UF/IFAS Researchers Deploy Drones To Perfect Nutrient Rates

The ability to detect crop nutrient deficiencies and promptly modify fertilizer applications to address them is invaluable to agricultural producers — especially growers operating under slim profit margins.

Identifying how much of a particular nutrient to add, however, is a balancing act. A UF/IFAS research project underway endeavors to remove the guesswork by providing growers with site-specific data.

UF/IFAS Best Management Practices Lab coordinator Lakesh Sharma leads a team of researchers using drones to develop algorithms that estimate nutrient application rates for optimal crop yields. They are within months of finalizing results related to the nitrogen needs of corn and cotton.

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