Benefit To Soybean Farmers
This proposal is an investment in a technology that will potentially provide valuable field analysis tools to soybean farmers and breeders. The value for SC soybean farmers will eventually come in the form of software that can be used to convert aerial images to customized fertilization plans. Development of diagnostic tools from image analysis, coupled with the rapid advancement and availability of aerial imagery will likely be an important scouting tool for SC growers in the near future. Specific to nitrogen deficiency, this project will provide a baseline for diagnostics and variable rate nitrogen prescriptions based on aerial imagery or tissue analysis. This could allow farmers to recover yield in the event of poor nodulation, resulting in significant improvement in profitability. In a broader sense, this project will produce a platform that will allow for the diagnostic imagery for a host of agricultural challenges including nutritional deficiencies and disease.