Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:This proposal aims to continue the commercialization efforts of the LeafMon-S system technology previously supported via Phase I Grant12960673 (Award No.: 2020-33610-31947) funding. The LeafMon-S technology is an innovative low cost, non-invasive and non-destructive continuous leaf monitoring system that detects and monitors plant water status in real-time during the entire crop growing season. The resultant information provides the grower with measurable values that assist with irrigation management to save water. This proposal addresses "The Conservation of Natural Resources" Program Topic area 8.4 by directly emphasizing water use efficiency (WUE) and water productivity (WP), and indirectly addresses energy consumption through reduced pumping demand. This technology has the potential to lower irrigation water requirements by as much as 30% when compared to more traditional ET based major orchard and vineyard crop (almonds, walnuts, and grapes) irrigation strategies as well as improving crop sustainability efforts. Specifically, IR sensors are used to simultaneously monitor both an active (i.e., live) and an inactive (i.e., dry or dead) leaf of the crop. Additional sensors within the LeafMon-S sensor suite measure humidity, temperature, full spectrum PAR and ambient temperature conditions. With these parameters, plant performance models perfected by UC Davis are employed to calculate VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit), and plant water health CWSI (Crop Water Stress Index) and PWSI (Plant Water Status Index) metrics. The LeafMon-S contains an industry standard SDI-12 interface. It connects seamlessly to a grower's existing data acquisition systems thereby permitting the grower to monitor the stress level of his plants or crops with the minimum of additional cost or labor resource investment. The grower retrieves the measured parameters and the calculated indices using either their browser (via Cermetek's AquaMonRSVP web site) or pre-existing third-party PLC datalogger APIs to monitor the health of the plant and manage irrigation demands. A grower then applies the minimum required amount of water to ensure that the resulting CWSI/PWSI value stays within a range specific to each plant type. Moreover, this proposal focuses on reducing the grower's cost of purchase/ownership of the LeafMon-S system as well as commercializing additional products and services designed to broaden market penetration and improve/enhance grower efficiency and profitability. Changes/Problems:The major change that this Phase II program has developed is the reliance and mathematical derivation of Relative RD and its application to the database analysis afforded by the new cloud-based software. Understanding of leaf stress in drought conditions have made these advances possible. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Crop growers are being trained in the use and operation of the LeafMon-S unit within UC Davis and external to UC Davis in various growing fields. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?UC Davis Professor Andre Daccache decided to utilize crops at facilities owned and operated by private sector organizations rather than those operated by UC Davis at the UC Davis Kearney Research Facility (Parlier, CA). Crop plot locations have been identified and secured. All equipment necessary to begin the data collection has been installed as of 15 May 2024 in conjunction with growers at the following locations: Robert Chad, Kishi Brothers Farms, 9250 Walnut Ave, Winton, CA 95388 Jerry Goubert, Jerry Goubert Farms, 625 E Hamilton Rd Westley, CA, 95387 Tony Ott, Ott & Sons Dairy, 2437 Baker Road, Modesto, CA 95358. Mr. Joseph Gallegos, Umida AG, Fresno, CA, a climate smart irrigation integrator, provided access to three separate fields at California State University Fresno (Fresno State), 5241 N Maple Ave, Fresno, CA for Winter cotton, melons, and citrus. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Methods Product Development and Distribution. Phase 1 - This phase encompasses the various technical improvements and software enhancements required to meet product specific performance goals and objectives. Upon completion of Phase 1, the commercial LeafMon-S will be available for widespread field testing by a variety of data collectors and collaborators. Phase 2 - This phase will involve the sale and installation of the initial production of commercialized products to a few select growers who have used the previous generation LeafMon-S units in the field and are anxious to proliferate the LeafMon-S units in their fields. Phase 3 - In this phase, Cermetek will engage with an identified group of a half dozen independent irrigation communication system manufacturers (i.e., controller manufactures) who would find that our LeafMon-S would enhance their product lines and increase their sales. Phase 4 - Lastly, during phase 4 Cermetek will sell the LeafMon-S units to dealers and distributors of irrigation equipment and various forms of agricultural related communication systems from companies mentioned in Phase 3. Evaluation, Efforts and Verification. At all stages of development, improvement, evaluation and performance verification, LeafMon-S sensor parametric data and the resulting CWSI/PWSI values will be collected. Parameters collected: 1.AmbientTemperature. 