Precision Agriculture for Improving Wheat Yield and Quality with Olga Walsh

Feb 16, 2024

“Precision nitrogen management for improving yield and protein content in wheat” with Dr. Olga Walsh.

Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for crops, which is required in large amounts for crop production and demands precise nutrient management methods due to its highly mobile property in plants and soils and high chances of leaching. Precise nutrient management is also important for improving the yield and quality of grains, minimizing the input, and maximizing the efficiency. Assessing the real-time plant growth, biomass production, and nutrient depletion in the soil using different precision agriculture techniques like drones, remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other camera-based devices helps optimize nutrient management. In this episode, Dr. Olga Walsh shares her research on precision nitrogen management for yield and protein content estimation on spring wheat and sugar beet by using different hand-held sensors, drones, and remote sensing approaches.

Tune in to learn more about

·         What values are best to look for when doing remote sensing in wheat

·         How drones, remote sensing, and camera applications are helping predict biomass and nutrient requirements

·         What yield and protein content was estimated from the sensors tested

·         How hand-held and UAV sensors compare

If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here:  https://doi.org/10.1002/agg2.20309

This paper is always freely available.

Contact us at [e-mail] or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.

If you would like to reach out to Olga Walsh, you can find her here:
[e-mail]
https://spes.vt.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/walsh_olga.html

If you would like to reach out to Ayush Kachrulal Sharma, you can find him here:
[e-mail]
https://twitter.com/Ayushsharma9770 

Resources

CEU Quiz: https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning-Center/Courses/Course-Detail?productid=%7b0C58D320-47CB-EE11-9079-000D3A355FD1%7d

Transcripts: https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/-6STl4uhGJ_6rdM6-VHBcgpSzZoxD_pvMZqu-k9mwXKl0cSZPvAyPvz5J4XcoYMjUF3NlRgTD1hYymCEdyPW0CwO2iM?loadFrom=SharedLink 

Extension outreach bulletins:

Estimation of Wheat Yield and Grain Protein with Handheld and UAV-Mounted Sensors. UI Extension Bulletin 1033: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/publications/publication-detail?id=bul1033

Nitrogen Management in Field Crops with Reference Strips and Crop Sensors. UI Extension Bulletin 896: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/publications/publication-detail?id=bul0896

Southern Idaho Soft White Spring Wheat Quick Facts. UI Extension Bulletin 979: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/publications/publication-detail?id=bul0979

Southern Idaho Hard Spring Wheat Quick Facts. UI Extension Bulletin 986: https://www.uidaho.edu/-/media/UIdaho-Responsive/Files/Extension/topic/cereals/scse/publications/SI-Wheat-Quick-Facts-HSW.pdf

Optimum Nitrogen Rates for Wheat Depend on the Environment and Field-Specific Conditions. UI CIS 1028: https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/publications/publication-detail?id=bul1028

School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia: https://spes.vt.edu/

Thank you to Om Prakash Ghimire for help in assembling show notes and other assets.

Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.