£140 leaf sensor could support wildfire preparedness
Six-species testing suggests potential for cheaper vegetation-moisture monitoring
Measuring vegetation moisture could become cheaper, according to a King's College London-led study published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution. Researchers modified a £70 car window-tint meter with two LEDs, producing a device costing about £140 overall that measures leaf water content without destroying foliage.
Dehydration experiments across six plant species explained at least 81% of variation in leaf water content. The instrument could support wildfire fuel-moisture monitoring and irrigation decisions, but requires calibration for each species and becomes less reliable in severely dried leaves. The findings do not establish an operational wildfire-warning system.
Why this matters for policymakers
- Analysis: validation Field trials should test performance under operational conditions.
- Analysis: procurement Affordability assessments should include calibration and training costs.
- Analysis: deployment Moisture readings should complement wider wildfire-risk assessment.
Image: Close-up of leaf veins, used illustratively; the reported leaf-water sensor is not pictured. Lars Aleksander Hb, CC BY 3.0. Resized and converted to JPEG for display.