(NAFB.com) – The Center for Digital Agriculture and the Prairie Research Institute, two research entities at the University of Illinois, have partnered to offer seed funding for joint research projects. The initiative aims to facilitate collaborations that find innovative solutions for societal challenges using digital technologies to enhance agricultural sustainability. In addition to sparking joint research and development activities, the partnership aims to lead to sponsored funding, private sector partnerships, workforce development and training, and service to the State of Illinois and beyond. Two collaborative research proposals have been selected. Using an innovative drone-mounted microwave radiofrequency system, researchers in one project can sense soil and crop moisture, monitoring plant stress and catching it early — before typical signs of water stress are visible. A scalable solution, the technology could improve production and irrigation. The second proposal aims to develop a more efficient and cost-effective method to monitor western corn rootworm, which is currently a manual process using insect traps.
