iMETOS MobiLab

IMPORTANT NOTICE

iMETOS Mobilab is no longer a part of the regular METOS^® portfolio and is available on special demand only.

Contact your local METOS^® distributor or contact orders@metos.at for more information.

A portable lab for plant, sap & water analysis

Soil, Water & Plant Sap Analytics for every filed

Whether it is row crops, vegetables or fruits, every farmer knows that fertilizer is essential for a wealthy harvest, but determining when and how much to fertilize is sometimes a struggle. Fertilizers, as well as their distribution in the field, cost money. Furthermore, overfertilization seriously damages the environment. The new laws for fertilizer use also limit the maximum use per season. By using the iMETOS MobiLab you minimize overfertilization and still meet the actual needs of the crop. A conventional laboratory measurement gives the highest precision results, however, it takes time before results are delivered and the method is expensive. iMETOS MobiLab is the simple answer that integrates soil, water and plant sap nutrient analysis into a single microfluidic chip.

Added value for you:

Laboratory precision analysis for Total Nitrogen in soil [Nitrate NO3 & Ammonia NH4] from soil
Many other macro and micronutrients from plant sap, wastewater, irrigation water and so on
Fast and reliable nutrient measurements, saving time (results in only up to 2 hours) and money (low cost per sample)
High precision of analysis, as it is done immediately after soil sampling
Price and workflow allow you to analyze every sample point of your field and get high-resolution nutrient map of your field

Every single analysis is saved in our software, full nutrition history is available for long-term analysis
Different samples can be measured on one ground-breaking chip
Data can be exported and used in 3rd party software to make nutrient prescription maps
Every sample is GEO-referenced
Knowing nutrient levels all the time
Avoid under fertilization and make sure you reach your crops’ full potential
Avoid over-fertilization (money loss, leaching of nutrients)

ABOUT iMETOS MobiLab

iMETOS MobiLab is a simple and innovative soil macro-nutrients analyzer based on capillary electrophoresis. It returns quick results of NO3 and NH4 from the soil and many more nutrients from plant sap and other sources. The measured data can be related to GPS coordinates via mobile app (available for Android and iOS) and can, therefore, support precision farming systems.

Crop macro-nutrient needs are easily satisfied with pre-drilling or post-emergence fertilization. A real adequate fertilization can not be based on empirical evaluation; plant needs are satisfied by the factual presence of chemical elements in soil.

If you want to minimize over-fertilization and still meet the actual needs of the crop you need exact data. And measuring the nutrient level in the soil with iMETOS MobiLab is the answer.

PREVENT OVERFERTILIZATION

RESOURCE
EFFICIENCY

SAVE
MONEY

Soil, Water and Plant Sap Analysis

REMOTE PLANT SENSING

The new FarmView services integrate Sentinel-2 Earth observations. This helps to determine homogeneous and inhomogeneous zones inside the fields. From this data, we can retrieve a useful soil sampling pattern.

SAMPLING AND MEASUREMENT

The iMETOS MobiLab Sampler records the position of the sample and the sampling time. It assigns a unique identifier (UI) to each soil and plant sap sample. After saving the UI, sampling time and position are stored in FieldClimate and an optimized workflow is suggested. Data can be synced with the LOAC Software (Windows 7 or newer). The MobiLab LabOnAChip® measures soil samples via capillary electrophoresis (CE) on small microfluidic chip in an automated manner. An internal standard (ISTD) needs to be added to the sample before measuring.

PLANT SAP AND WATER

The iMETOS MobiLab Lab-on-a-Chip SAP contains everything needed for measuring plant sap. With a simple garlic press and some plastic gear one can easily take samples from leaves. The iMETOS MobiLab Lab-on-a-Chip WATER can be used to monitor irrigation water.

Soil analysis

The MobiLab Soil Extraction set contains the hardware to take a soil sample and prepare an extract for further measurement. The set contains a sieve and a bowl to homogenize the solid soil sample. A tube inside a tailor-made balance takes the sieved sample up. Distilled water is then added. The balance records the actual share of the sample and the water; thus error tolerant working becomes possible. Afterwards, the tube is placed on a shaker and left there for 30 minutes to extract the nitrogen compounds. Balance and shaker communicate with the MobiLab software via a USB-hub.

The iMETOS Mobilab Lab-on-a-Chip SOIL supplies the Lab-on-a-Chip and the necessary plastic ware to undertake the subsequent soil measurements.

iMETOS MobiLab Lab-on-a-Chip^{®
(soil, water or plant sap)}

FEATURE	VALUE
Sample volume	50 -100 μl
Measurement range	3-1000 ppm; 0.01-0.5 g/kg
Resolution	0.5 ppm; 1 mg/kg
Accuracy	For measurements of liquid concentrations (ppm): ±3 % For measurements of soil concentrations (mg/kg): ±15 %
Chip lifetime	Approximately 300-500 tests
Battery life	2 hours of measuring time

Consumables

Chemical solutions, plastic ware, filters and microfluidic chips will need to be replaced after every 300 measurements. iMETOS MobiLab SOIL Consumables, iMETOS MobiLab WATER Consumables and iMETOS MobiLab SAP Consumables deliver everything needed for the next 300 measurements. If one wants to change from soil measurement to plant sap and vice versa it will be enough to equip your system with the necessary tools and consumables.

iMETOS MobiLab SOIL EXTRACTION^®

FEATURE	VALUE
Power supply	12 V adaptor for wall outlet
Battery	2 hours of working time

Single Nutrient Measurement

The iMETOS NO₃ Electrode is an ion selective electrode (ISE) capable of measuring nitrate. After a two point calibration the Electrode is immersed in the soil extract and returns the concentration of nitrate immediately. This value can be entered into the iMETOS MobiLab Software.

FEATURE	VALUE
Waterproof	IP67
Concentration range	7 x 10^-6 to 1 M (0.1 - 14,000 ppm as N)
pH range	2.5 to 11 pH
Temperature range	0 to 50°C
Electrode resistance	1 to 4 megohms
Reproducibility	+/- 4%
Minimum sample size	3 mL in a 50 mL beaker
Size	Electrode length – 155 mm Body diameter – 12 mm Cap diameter – 16 mm Cable length – 100 cm

Project Declaration

iMETOS MobiLab is the result of a Paneuropean project
that features:

Laboratory precision analysis for NO₃
Results availability in minutes
GPS-geo referencing of samples
Multiple sample analysis on a single chip
Results are stored on web platform for future use
Possible integration with precision farming systems