Driving the future of smart agriculture
AMES, Iowa (January 30, 2026) – For the past two years, Elnaz Ebrahimi has been improving student learning with smart rhizoboxes, transparent containers used to study plant growth.
Rhizoboxes are equipped with soil sensors and high-resolution cameras that provide insight on the root and shoot function, enhancing the understanding of plant physiology, nutrient uptake and plant analysis.
Ebrahimi, assistant teaching professor of agronomy, saw a need to introduce students to this technology and used funding from her participation in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program to purchase rhizoboxes for class use.
“I designed this project to bring internet of things (IoT) devices into the agronomy teaching greenhouse, turning a corner into a smart learning space where students can observe and manage environmental conditions in real-time,” Ebrahimi said. “My goal is to strengthen understanding of plant–soil interactions while preparing students to work with sensors and precision agriculture tools in real-world systems.”
The project began in July of 2024. Ebrahimi has incorporated the boxes into a crop physiology teaching session in the Agronomy 5940 course, during which more than 30 graduate students used the software for data collection and sensor readings. This implementation has led to high interest from students.
Allison Lynch, a senior in agronomy, has been involved with the smart rhizoboxes since the spring of 2024 and is using this experience for her Honors capstone project.
Lynch’s project focuses on intercropping corn and soybeans, and she has used the smart rhizoboxes to conduct research and test variables. Last November, she competed at the 2025 American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America (ASA/CSSA/SSA) national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. She placed third in the cropping division with her research presentation.
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Originally published by Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in January 2026