Low-cost precision agriculture for sustainable farming using paper-based analytical devices

Abstract

The United Nations estimates that by 2030, agricultural production must increase by 70% to meet food demand. Precision agriculture (PA) optimizes production through efficient resource use, with soil fertility being crucial for nutrient supply. Traditional nutrient quantification methods are costly and time-consuming. This study introduces a rapid (15 min), user-friendly, paper-based platform for determining four essential macronutrients—nitrate, magnesium, calcium, and ammonium—using colorimetric methods and a smartphone for data reading and storage. The sensor effectively detects typical soil nutrient concentrations, showing strong linearity and adequate detection limits. For nitrate, the RGB method resulted in an R² of 0.992, a detection range of 0.5 to 10.0 mmol L⁻¹, and an LOD of 0.299 mmol L⁻¹. Calcium quantification using grayscale displayed an R² of 0.993, a detection range of 2.0 to 6.0 mmol L⁻¹, and an LOD of 0.595 mmol L⁻¹. Magnesium was best quantified using the hue color space, with an R² of 0.999, a detection range of 1.0 to 6.0 mmol L⁻¹, and an LOD of 0.144 mmol L⁻¹. Similarly, ammonium detection using the hue color space had an R² of 0.988, a range of 0.5 to 2.5 mmol L⁻¹, and an LOD of 0.170 mmol L⁻¹. This device enhances soil fertility assessment accessibility, supporting PA implementation and higher food production.