MEA awarded $290,149 Commercialisation Australia Grant

South Australian based environmental monitoring specialists MEA is a step closer to helping farmers and commercial growers ‘listen to their plants’ after being awarded a $290,149 commercialisation grant for their innovative plant-based irrigation scheduling system.

The system is set to become a world first as it monitors the water stress of an individual plant or tree rather than the just the surrounding soil or growing environment and will be affordable and accessible to growers.

The Early Stage Commercialisation Grant has been awarded by Commercialisation Australia and will be used by MEA to develop the software and web integration to allow the data to be interpreted and transferred to the internet for use by the grower.

Funds will also be used for the design of the system assembly and housing to ensure delivery of a robust product.

MEA Engineering Director, Dr Andrew Skinner said the grant is a major endorsement of the potential of this technology to provide greater certainty to growers on the decisions they make about irrigation scheduling.

“Water is a precious and increasingly expensive resource and this technology has the potential to reduce the grower’s input costs and improve the quality of the plants or crops they’re growing,” said Dr Skinner.

“The potential cost saving for irrigators is significant. Savings can be made in the cost of water and energy, from reduced pumping costs. Longer term benefits from reduced soil salinity can also be achieved.

“It’s still early stages but we’re confident of being able to successfully commercialise the system.

“We’re now seeking research partners in Australia and overseas to test the technology and the data interpretation models being developed.”

For nearly 30 years, MEA has been producing environmental monitoring technologies including Soil Moisture Monitoring Systems but this will be the first time a company has developed and commercialised a plant-based irrigation scheduling system.

The product was originally developed with the support of a grant under AusIndustry’s Climate Ready Program. This funding supported the initial research and development and proof-of-concept stages.

The Plant Water Stress Sensor makes three basic measurements in order to determine “when to water”. 

The sensor’s tip is inserted into the water conducting tissue of the crop to measure sapflow and stored water content within the plant tissue. 

Another part of the sensor within the canopy measures the atmospheric demand that drives these changes in sapflow and stored water.  This vapour pressure deficit measurement combines the dryness and warmth of the air that affects evaporation from the leaf surfaces. 

Measurements which are made constantly over a 24 hour period are integrated into a single figure to provide a plant water stress indicator which is used to aid a grower’s decision about when to irrigate.   

The technical underpinning for the sensor’s development has come from Andrew Skinner’s PhD work on thermal diffusivity with additional advice drawn from CSIRO Scientists Dr Brian Loveys and Dr Everard Edwards.

The Plant Water Status Sensor will augment the MEA range of climate and soil moisture monitoring technologies by integrating into our existing range of data loggers, wireless networks and Weather Station systems.

For more information, visit www.mea.com.au

For further information contact Hughes PR: Simon Hatcher, 8412 4100 or simon@hughespr.com.au

About MEA

Founded in 1984 by the company’s now Engineering Director, Dr Andrew Skinner, MEA has been designing and manufacturing environmental monitoring solutions for over 25 years.

These solutions include Weather Stations and Soil Moisture Monitoring Systems, and custom environmental measurement systems.

The company’s clients include major research institutions (such as CSIRO, Primary Industries Departments in all States, CRC’s, and Universities), conservation and land management organisations and companies, power and water utilities, consulting engineering firms, mining companies, and numerous farmers and irrigators.

MEA is based at Magill in South Australia and currently employs 15 staff.