Picketa Systems’ Leaf Evaluated
Picketa Systems’ Leaf Evaluated
Nutrient System (LENS)
Nutrient System (LENS)
Bothwell, ON
Project Description
Precision agriculture is advancing rapidly, with new tools helping growers improve efficiency and optimize inputs. Traditional plant tissue sampling relies on lab analysis, often delaying corrective action. Picketa Systems’ Leaf Evaluated Nutrient System (LENS) provides real-time, in-field nutrient analysis, enabling faster, more informed decisions to support yield and sustainability.
In 2024 and 2025, Innovation Farms Ontario and Haggerty AgRobotics partnered with Picketa Systems to compare LENS™ sensor results in corn and winter wheat against traditional lab methods, while also supporting the early development of the winter wheat model. By aiding in various crop-type model development, IFO now has the opportunity in 2026 to increase utilization and integration of the LENS into our commercial farm management.
Technology Description
Picketa’s LENS is a digital agronomy analytics platform that helps farmers and agronomists monitor, visualize, and act on crop nutrient data. The platform allows users to track georeferenced nutrient levels across fields and seasons, compare product trials, and export data to integrate results into your farm management information systems. The benefit of the Picketa LENS system is that it enables users to scan samples in fields, and results can be viewed seconds later, speeding up the conventional tissue sampling process of sending samples to a lab.
Evaluate Picketa’s LENS technology as an alternative to traditional tissue sampling.
Support Picketa’s development of a predictive model for winter wheat tissue nutrient analysis.
Assess the system’s ability to deliver and impact real-time analysis on agronomic decision making.
Research Objectives
Deployment Information
• 5 fields of winter wheat tissue sampled at two different growth stages (Jointing & Boot).
• A total of 242 samples scanned using the Picketa LENS; samples were then sent to HoneyLand Ag Services for traditional testing.
Technologies Potential
Faster Decisions: Real-time nutrient insights allow growers to act sooner, reducing delays associated with traditional lab testing and improving responsiveness in-season.
Nutrient Efficiency: By providing accurate, field-level data, the system helps optimize input use, reducing waste while maintaining or improving crop performance.
Field Insight: Detailed, georeferenced data enables users to identify variability within and across fields, supporting more targeted and effective management strategies.
Scalable Tool: As more data is collected across crop types, regions, and seasons, the system continues to improve accuracy, expanding its applicability and value for a wide range of farming operations.
User friendly technology: Picketa LENs proved easy to set up and operate, making it accessible for farmers, agronomists or field technicians and scalable for larger sampling projects.
High-quality, consistent data: Results showed strong uniformity across fields, reflecting reliable measurements under similar soil growing conditions.
Strong agronomic relevance: The technology targeted key nutrients (N, Mg, Fe, S, etc.) that directly influence chlorophyll production and crop health.
Strong foundation for growth: The 2025 data provides a solid baseline supporting continued model improvement.
More data needed: More data is needed across diverse environments to improve winter wheat model for widespread use.