New Development in Physical, Chemical, and Biological Sensors for Precision Agriculture

Agriculture and forest are not only the primary source for food, but also a primary source for energy and engineering materials. Unfortunately, agriculture is also a great consumer of natural resources, such as water. As the population creases and living stand is continuously improved, the consumption of food and the need for energy continuously increases. At the same time, the available land for agriculture decreases. All these require the agricultural practice to be more efficient and productive. That is, the resources used in the agriculture practice should be minimized when the productivity is maximized. To reach goal, various sensors including physical, chemical, and biological sensors are required to monitor the living condition and the presence of hazard materials, pathogens, or insects. In this talk, honeybee is used for a case of study to illustrate the importance of these sensors for future agriculture.