Camera data collection and modelling in CEA

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is moving towards innovative, remote monitoring instrumentation and artificial intelligence solutions that can predict and detect physiological plant characteristics that will improve crop yield. Creating a reliable plant health monitoring system is critical to oversee plant health, track growth rates/yield, and identify diseases, coupled with prevention strategies that safeguard crop integrity until harvest. In parallel, a surge of interest in food production in the aerospace sector has propelled innovative approaches to CEA for extended missions in space or on the Moon’s surface, including remote plant monitoring that will ensure robust crop production, mitigate plant disease spread and prevent contamination of food crops with human food-borne pathogens. The objective of this study is to design, build and test a camera system (modified and unmodified cameras) that will be installed in a growth chamber for a lunar agricultural module to evaluate and remotely monitor plant health and environmental conditions. After building the camera system, it will be tested using different plant species (oats, barley, canola, wild tobacco, medicinal plants, and others). These plants will be tested in situ to monitor plant growth and plant architecture. The collected data will be linked to develop an environmental plant growth model.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mark Lefsrud

Student:

Partner:

Canadensys Aerospace

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McGill University

Program: