New Sustainable Food and Agriculture Data Have Been Reported by Investigators at University of Sao Paulo (Low-cost Precision Agriculture for Sustainable Farming Using Paper-based Analytical Devices).

Researchers at the University of Sao Paulo have developed a low-cost and user-friendly paper-based platform for assessing soil fertility in precision agriculture. The platform uses colorimetric methods and a smartphone for data reading and storage to determine the concentrations of four essential macronutrients in soil: nitrate, magnesium, calcium, and ammonium. The device has shown strong linearity and adequate detection limits for each nutrient, making it a valuable tool for enhancing soil fertility assessment and supporting higher food production. This research was supported by various scientific and technological organizations in Brazil. [Extracted from the article]