Project Updates

Photo Credit: Picketa Systems

About the technology

Over the 2026 growing season, the AIVA Network partnered with New Brunswick-based Picketa Systems to evaluate their Leaf Evaluated-Nutrient System (LENS). The LENS is a portable, in-field plant nutrient analysis device capable of analyzing plant nutrient profiles in real time. The LENS is an alternative to traditional laboratory testing and delivers near-instant results that enable greater tracking of key nutrients throughout the growing season, supporting quicker nutrient management decisions. 

In under one minute, users are able to scan a leaf and receive a report of its nutrient status. The LENS measures light reflectance off the leaf surface and uses trained machine learning algorithms to assign nutrient concentrations from this reflectance data. Currently, the LENS is capable of estimating nutrient content for twelve key macro- and micronutrients (N, S, P, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, B, Zn, Cu, Fe, and Al). Supported crops include canola, corn, potatoes, soybean, and wheat.

Why this matters to farmers and agronomists

Designed to serve as an alternative to laboratory testing, the LENS eliminates the wait time involved with sample shipment and analysis. The LENS allows farmers and agronomists to monitor crop nutrient levels and support fertilizer decisions within minutes of collecting a sample.

Project goals

The AIVA Network is assessing the accuracy of the Picketa LENS in comparison to traditional laboratory analysis on newly supported crops including small cereals (barley, wheat, and fall rye) and soybean. Over the 2026 growing session, multi-site data was collected across AIVA’s Validation Hubs in Alberta and Saskatchewan (Olds College), Manitoba (EMILI), and Ontario (Area X.O and Innovation Farms Ontario) to support Picketa in developing expanded datasets to further refine their models. The Validation Hubs also used the LENS to expand Picketa’s existing crop models such as corn, canola, and potato. 

Project progress

Hundreds of scans to validate LENS accuracy.

This season, AIVA completed 357 LENS scans, each of which were directly paired with traditional laboratory tissue analyses. Pairing each LENS scan with lab results serves to validate the current accuracy of Picketa Systems’ models. Additionally, AIVA is gathering user feedback on the use and insights provided from the LENS. These findings will serve to inform downstream users as to the accuracy and best use cases for this technology on Canadian farms.

Next steps

The AIVA Network will evaluate the accuracy of the LENS versus traditional laboratory methods by looking at both nutrient levels (% or ppm) and nutrient ratings. This analysis will provide insights into the validity of the Picketa LENS across a range of environments and crop types in Canada. User feedback will also be reviewed to determine the best use cases for the Picketa LENS. 

To ensure you don’t miss the release of these project results, and as an opportunity to connect directly with the AIVA Network Team, make sure to Join the Network to receive the latest updates!

Visit our Picketa Systems project page.