2.AmbientHumidity. 3.Monitored(i.e.,live)leaftemperature. 4.Reference(i.e.,dead)leaftemperature. 5.CWSI/PWSI. 6.PAR. 7.TimeandDatestamp. User feedback will be analyzed to ensure that the maximum grower benefit (i.e., expended cost and ROI) is attained. Parameters monitored: 1.Initial cost of implementation. 2.Ongoing cost of ownership. 3.Preferred monitoring/reporting periodicity vs crop seasonal growth progression. 4.Realized reduced cost of operations due to LeafMon-S. 5.Recommendations for LeafMon-S unit deployment and positioning within field acreage. 6.Desired performance and feature enhancements. User data and feedback will be used to tune the CWSI/PWSI calculations and to continually improve the LeafMon-S. This database will be available to all LeafMon-S users. Target Audience Cermetek believes that its identified approach of engaging and enabling dealers and partner manufacturers of ag systems would effectively and speedily gain market share in the agricultural market. Growers of all demographics and acreages will benefit from usage of the LeafMon-S products. It is anticipated that savings in water pumping charges and water consumption will significantly off-set the costs of LeafMon-S purchase(s) and installation/integration/ownership. Products The LeafMon-S and associated products and services are focused on agricultural applications. The initial products: 1.LeafMon-S units (sales, leasing and servicing). 2.AquaMon Hub/Datalogger PLCs (sales, leasing and servicing). 3.AquaMonRSVP website subscriptions. Activities. Sell initial commercialized products to a few select growers who have already used previous generation LeafMon-S units in the field. The initial growers which show commercial promise are those growing walnuts, almonds, grapes and pistachios in California as well as those growers implementing Deficit Irrigation (DI), Low Frequency Deficit Irrigation (LFDI) and Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI). They would verify the usefulness, robustness, and effectiveness of the LeafMon-S system. Data will be analyzed by Cermetek's team and collaborators. Discussion of results will include analysis, field crop and installation surveys, assessments functionality and efficacy as well as on-site training and mentoring of distribution network field application technical staff. Events. Will actively participate in UC Davis sponsored conferences, demonstrations at UC Davis Nickels Soil Lab (located in Arbuckle, CA), various industry/crop specific symposia (e.g., Almond Growers Association) and field days, Ag workshops (e.g., Ag-Expo and International Agri-Center, Tulare, CA), and training of growers and distribution centers. Services. Installation to be provided by Cermetek Staff (if requested) as well as on-site training and mentoring of distribution network field application technical staff. Support user's integration of existing controllers and controller specific commands with LeafMon-S to access SDI-12 data stream. New Product Support. New product introduction: LeafMon-S, AquaMon Hub/DataLogger PLC, and AquaMonRSVP web site. Various user manuals, installation guides to be provided to facilitate installation and usage. Web based support for applications utilizing Cermetek's AquaMonRSVP including on-line tutorials, extensive application examples with installation guidelines. Sample data analysis for select crops; suggested equipment to augment installation (e.g., actuators, soil moisture sensors). Sales and support for new and existing businesses. Expected Outcomes 1.Increased Water Use Efficiency (WUE) and Water Productivity (WP), decrease in water consumption. 2.Improved accuracy of CSWI/PWSI metrics. 3.Reduced manufacturing costs. 4.Reduced grower retail price. 5.Reduced grower cost of installation and ownership. 6.Increased market for LeafMon-S product and associated services (AquaMonHub, AquaMonRSVP website) 7.Increased field usage and profit margins. 8.Identified acreage of over 5 million acres in the target crops of almonds, walnuts and grapes in California alone. 9.Grower ROI 2-3 years after installation through the savings in water usage, labor costs, and increased crop yields. 10.Cermetek anticipates an average of 3 LeafMon-S units per irrigation zone or 5 LeafMon-S units per 40 acre plot if irrigation zones are not used. 11.At average revenue of $370/unit for a market size (CA only) of 125,000 units, translates to $46.3 million in gross sales. With only 30% market share, $13.8 million in gross sales from CA alone. All this while reducing water consumption and enabling growers to maximize crop water efficiency. Keywords Acclimatization. ~CWSI ~Leaf Monitor ~PWSI ~Plant Water Status ~Precision Irrigation ~LeafMon ~Crop Water Stress ~Water Use Efficiency (WUE) ~LeafMon-S ~Water Productivity (WP) ~Water Conservation ~Sustainability

