April 23, 2018 – Agriculture produces food and fiber, which are essential in our daily lives. With a dramatic increase in the world’s population over the next few decades, the question of how we will feed a growing population is becoming more crucial. Precision agriculture (PA) is a scientific advancement that answers the call as one of the most efficient solutions. PA is a farming management concept based on observing, measuring and responding to inter- and intra-field variability in crops.
The Project Directors for this USDA project funded by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture utilized advanced technologies known as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Decision Support System (DSS) to enable the observation and controlling of irrigation systems. Researchers placed multiple sensors in the field with two platforms: a stationary vehicle and an autonomous vehicle. Both platforms are controlled by microcontrollers to collect real-time field temperature, humidity, and soil moisture information. All the data were transmitted to the data cloud and can now be viewed by mobile users through smart devices. Simple on-off switches allow farmers the flexibility to remotely control the irrigation system.
This project provided training for faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students. Faculty members were able to enhance their research and teaching expertise in the area of precision agriculture. They were able to collaborate more closely, and submit new proposals collaboratively to extend the precision agriculture research. Both agriculture and engineering undergraduate classes introduced new teaching modules to the curriculum. Three graduate students were supported by the funding to work on three research projects towards their thesis: 1) Arduino based IoT system design; 2) Autonomous robotics system; and 3) Wireless sensor network based ICT system design. Each year, the project team hired two undergraduate students to conduct research supporting one senior design group. The project was a tremendous success made a lasting impact on precision agriculture education at PVAMU.
Submitted by Eric Risch and Suxia Cui (contact Dr. Risch for details)
Eric Risch Ph.D.
Research Scientist Leader (Natural Resources and Environmental Systems)
(936) 261-5040
errisch@pvamu.edu