Recent Field Implementation of Contemporary and Smart Farming Technologies at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Abstract

Smart farming experiential learning and research endeavors have been ongoing at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) for the past several years. Recent field implementation of contemporary technologies for variable rate fertilizer application based on multispectral drone imagery; deployment of wireless solar powered soil moisture sensor network on a field with subsurface drip and fertigation capability; and development of a sustainable platform integrated with a Cartesian robotic device powered by solar and wind energy that can seed, weed, irrigate, and capture time-lapse photography while servicing a small raised bed for specialty crops and vegetables will be described in this paper. Results from the initial phase of implementation efforts and future goals will also be highlighted.

Peanut Trials on Raised Beds with Indoor and Outdoor FarmBot Setups

“…The project promotes student involvement with production agricultural practices on UMES farms for growing corn, soybean, and wheat utilizing advanced farm machinery and drones to promote sustainable intensification through best practices in the growing area of "precision agriculture" at a somewhat larger scale. Integration of advanced digital agricultural tools such as the FarmBots (http://farmbot.io) for growing specialty crops on small raised beds is also central to the overall scope of the project [1][2][3]. Since its inception, the project has adopted the experiential learning [4] paradigm and involved undergraduate students from engineering and other STEM disciplines on campus to engage with one another in a vertically integrated [5] team setting along with the graduate student (s) in the Food Science Technology (FDST) doctoral program on campus.…”

Active Learning Experiences with Embedded Systems, Instrumentation, and Control within and Outside the Classroom

“…The "Smart Farming" project efforts are very broad and encompass applications of advanced automation, geospatial information technologies, and remote sensing for sustainable intensification of agricultural productivity [3]. There are aspects of the project related to the development of a robotic boat to collect water quality data, a ground rover to collect agricultural field data at specified waypoints, and utilization of state-of-the-art drones with multispectral cameras to obtain variable nutrient and water needs in row crops [4] that provide avenues for active learning outside the classroom related to Instrumentation and Control Systems courses offered for the engineering undergraduates on campus.…”

Grid Soil Sampling and Mapping Soil Phosphorus Distribution for an Extended Period on a Production Agricultural Field

“…While farm employees are utilizing basic smart agricultural technologies on all production agricultural fields on campus, a specific 50-acre field that is under corn, soybean, and wheat rotation has been earmarked for systematic field trials, and data-driven research and analyses to study the benefits of using advanced precision farming technologies including drone imagery, prescription maps, variable rate sprayers, yield monitors and other intelligent implements. More recently a subsurface drip irrigation system has been installed on a 15-acre portion of this field for conducting field trials for both water and nutrient use efficiency [1][2][3].…”