CyberSEES: Type 1: Improving Crop Production Efficiency using Wireless Underground Sensor-Guided Irrigation Systems

该项目研究了无线地下传感器网络(WUSNs)用于土壤参数监测的可行性，并设计了下一代自主灌溉管理工具，以提高作物生产效率。农业是淡水资源的最大用户，约占目前取水量的70%-80%。随着需求的增加和淡水资源的日益稀缺，提高作物产量至关重要。无线连接的、永久安装的地下传感器网络可以将来自土壤的实时信息反馈到灌溉管理系统，以经济高效的方式提高作物产量。该项目开发了一个概念验证灌溉管理试验台，以及相关的农业实践和工具，用于中心枢轴灌溉系统的自主控制。开发的工具被集成到一个由地下传感组件、中继节点、基于云的管理系统和移动组件组成的异类架构中。该项目的这些成果将为变量灌溉理念的实施做出重大贡献。此外，使用WUSN开发的灌溉计划协议将考虑到不同的土壤质地分类。在改变灌溉方式的同时，该研究还通过开发独特的天线设计、发射功率控制技术和振动能量收集系统来设计可持续的地下系统解决方案。由此产生的原型是第一个可持续的无线地下传感器系统，能够调查当地遥感数据和作物产量之间的关系。因此，该项目开发了在线管理工具，从长远来看将提高作物生产效率。联合国粮食及农业组织的预测显示，到2050年，世界人口将达到90亿以上。淡水资源日益有限，加上人口增长，加剧了不同部门之间的用水竞争，大大增加了用水者的压力。为了满足快速增长的世界人口对粮食和纤维的需求，生产型农业需要新的技术。这项艰巨而具有挑战性的任务需要多学科的努力，将不同的工程和科学学科结合起来。本项目开发的创新自主灌溉管理范式是能够实现如此广泛影响的新一代概念。该项目支持计算机科学与工程和生物系统工程的研究生培养跨学科研究。该项目的成果和见解通过内布拉斯加州大学-林肯分校的推广计划和网络以及高质量的出版物、地方、地区、国家和国际会议和期刊向农民和农业行业传播。

This project investigates the feasibility of wireless underground sensor networks (WUSNs) for soil parameter monitoring and devises next-generation autonomous irrigation management tools to improve crop production efficiency. Agriculture is the largest user of freshwater resources, accounting for about 70-80% of current withdrawals. With the increasing demands and the emerging scarcity in freshwater resources, increasing the crop yield is essential. The wirelessly connected, permanently installed underground sensor networks can feed real-time information from the soil to the irrigation management system, improving crop yields in a cost-effective manner. This project develops a proof-of-concept irrigation management testbed and associated agricultural practices and tools for autonomous control of a center pivot irrigation system. The developed tools are integrated into a heterogeneous architecture that consists of underground sensing components, relay nodes, a cloud-based management system and mobile components. These results of this project will make significant contributions to the implementation of the variable rate irrigation concept. Moreover, irrigation-scheduling protocols developed using the WUSN will account for different soil textural classifications. While transforming irrigation practices, the research also devises sustainable underground system solutions through development of unique antenna designs; transmit power control techniques, and vibration energy harvesting systems. The resulting prototype is the first sustainable wireless underground sensor system and enables investigation of the relationships between locally-sensed data and crop yields. Accordingly, the project develops on-line management tools that will enhance crop production efficiency in the long-term.Projections by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicate that the World population will reach over 9 billion by 2050. Ever-increasing limitations in freshwater resources coupled with population growth have increased the competition for water between various sectors and substantially increased the pressure on water users. To meet the food and fiber demand of rapidly growing World population, new technologies are required for production agriculture. This difficult and challenging task requires multidisciplinary efforts to couple various engineering and science disciplines. The developed innovative autonomous irrigation management paradigm in this project is a new generation concept that can achieve such broad impacts. The project supports graduate students from computer science and engineering and biological systems engineering to foster interdisciplinary research. The results and the insight from this project are disseminated to farmers and agriculture industry through University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension programs and networks as well as high quality publications, local, regional, national and international conferences and journals.