Comparison of Different Nitrate Leaching Sensors
In this post, I will deviate from my usual programming languages research topic and look at using sensors to detect concentration of N in either surface or ground water in NZ. This is in part related to my other project trying to create a marketplace of economic incentives for NZ farmers when it comes to optimising their environmental impact versus the long term economic cost (aka AgriDataTrade). There are the following four options commercially available in NZ as of late 2020. I am not going to cover very very cheap conductivity based sensors available en masse on Ali Express and similar sites as these are not able technologically to gauge the actual presence of N in either soil or water despite what is advertised. The major four options are: Hach HL4 is using pH light bulb, some pellets, conductivity sensor, and Nitrate sensor attachment. It is designed to be placed in running water - such as streams or rivers. It requires weekly calibration to ensure reliable Nitrate read