Abstract
The increasing carbon dioxide (CO(2)) levels in the air pose a direct threat to all living organisms and the environment. Leveraging the ability of plants to absorb CO(2) is one of the most effective methods for countering these rising CO(2) levels. The present study aimes to develop a combo photosynthetic and chlorophyll-a sensor based on Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) spectroscopy and an optical method. This sensor enables simultaneous, intensive measurement of net photosynthesis and chlorophyll-a content and yields accurate information. Comparative analysis of the efficacy of the sensors to that of a commercial instrument demonstrated that the measurement values obtained from the developed photosynthetic and chlorophyll-a sensors were not significantly different from those acquired with the commercial instrument (portable photosynthesis system LI-6400) and chlorophyll metre (SPAD-502), with a 95 % confidence level. Furthermore, the developed photosynthetic sensor could be used as a new correlation unit for chlorophyll-a content and net photosynthesis. Therefore, the sensor can be used to propose effective plantation processes to reduce atmospheric CO(2) levels and in smart farming systems to control the quality of yields.