New Smart Crop-Monitoring Platform Alerts Farmers & Growers About Their Crops

    Researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center have created a crop phenotyping station called the PheNode. The plant scientists have formed a startup company, Agrela Ecosystems, to launch their technology. The customizable system is a ‘smart’, farm-ready, solar-powered environmental sensor and phenotyping station for crops. Its modular sensors and cameras take real-time measurements of temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, rainfall, air quality, wind speed, light quantity and quality, soil moisture, soil temperature, pH and nutrient composition. The data is managed through the company’s app! The PheNode sends real-time data to the user’s cell phone or tablet. The PheNode is part of the Saint Louis Science Center’s GROW Exhibit.