**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS PROJECT WILL UTILIZE ENGINEERING PRINCIPLES TO INTEGRATE EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPED AT CLEMSON UNIVERSITY AND OTHER STATES TO A) DEVELOP AN INTELLIGENT OVERHEAD IRRIGATION SYSTEM FOR SITE-SPECIFIC, VARIABLE-RATE IRRIGATION APPLICATION BASED ON REAL-TIME SOIL MOISTURE DATA; B) DEVELOP A SENSOR-BASED VARIABLE-RATE FERTIGATION EQUIPMENT, WHICH CAN BE RETROFITTED ONTO VARIABLE-RATE OR CONVENTIONAL OVERHEAD IRRIGATION SYSTEMS; C) DEVELOP THE NEW IWNP SYSTEM THAT COMBINES THE INTELLIGENT OVERHEAD IRRIGATION AND THE SENSOR-BASED FERTIGATION EQUIPMENT, AND EVALUATE ITS PERFORMANCE WITH RESPECTS TO DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS AND ITS EFFECTS ON WATER, ENERGY, AND N USE EFFICIENCIES IN CROP PRODUCTIONS AND TO DEVELOP PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR N FERTIGATION RATES AND FREQUENCY THROUGH AN OVERHEAD IRRIGATION SYSTEM; D) DETERMINE THE ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE IWNP PROGRAM ON FARMING SYSTEMS IN THE SOUTHEAST; E) IMPLEMENT A ROBUST AND FAR-REACHING TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PRODUCERS, COUNTY AGENTS, CROP ADVISORS AND CONSULTANTS, AND TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS TO DIRECTLY TEACH THE IWNP SYSTEM TO INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS; F) INCORPORATE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF IWNP TECHNOLOGY INTO FORMAL COURSES, OFFERED TO UNDERGRADUATE & GRADUATE STUDENTS AT CLEMSON UNIVERSITY; AND G) UTILIZE UAVS FOR MONITORING, MEASUREMENT, AND OTHER DATA COLLECTION IN CROP PRODUCTION.

Clemson University, Clemson SC

Investigators