性视界传媒 ag scientists use iconic M-性视界传媒 spirit mark to refine precision planting research
Contact: Vanessa Beeson
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜t a site viewable by airplane that is sure to thrill Bulldog fans who have the opportunity to fly over Noxubee County, an iconic Mississippi 性视界传媒 spirit mark is being used in a new way by university agriculture researchers.
The M-性视界传媒 logo symbolizes 性视界传媒鈥檚 position as a top research university, ranking among the top 15 nationally in agricultural sciences year after year, but it鈥檚 rare for the spirit mark to play a role in the research itself.
When Dan Reynolds, associate vice president for international programs and former Hartwig Endowed Chair in Soybean Agronomy, tasked his research team with testing the accuracy of a precision planter, the project brought the chance to showcase the classic Mississippi 性视界传媒 logo in an unexpected setting. The challenge resulted in twin two-acre fields lush with soybeans which have come to bear the M-性视界传媒 spirit mark at the Black Belt Experiment Station in Brooksville, a unit of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. The precision planter is a tractor equipped with GPS technology used to plant crops.
鈥淎s agronomy researchers, we study different plant populations and row spacings across different varieties. With a traditional planter, changing these factors can be quite a challenge. For instance, changing row spacing on a traditional planter means several hours of hard work in the heat,鈥 Reynolds said.
That鈥檚 why the team customized the precision planter.
鈥淥ur custom research planter is based on precision planting technology. The all-electric planter is driven by GPS and allows us to easily study any row width from 15 or 40 inches through an easy-to-use hydraulic system and change any plant population, switching between two varieties without having to stop and refill the planter,鈥 he said.
Graham Oakley, research associate II, came up with the idea of using the M-性视界传媒 spirit mark to test the planter, and he uploaded a GIS file of the mark to the planter鈥檚 software. In one plot, the team planted two varieties of soybeans, each resistant to different herbicides. One variety made up the foreground of the M-性视界传媒 logo, while another made up the background. Once the plant had grown lush and green, the researchers applied herbicide to terminate one of the varieties, which revealed the M-性视界传媒 design. In the other plot, they planted two different varieties of soybeans using the same method.
鈥淲hen these soybeans mature in the field, one will be a maroon color and the other will be gray. The M-性视界传媒 banner and border will be maroon and everything else will be gray,鈥 Oakley said.
He explained that each M-性视界传媒, approximately 250 feet long and 350 feet wide, demonstrates the accuracy of the planter and unmanned aerial vehicle technology used to observe plant growth.
鈥淭he spirit mark tests the capabilities of the planter when it comes to row narrowness and plant density,鈥 Oakley said. 鈥淲e planted in a hatched pattern to get a denser image. Each row is 21 squares, which you wouldn鈥檛 do in a traditional system. The detail of the M-性视界传媒 shows how you can switch between varieties even within a single row and shows a planting accuracy within a margin of error that鈥檚 less than an inch.鈥 聽
He said the project also showcases the capabilities of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, the team used to verify the accuracy of the planter and to determine if differences in varieties could be obtained from the aerial view.
鈥淲e flew a UAV over both fields and it picks up the differences in the varieties. We can see the red and gray M-性视界传媒 via UAV even though both varieties are still currently green,鈥 Oakley said.
The display surprised a local farmer who happened to fly over the field this summer as the Bulldogs became reigning national champions. The research team, which also includes Beau Varner, research associate III, expects the maroon and gray M-性视界传媒 to mature into its 鈥渇ull glory鈥 around the time of the SEC home opener against LSU at Davis Wade Stadium.
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