IoT Enabled, Leaf Wetness Sensor on the Flexible Substrates for <i>In-Situ</i> Plant Disease Management

Early plant disease detection and providing the control measures have become highly desirable to improve crop yield. Leaf wetness duration (LWD) is one of essential parameters related development fungal on leaf canopy. To measured LWD, sensor (LWS) widely used. Commercially available LWS are made printed circuit board (PCB) technology, which has an operational issue during field deployment such as weight sensor, contact resistance between leaves, form factor most importantly, affordability. mitigate issues associated with commercially LWS, in this work, we fabricated in-house IoT-enabled affordable electronic flexible substrates, used for integrated management. Fabricated comprises interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) polyimide substrate. The lab measurement results indicate that substrates offers a response about 36000% when exposed water w.r.t air. observed time 10 seconds hysteresis ± 4 %. Further, capacitance changes only by 6% over temperature range from 20 °C 65 °C. Furthermore, three sensors developed internet things (IoT) enabled systems deployed Ocimum tenuiflorum (Tulsi) medical plant. Field indicates LWD using (Phytos 31:LWS-L12), METER Group, Inc. USA) shows absolute difference 30 minutes.