We have developed an in situ and automated data collection system using microcontrollers and low-cost sensors.
Component List
Cactus voltage: 26 AWG wire inserted into the chlorenchyma (layer with chloroplasts & photosynthetic activity site) of the light-facing stem side
Cactus current: 26 AWG wire with 2 ohm resistance connected to the cactus voltage wire
Cactus ground: 26 AWG wire inserted into the chlorenchyma (layer with chloroplasts & photosynthetic activity site) of the shaded stem side
pH: Atlas Scientific Mini Lab Grade pH probe attached to the EZO pH circuit inserted into the Isolated Carrier Board. The pH probes are embedded into each side of the stem's chlorenchyma
Light sensors: Custom designed PAR sensors by Ben Cooper (click here)
Micro SD card holder: Micro SD Card Adapter Reader Module with SPI interface
Real Time Clock: AITRIP DS3231 Real Time Clock module
Microcontroller: Adafruit Metro ESP32-S2, connected to Google Sheets for real time data monitoring
Arduino Code Coming Soon!