Initiating environmentally conscious precision agriculture at UMES

Abstract

Precision agriculture is a combination of modern technologies to improve productivity in farming resulting in environmentally friendly farming and higher profit for the farmers. It involves efficient farm management that utilizes technologies such as GPS receivers; GIS data bases; grid soil sampling; variable-rate application equipment for seed, fertilizers, and pesticides; irrigation; yield monitors; sensors for detecting soil fertility and weed populations; and remote sensing imagery. This paper will report efforts to initiate "precision farming" implementation and research at University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).UMES is an 1890 land grant historically black university and it's mission is consistent with the goals of the endeavor which includes (i) integration of advanced technologies in agricultural practices at UMES with a view to improve productivity with due emphasis on research, education and outreach; (ii) environmental stewardship and (iii) remote observation and analysis. While all aspects of "Precision Agriculture" will be integrated with the project, the initial phase involves (a) extensive data collection to record yield variability using GPS (Global Positioning System) integrated yield monitor, (b) correlating the yield data with the soil characteristics and other pertinent factors to come up with recommendations for variable rate nutrient application, (c) use of GIS (Geographical Information System) databases and maps to record and visualize the data to facilitate interpretation.