Grants and Contributions:

Title:

Delineation of Sensor Based Management Zones to Improve Farm Profitability and Lower Environmental Risks in Potato Cropping Systems

Agreement Number:

EGP

Agreement Value:

$25,000.00

Agreement Date:

Mar 7, 2018 -

Organization:

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Location:

Prince Edward Island, CA

Reference Number:

GC-2017-Q4-00560

Agreement Type:

Grant

Report Type:

Grants and Contributions

Additional Information:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

Recipient's Legal Name:

Farooque, Aitazaz Ahsan (University of Prince Edward Island)

Program:

Engage Grants for universities

Program Purpose:

Potato production in Canada typically involves uniform application of agrochemicals (fertilizer, lime andx000D
pesticides) during a growing season, ignoring spatial and temporal variations that exist within fields. Uniformx000D
application not only increases the production cost but also adversely affects our environment (increasedx000D
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, nitrate leaching into sub-surface/ground waters, nutrient runoff into waterx000D
bodies, damaging aquaculture and fisheries and deterioration of air quality).x000D
This project will address the urgent needs of the Potato Board Prince Edward Island (PEI) to find a novel andx000D
innovative solution to direct nutrient management strategies on an as-needed basis. This project will evaluatex000D
the feasibility and practicality of the electromagnetic induction based sensor (DualEM) to develop managementx000D
zones (MZs) for site-specific application of crop inputs (Fertilizer and lime). The main goal of this research isx000D
to: 1) calibrate the DualEM sensor in variable soil conditions across the PEI using physical soil sampling andx000D
analysis, 2) identify the optimal frequencies of the DualEM sensor to sense/predict soil fertility status forx000D
site-specific nutrient management, and 3) delineate non-destructive sensor based MZs to optimize crop inputsx000D
on an as-needed basis. Nutrient management on an as-needed basis has a strong potential to increasex000D
fertilizer/lime use efficiency, reduce production cost, and mitigate environmental risks.x000D
Currently, there are no protocols available for Potato Board PEI to implement site-specific nutrientx000D
management. This project will provide Potato Board PEI with an innovative and non-destructive method tox000D
develop map-based MZs using a DualEM sensor. The developed MZs can optimize nutrient managementx000D
precisely. Furthermore, this research will provide a new knowledge stream based on acquisition of necessaryx000D
data to support/implement site-specific nutrient management to improve economic and environmental benefits.