<
https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/tia-researchers-developing-new-technology-called-quoll-that-can-sniff-soil-to-detect-its-quality-in-rapid-time/news-story/43fcd74587491600e886941084135f00?amp>
"A handful of farmers have seen first-hand how a new piece of technology can
provide “a rapid test of soil activity” in a field in Tasmania’s North-West.
University of Tasmania (UTAS) researchers at the Tasmanian Institute of
Agriculture’s (TIA) Ag Tech Innovation Centre have developed a soil sensor
called QUOLL.
TIA Research Engineer in Agriculture Simon Edwards said the device was recently
deployed at its Forthside Vegetable Research Facility for its first on-farm
trial.
Those in the agricultural industry were also invited to the facility to see the
technology in action and offered to host the device on their properties as part
of the trial.
“We’ve been developing an electronic nose called the QUOLL that can detect the
aroma of soil and provide a rapid test of soil activity,” Dr Edwards said.
“It can help farmers make informed decisions about how to best manage their
soil and be more productive and resilient to environmental changes.”
Dr Edwards said the device works by sampling gases in the soil and is fitted
with mini sensors that detect various compounds produced by biological
activity.
“It takes a sniff of the soil a couple of times each hour to collect data over
a few days that gives us an insight into what is happening in the soil.
“It’s fast and simple to use.
“It can reveal when changes in the soil are happening and give farmers the
opportunity to make an informed choice about land management practices.
“It removes the need to do soil testing and is easier, faster and hopefully
cheaper.”"
Via
Guardian Australia
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
