I-Corps: Monitoring trees for water stress via a smart sensing system

I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是发展一个传感系统，该系统可以在大尺度和小尺度上对树木健康和森林功能提供宝贵和持续的见解。该设备的市场范围将从个人到工业规模的农民，他们希望直接定制自动灌溉系统，以解决树木（例如，所有品种的树坚果，鳄梨，咖啡，水果等）经历压力或需要特定的水分条件来刺激开花或结果。其他用户可能包括寻求管理森林地区以评估野火点燃和蔓延可能性的政府和非政府组织，以及提供研究人员以了解森林对气候和干扰的反应的科学仪器公司。I-Corps项目的基础是开发一种智能传感系统，用于检测树木的水分压力，以响应当地的小气候。树木在不同强度和时间尺度上经历的水分胁迫往往与土壤湿度状况脱钩。提出的智能传感系统将标准气象观测与树内水流和含量的新测量相结合。该系统的特点是一个树木含水量传感器，能够连续监测树木木质部组织不同层内的水分。先前的实地研究表明，在干旱时期，某些物种的木质部组织不再活跃地输送水分，但仍可能作为水库。对树木水分储存的观察显示，它们有能力实时确定活植物体内水分压力的开始。此外，该传感系统收集的数据可以与遥感观测相结合，将预测范围从单株树木或果园扩展到整个地区，以开发野火着火潜力的预测。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a sensing system that may provide invaluable and continuous insights into tree health and forest function at both large and small scales. The market for this device will range from individual to industrial scale farmers wishing to tailor automated irrigation systems directly to address when trees (e.g., all varieties of tree nuts, avocado, coffee, fruits, etc.) experience stress or require specific moisture conditions to stimulate flowering or fruiting. Other users may include governments and non-government organizations (NGOs) seeking to manage forested regions to assess the potential for wildfire ignition and spread, as well as scientific instrumentation companies who supply researchers seeking to understand forest responses to climate and disturbances. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a smart-sensing system for the detection of water stress in trees in response to local microclimates. Trees experience water stress at different intensities and time scales that may often be decoupled from soil moisture status. The proposed smart sensing system combines standard meteorological observations with novel measurements of within-tree water flow and content. This system features a tree-water content sensor capable of continuously monitoring water within different layers of a tree’s xylem tissues. Prior field research has shown that xylem tissues that are no longer actively transporting water may still serve as a water reservoir during times of drought for some species. Observations of tree water storage have shown promise in their ability to pinpoint the onset of water stress within a living plant in real time. In addition, data collected by this sensing system may be combined with remote sensing observations to extend predictions from single trees or orchards to entire regions to develop predictions for wildfire ignition potential.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.