Increasing Crop Yield and Reducing Water Consumption with Precision Irrigation
Younsuk Dong, an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist at the MSU Department of Biosystem and Agricultural Engineering, has created a system that will improve irrigation and plant disease management. Dong’s hardware, entitled the Low-Cost Monitoring System, or LOCOMOS, is aimed at helping farmers determine optimal crop water patterns and can help farmers decide when crops need water and how much water to use. The technology utilizes multiple sensors to monitor in-field soil and environmental conditions and uses algorithms to enable precise irrigation and plant disease management.