Fiber-optic bundles for infrared spectral analysis of media. The fiber-optic bundles can be used in infrared probes configured to be inserted in media for in-situ characterization of the media. The fiber-optic bundles can include a plurality of optical fibers arranged in a spatial pattern at a sampling end of the bundle to improve a signal of infrared spectral measurements. In-situ probes of the present disclosure can be used for precision farming practices to improve soil health and increase crop yields.

A system may analyze agricultural materials. The system may include one or more inlets receiving the agricultural materials. The agricultural materials may be a slurry (e.g., soil slurry) including at least one solid and at least one liquid. The system may include a chamber configured to house the agricultural materials. The chamber may include a mixing device configured to mix the agricultural materials. The system may include a flow control device configured to stop the flow of the agricultural materials in a first state, or move the flow of the agricultural materials in a second state. The system may include an agricultural materials density device configured to determine the density of the agricultural materials when the flow of the agricultural materials is stopped in the first state and when the flow of the agricultural materials is moving in the second state.

The invention relates to a system for reducing down-leaching of nitrate to a region below a crop's roots zone, comprising: (a) an analysis unit for repeatedly determining a concentration level of nitrate at least at a region below the crop's roots zone, and recording the nitrate concentration levels: (b) a controller configured to: (i) receive a recent record of the nitrate concentration level below the roots zone and at least one previous record of concentration level, and determine a rate of change between the recent and previous records: and (ii) based on the rate of nitrate concentration change, activating fertigation and irrigation in times and periods that minimize the down-leaching of nitrate to below the roots zone: wherein the system comprises at least one water-sample collecting sensor positioned below the crop's roots zone that transfers the sample to the analysis unit.

A system may analyze agricultural materials. The system may include one or more inlets receiving the agricultural materials. The agricultural materials may be a slurry (e.g., soil slurry) including at least one solid and at least one liquid. The system may include a chamber configured to house the agricultural materials. The chamber may include a mixing device configured to mix the agricultural materials. The system may include a flow control device configured to stop the flow of the agricultural materials in a first state, or move the flow of the agricultural materials in a second state. The system may include an agricultural materials density device configured to determine the density of the agricultural materials when the flow of the agricultural materials is stopped in the first state and when the flow of the agricultural materials is moving in the second state.

An automated computer-controlled sampling system and related methods for collecting, processing, and analyzing agricultural samples for various chemical properties such as plant available nutrients. The sampling system allows multiple samples to be processed and analyzed for different analytes or chemical properties in a simultaneous concurrent or semi-concurrent manner. Advantageously, the system can process soil samples in the as collected condition without drying or grinding first to produce a sample slurry. The system includes a multi-layered microfluidic manifold chemical analysis substrate configured to provide a temperature-compensated concentration of analytes or other chemical properties associated with the sample. The system utilizes a programmable controller, temperature sensor, and absorbance measurement device for that purpose. The system can be used to analyze various type of agricultural-related samples including soil, vegetation, manure, milk or other.

A sample processing and analyzing device for soil analysis in a karst area comprises a mounting unit, a processing unit arranged on the mounting unit, and an analyzing unit arranged on the mounting unit and connected with the processing unit through a feeding unit. The design of the damping component can control the grinding force to avoid sample crushing. The installation disc can be effectively clamped by the second axial moving component to move the sample position according to the grinding requirements, facilitating step-by-step polishing. The feeding unit sends the sample to the analysis unit through a conveyor belt for effective analysis. The sample processing and analyzing device can effectively process a soil concretion sample into a sample for analysis, has the advantages of easy operation, high degree of automation and high efficiency, and is suitable for mass popularization.

A system may analyze agricultural materials. The system may include one or more inlets receiving the agricultural materials. The agricultural materials may be a slurry (e.g., soil slurry) including at least one solid and at least one liquid. The system may include a chamber configured to house the agricultural materials. The chamber may include a mixing device configured to mix the agricultural materials. The system may include a flow control device configured to stop the flow of the agricultural materials in a first state, or move the flow of the agricultural materials in a second state. The system may include an agricultural materials density device configured to determine the density of the agricultural materials when the flow of the agricultural materials is stopped in the first state and when the flow of the agricultural materials is moving in the second state.

A system for sensing water status in soil includes a porous material selected for actively proliferating root growth and a water status sensor that is hydraulically coupled to the porous material. The porous material is configured to have an area of at least 0.025 m.sup.2.

A soil testing device includes a housing, a display unit, and at least one sensor assembly. The display unit is disposed on the housing. The at least one sensor assembly is rotatably connected to the housing, and the at least one sensor assembly is electrically connected to the display unit. The at least one sensor assembly is configured to insert into soil and output an electrical signal corresponding to a soil parameter, and the display unit is configured to display a value of the soil parameter corresponding to the electrical signal output by the at least one sensor assembly.

This is an approach to the prediction of soil density and subsoil crop growth. The approach may include subsoil sensor which can monitor changes in soil pressure and moisture conditions. The sensor data can be sent to a computer module which can process the data using a machine learning model predicting the soil density around a subsoil crop and the yield of the subsoil crop. A soil maintenance plan can be generated from the soil density prediction and/or the crop yield prediction. The soil maintenance plan can be sent to soil management robots, which can execute the soil maintenance plan.