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Precision Agriculture Technologies to Improve Crop Productivity and Mitigate Environmental Risks Aitazaz Farooque, assistant professor Knowledge of spatial variability in soil, crop, and yield attributes can establish the basis for efficient nutrient management on an as-needed basis. Currently, crop management practices within agricultural fields are implemented uniformly with inadequate attention being given to substantial variations in soil properties, crop characteristics and yield, which not only increase cost of production but also poses a serious threat to the environment. The map and sensor based precision agriculture (PA) technologies are capable of encountering these spatial variations, to allocate nutrients site-specifically based on need. The concept of delineating management zones (MZs) based on proper characterization and quantification of soil and crop variability using sensors, has been proposed as a solution to more efficiently apply agricultural inputs in variable rate (VR) fashion to ensure sustainability of agricultural resources. The geo-referenced soil and crop attributes significantly affecting the crop yield can be used to develop MZz for site-specific nutrient management. The combined approach of using sensor and map based PA technology, in conjunction with statistical, geo-statistical and geographical information system (GIS) can aid in developing MZs without prior knowledge of productivity with the internal homogeneity and external heterogeneity. The MZs can be incorporated into the VR technology for site-specific applications to ensure economic and environmental sustainability. All are welcomed to attend this weekly seminar. Learn about the innovative research and collaborations the faculty and graduate students are leading at the School of Sustainable Design Engineering!