Indoor plant health monitoring system using NDVI imaging, PMFC sensing and soil moisture data

Abstract

Monitoring plant health is essential for ecosystem stability and sustainable environments. While satellite-based systems like Copernicus support large-scale outdoor vegetation analysis, indoor plants require localized, high-resolution monitoring. This work presents an Indoor Plant Health Monitoring System, designed to assess plant health through a combination of image processing, plant-microbial interaction information and environmental conditions monitoring. The system integrates a high-quality camera with a red-filter lens for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) imaging of the plant, a Plant Microbial Fuel Cell (PMFC) for the potential bioelectricity generation from the plant-microbial activity in the rhizosphere and a soil moisture sensor for humidity monitoring. Experimental results on a Pothos plant demonstrate that the system can detect plant stress early, with PMFC Open Cell Voltage changes occurring 12-24 hours before visible NDVI alterations. The integration of multiple data sources enables detailed insights into plant responses to environmental changes and supports timely interventions