Agriculture Quality Control Made Simple

Agriculture is a vital part of our lives, and with our living standards increasing, there’s a growing demand for good quality crops. Konica Minolta has a wide range of products, from light and color measurement to hyperspectral imaging, to assist agricultural producers and researchers.

Light Measurement

With vertical farming on the rise, many agricultural producers find ways to improve their indoor agriculture. Lighting is an essential factor for plant growth, and many are sourcing for horticulture lighting sources that can emulate the sun.

With the emergence of LED light sources, and the ability to specify spectrums, it is now possible to output the needed spectral output required for photosynthesis. Hence, many indoor agricultural producers have adopted LED lighting for their indoor farming.

It is vital to find the correct lighting and understand its output and capability to provide the necessary energy to support the growth of the crops. When it comes to measuring agriculture lighting, Konica Minolta offers a wide selection of light meters, like Illuminance Meter T-10A, Illuminance Spectrophotometer CL-500A, etc., capable of measuring lux, Correlated Color Temperature (CCT), and Color Rendering Index (CRI).

Color measurement

Chlorophyll is one of the commonly measured parameters to monitor the growth of crops and manage the amount of fertilizer used. Konica Minolta’s chlorophyll meter SPAD-502Plus offers instant and non-destructive measurement of chlorophyll content, allowing agricultural producers to understand the conditions of their crops and optimize the amount of fertilizer used with ease.

Aside from chlorophyll, color is another commonly measured parameter, especially during the harvesting and post-harvesting stages. The colors of crops like fruits and vegetables are frequently used to determine their ripeness and harvesting time. It is also used to check or grade the quality of processed crops like coffee beans, desiccated coconut, palm oil, flour, pasta, spices, etc.

From Chroma Meter CR-400 and Spectrophotometer CM-5 to color quality control software SMNX, Konica Minolta offers a wide range of color measurement solutions that can support agricultural producers in evaluating and managing the color of their crops throughout all stages of their production.

Hyperspectral Imaging

Moving beyond color measurement, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is the latest technique increasingly used in various remote sensing, research, and quality control applications within the agriculture industry. It uses an HSI camera to capture spectral data from the different spectrums of the electromagnetic wavelength (visible and non-visible), enabling easy characterization, mapping, and sorting of crops by their chemical or physical properties differences.

HSI can be used to map the nitrogen status within a maize field or study the stress, nutritional state, etc., of the plant. It can also be implemented to help sort and grade crops or detect undesired objects, like wood, insects, etc., and contamination.

Need help finding the right measurement and inspection solutions for your agriculture applications? Contact us for a free consultation or assistance now.