An Ultra-Low-Cost Active Multispectral Crop Diagnostics Device

A multispectral imaging system is presented, using components that will support its deployment within the world of small-holder agriculture. An active narrowband illumination setup was selected, which allowed a low-cost broadband image sensor to be used. The preliminary set-up has been demonstrated with droughted tomato plants as a proof of concept. The results demonstrated a 5, 28 and 90% deterioration after day 1, 2 and 3 respectively; calculated by the disease/water stress index. Initial analysis showed that for specific applications the device be used in lieu of high-cost diffraction gratings, however additional innovation is required to negate unwanted sensing phenomena.