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May 12, 2004
Robocrops: Precision Agriculture
Robocrops: Precision Agriculture
Bogna Brzezinska, 14, Arlington, Ohio
Finalist, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2003
Project background: In her studies of the Global Positioning System (GPS), Bogna discovered that agribusiness is incorporating GPS and other remote-sensing technology to manage soil quality and consistency across large fields. This led Bogna to wonder if this technology would not only produce higher crop yields but also be a more environmentally friendly farming technique.
Tactics and results: Bogna collected soil and vegetation samples from a field near a river. After the samples were analyzed at a lab, maps were made to illustrate concentrations of different nutrients in the soil across different areas of the field. Many disparities were found, especially in elevated areas.
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| V. Miller |
Based on these results, a farmer could create a prescription map that tells how much fertilizer needs to be spread in certain areas rather than applying a uniform application across the entire field.
Bogna concluded that this type of analysis saves money on chemicals, alleviates the amount of chemical runoff into a nearby river, and prevents plants from being over-fertilized, all of which are ultimately beneficial to the environment.
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