[CH] plant stress monitor

Marc Norman (Marc.Norman@mq.edu.au)
Fri, 19 Jun 1998 09:18:27 +0900 

High-tech commercial growers may be interested in this device:

STENNIS TO HOLD TECHNOLOGY BRIEFINGS JUNE 23 & 24

     The Technology Transfer Office at NASA's Stennis Space
Center, MS, will host a technology commercialization briefing
there at 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday, June 23, and a dual use technology
briefing at 8 a.m. EDT Wednesday, June 24, highlighting two new
NASA technologies that can detect plant stress before resulting
damage becomes visible to the human eye.

     Plant stress is the reaction of plants to environmental
conditions that are unfavorable to growth, such as lack of
sufficient nutrients, inadequate watering, disease or insect
infestation.  The reaction most people recognize is a change in
leaf color.

     NASA is seeking qualified U.S. companies to help license a
small, lightweight, hand-held device, known as the Hand-held Plant
Stress Monitor.  The device measures plant health by determining
the chlorophyll content of leaves.  NASA also is seeking qualified
U.S. companies to help further develop through exclusive or non-
exclusive licenses a second device.  That device, available for
development between NASA and a commercial partner, is a portable
video imager that determines plant health by measuring the
reflected light of leaves to determine their chlorophyll content.
The device gives the user an easy-to-read indication of the
condition of plants being observed.

     Researchers at Stennis have constructed a prototype of each
device and filed patent applications.  The benefits of the new
devices are their portability, easy use, low cost, adaptability
and accuracy.  The devices may be applied to such areas as
agriculture, precision farming, horticulture, plant research,
forestry, paper manufacturing, lawn care and other public and
government activities.

     Commercialization opportunities may exist through licensing,
cooperative development and technical consulting.  Companies
participating in the briefings also will receive information on
the process needed to establish partnership agreements and/or
licenses for commercialization of the devices.  Industry
representatives interested in attending these technology briefings
should contact Mark Obenshain of the Research Triangle Institute
at 919/541-7429 by June 19.