an item for which the measurement is performed and a measured value obtained by the measurement, acquires information about a reference value set for each of the plurality of items, performs conversion of the measured value into a display coordinate value on a graph for each of the plurality of items to make reference values agree with each other on the graph, and displays a graph including a plurality of pieces of series data corresponding to the respective plurality of items and having display coordinate values converted by the conversion unit, and an index indicating the reference values for the plurality of items.

A biological lighting system to provide temporally- and spatially-modulated photon flux output and spectral power distributions to plants on a circadian and circannual basis, or circadian and life cycle basis, to maximize effective and efficient growth in a horticultural setting. The photon flux or irradiance output and the spectral power distribution are modulated to match circadian and circannual rhythms, with individual or multiple luminaires controlled through one or more controllers. Different lighting spectra can be employed depending on the direction of illumination. The photon flux or irradiance output and the spectral power distribution may be set as best suited for any particular plant species, and the system is also useful for raising animals.

Systems, techniques, and devices for detecting plant biometrics, for example, plants in a crop field. An imaging device of an unmanned vehicle may be used to generate a plurality of images of the plants, and the plurality of images may be used to generate a 3D model of the plants. The 3D model may define locations and orientations of leaves and stems of plants. The 3D model may be used to determine at least one biometric parameter of at least one plant in the crop. Such detection of plant biometrics may facilitate the automation of crop monitoring and treatment.

The present invention generally relates to detecting a root of a plant in soil. An exemplary system comprises a support structure configured to be at least partially disposed in the soil; an LED unit affixed to the support structure, wherein the LED unit comprises an emitter and a detector, wherein the emitter is configured to produce a plurality of outgoing light signals, wherein the detector is configured to receive a plurality of returned light signals corresponding to the plurality of outgoing light signals, and wherein each of the plurality of returned light signals comprises at least a portion of the corresponding outgoing light signal reflected from at least one of the soil and the root; and a microprocessor configured to detect a presence of the root based on the plurality of returned light signals.