Graphene Sensors Track Corn Growth Every 10 Minutes
South Dakota researchers' lab-stage sensors could give farmers finer crop data, but field trials have not yet begun.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Botany
South Dakota State University researchers have developed laser-induced graphene sensors that attach to corn stalks and ears to measure diameter growth, with data updated every 10 minutes. The work is at the research stage: the next step is field trials in SDSU test plots, pending funding.
Why it matters
Continuous, fine-grained measurement of plant growth could let plant breeders and agronomists give farmers more specific advice than periodic manual readings allow. The sensors use inexpensive materials, which may make such monitoring more practical to scale.
The sensors measure corn stalk and ear diameter growth with data recorded on a microSD card and updated every 10 minutes. The polyimide sheets used to create the laser-induced graphene cost less than a dollar, though accuracy figures against conventional methods were not reported.
The players
Mazhar Sher
Assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at South Dakota State University, who previously did postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania.
South Dakota State University
Public land-grant university whose Raven Precision Agriculture Center houses the biosensors lab where the corn sensors were built.
The details
Laser-induced graphene is a porous, conductive form of carbon created by directing a laser onto a plastic-based polyimide sheet, which converts the surface into graphene. Researchers set laser power and scanning speed at levels that produce high-quality material. The sensing layer is attached to a food-grade silicone band with a spring mechanism, so contact is maintained as the graphene bends while the plant expands.
Timeline
Sher began developing the sensors at South Dakota State University in August 2022.
Sikander Ameer graduated in December 2025 after optimizing the laser parameters.
The Tech Race
The work builds on laser-induced graphene, a technique first reported by researchers at Rice University in 2014, and extends it from electronics into field crop monitoring. Graphene itself was first isolated as a single-layer sheet in 2004 by Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who received the 2010 Nobel Prize in physics for their graphene experiments.
The sensors are not yet available to farmers and remain at the research stage, with field trials still pending. If the technology advances, it could eventually inform more specific crop-management advice, though no timeline has been announced.
The takeaway
Watch for results from the planned SDSU field trials, which will show whether the sensors hold up outside the lab. Sher has said he hopes to patent the technology, and a patent filing would be a concrete signal of its development path.
What happens next
The next step is to conduct field trials in SDSU test plots, contingent on securing funding for continued research.
Further reading
Explore more Botany coverage to see how plant science research is reshaping crop management.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Foodonline.
