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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Wind Erosion and Water Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #265472
Title: Precision Agriculture and Nutrient Cycling

Author
item Lascano, Robert
item BOOKER, J - Texas Tech University

Submitted to: Encyclopedia of Environmental Management
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/27/2011
Publication Date: 5/1/2013
Citation: Lascano, R.J., Booker, J.D. 2013. Precision Agriculture and Nutrient Cycling. In: Encyclopedia of Environmental Management. Taylor and Francis: New York, NY. 2217-2223.

Interpretive Summary: Precision agriculture (PA) refers to the practice of managing agronomic inputs according to specific needs across the landscape. The major impediment to implement the adoption of PA is the development of decision-support systems. One way to achieve this objective is to integrate crop simulation models with geographic information data of soil and elevation, real-time weather, and management information systems to provide a framework to manage crops. An example of this is the combination of the Precision Agricultural Landscape Modeling System with a cotton simulation model to calculate the energy, water, energy and carbon balance at a 5-10 m scale. This integration provides a framework to manage agronomic inputs to maximize economic crop yield while minimizing environmental hazards. Adoption of PA will continue to increase given the demand for a safe food supply of high quality.

Technical Abstract: Precision agriculture (PA) refers to the practice of managing agronomic inputs according to specific needs across the landscape. The major impediment to implement the adoption of PA is the development of decision-support systems. One way to achieve this objective is to integrate crop simulation models with geographic information data of soil and elevation, real-time weather, and management information systems to provide a framework to manage crops. An example of this is the combination of the Precision Agricultural Landscape Modeling System with a cotton simulation model to calculate the energy, water, energy and carbon balance at a 5-10 m scale. This integration provides a framework to manage agronomic inputs to maximize economic crop yield while minimizing environmental hazards. Adoption of PA will continue to increase given the demand for a safe food supply of high quality.