BALM, Fla. — Kevin Wang trained as an engineer and gave little thought to agriculture. But then, life took a few turns. When Wang joined the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers robotics competition, he gradually realized how much of a difference an engineer could make in agriculture. “It is much harder than I thought it would be to …
Smart Irrigation Tools for Blueberry Growers
By Vasileios Liakos One of the goals of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (UGA CAES) is to develop new irrigation methods and tools for crops. Researchers, including myself, Erick Smith, George Vellidis and Wes Porter, have been developing smart irrigation scheduling tools for blueberry growers in Georgia since 2015. Smart irrigation is a new method …
Bioengineered Sentinel Plants Could Help Protect Future Crops
By Jenelle Patterson As a plant molecular biologist, I often hear tales of gardening mishaps or plant-related tidbits from my friends and family. A few years ago, a friend excitedly relayed her experience at a Niagara wine tour, where the tour guide explained that they grow rose bushes at the end of each row not only for aesthetics, but as …
Technology to Improve Vegetable Production
By Yiannis Ampatzidis Vegetable growers face a variety of challenges, including pest and diseases, labor shortages and climate change. How can new advancements in technology help growers address these challenges? Can technology improve crops, reduce production costs and protect the environment? How can technological innovations be incorporated into traditional farming to improve production practices? In the last few decades, several …
Meeting meat demand with plant proteins
By Jaya Joshi As the world population keeps growing, so does the pressure to feed everyone without increasing carbon footprints. By 2050, the world population is predicted to increase to 9 billion people, and the demand for meat is expected to rise by 73 percent. Meeting this demand would require an additional 160 million tons of meat per year. Are we …
Using Steam for Weed Management
By Ramdas Kanissery and Yiannis Ampatzidis Weeds are a significant problem in horticultural production and must be controlled to maintain good crop yield. Concerns related to non-judicious use of herbicides, which include ground and surface water contamination and pesticide residues in food, have sparked public awareness and restrictions on herbicide use. For these reasons, alternative and integrated systems for weed …
Know the Rules for Agricultural Drone Use
By Ashley Robinson The use of drones in production agriculture has become more prevalent in recent years as larger commercial models have become accessible. As these products become more popular, it’s important to remember that using an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or drone, comes with a strict set of rules and regulations created and governed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). …
Advice for Drone Use in Agriculture
By Ashley Robinson Researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) are studying new ways to help growers analyze their crops with the help of drone technologies. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are an emerging technology that a variety of companies and industries, including agriculture, are using to analyze various factors. Simerjeet Virk, research engineer at the UGA Tifton campus, …
Preparing for Farm Technology
The world of artificial intelligence, robots and big data is upon us, and agriculture will not be left out. Nobody knows this better than Vonnie Estes, vice president of technology at the Produce Marketing Association (PMA). Her job is to work with farmers nationwide to help them learn how to adopt such technologies. Estes also serves as a resource for …
‘Harvesting Is Just the Beginning’
By Ernie Neff An experimental robotic strawberry harvester appears to barely creep through a field in Duette, Florida. That belies a flurry of activity occurring out of sight. “It’s walking speed as it moves through the field, but the robots are moving at a good clip inside,” says Scott Jantz. “These robots are spinning underneath … furiously picking plants.” Jantz …
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