Development of polymer modified ATR-FTIR sensing platform for anions relevant to soil health

Soil moisture is a critical parameter in precision agriculture, which requires timely adjustments in the soil water resource management. Optimization of fertilizer and seed placement only result in producing improved yield if soil moisture is sufficient. Conventional soil monitoring techniques allows one-time soil sampling which are returned
to the laboratory for soil fertility assessments and these assessments used to inform precision agriculture adjustments. State of art soil moisture sensors assesses soil properties such as electrical resistance, dielectric constant, or interaction with neutrons as proxy for the moisture content. The accuracy of these sensors is questionable since the measured property and soil moisture may vary depending on various environmental factors such as soil type, temperature, and salinity. Soil salinity and sodicity management is another key part of soil water resource management. Increases in sodium or potassium contents lead to decreases in soil structure, impeding drainage and reducing crop yield. Reliable soil sensors with high temporal fidelity are necessary to optimize irrigation amounts and timing for precision farming.
This project proposes to develop polymer-based receptors that are selective to ions responsible to salinity in soil. ATR-IR spectroscopy is an ideal technique to characterise polymeric films.

Faculty Supervisor:

Ian Burgess

Student:

Partner:

LiORA

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Agriculture and Food; Advanced Manufacturing

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program: