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.