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1: In Phase I LeafMon-S implementations, a PRIME DR (Dynamic Ratio defined as Differential Temperature/Vapor Pressure Deficit) value was computed based on the timing of watering events and used, in turn, to compute a REFERENCE DR value. Relativeplant saturation (i.e., relative to the most recent water event) was deemed to be a more realistic measure of plant performance post-watering event. It has been determined that the time a plant reached a relative watering event saturation maximum (i.e., when to select PRIME DR) could be formulated mathematically. Phase II PRIME DR and REFERENCE DR algorithms are based on the following results: A local peak in the AVERAGE DR curve following a previous POSITIVE slopetypicallyoccurs at a local maximum plant saturation (i.e.,relativeplant saturation) condition. A POSITIVE slopefollowing a local troughtypicallyindicates the start of the plant's reaction to a watering event. Plant water/drought stress acclimation processes have a noticeable effect on the PWSI metric. REFERENCE DR must be recomputed after every significant irrigation event to accommodate this change in the plant's internal saturation baseline. By computing an updated REFERENCE DR, LeafMon-S isrecalibratingthe PWSI metric range to more accurately reflect the amount of water stress the plant is experiencing relative to its current internal water stress baseline. When PWSI >1.0, by definition, an individual DR value exceeds the PRIME DR value. In this case, PRIME DR is recalculated using methodologies developed in Phase II and referred to as theRefined DR Pivot Algorithm. These methods determine PRIME DR by calculating the first and second order derivatives of the family of individual DR values associated with each Metric Dataset value during the hours of 8:00 to 22:00 (inclusive) for a given day. PWSI is then calculated using the new PRIME DR. In summary, the principal advantages of theRefined DR Pivot Algorithmdeveloped in Phase II: An irrigation watering event flow sensor and/or a soil moisture sensor is not required. Elimination of the need for growers to input - and adhere to - pre-planned irrigation schedules. PRIME DR recalculation by manual intervention eliminated. Objective 2: Items 1-10 Accomplishments.All objectives are in progress during the current growing season or have been completed. Objective 3: Item 2 Accomplishments.Active (Live) Leaf standoff height reduced from 1.6 in to 0.9 in. Application verification testing indicated that the Inactive (Dead) Leaf Standoff height did not require reduction. Objective 3: Item 3 Accomplishments.Cermetek's 3D printerwas utilized to produce quick turn Upper/Lower Domes, Collar, IR Leaf Standoffs and the Internal Electronics Module Enclosure. Objective 3: Item 4 Accomplishments.A redesign of the Internal Electronics Module Enclosure wassuccessfully completed. Objective 3: Item 4.1-4.2 Accomplishments.Internal Electronics Module redesigned completed. Objective 3: Item 4.3 Accomplishments.Internal Electronics Enclosure wiring harness lengthening has been successfully completed. Objective 3: Item 5.1-5.2 Accomplishments.CWSI/PWSI calculation algorithms have been successfully completed and verified. Objective 4: Item 1.1-1.6 Accomplishments.Contracted with a US OEM manufacturer (Howe Neat, Inc, 7672 Avianca Dr, Ste D-40, Redding, CA) to modify an existing PLC controller offering to meet Cermetek's AquaMon Hub requirements. All goals have been met or exceeded. Objective 4: Item 2.1-2.2, 3.1-3.2 Accomplishments.Dataset pre-process algorithms developed, demonstrated and verified to identify and remove/replace LeafMon-S datasets containing missing, garbled, erroneous data, and inconsistent time/date stamps with valid data sets. Algorithms were then validated using archived growing season 2021 Phase I almond datasets (Joseph Gallegos, Umida AG, Fresno, CA) collected using third party PLCs provided by GroPoint, Model GP-BTDL. Objective 4: Item 3.3 Accomplishments.Multiple y-axis successfully completed by developing MS EXCEL©Macros available to each grower via download from the Cermetek AquaMon website. Objective 4: Item 4.1-4.2 Accomplishments.Preliminary database, archive and user website created. Third Party raw data + pre-processed data preserved. Conditioning software completed to ensure compatibility with existing AquaMonRSVP database. A look-up table has been created that contains third party specific configuration parameters that are utilized by the software algorithms to convert third party PLC datasets to Cermetek's AquaMonRSVP database configuration.

Publications