USING PRECISION FARMING TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT OF SOIL AND FERTILIZER NITROGEN

Advances in technology are making global positioning systems, on-the-g o yield monitors, geographic information systems, remote sensing, comm unication networks, and variable-rate application techniques available to crop producers. There is, however, no established methodology for using these technologies in agricultural research to develop basic kno wledge needed to improve crop production practices. This report descri bes how these new technologies are being used to develop recommendatio ns for N management during non-irrigated corn production in the corn b elt of the USA. The discussion begins with relevant background informa tion about the prevailing N-management practices for this crop and som e challenges posed by the advent of the new technologies. This is foll owed by a description of the various methods being used to collect dat a in field trials. An example of a field trial is then presented and t he potential importance of management-induced variability is illustrat ed. This is followed by some general observations derived from the res ults of many field studies. The discussion concludes with speculation about the nature of N fertiliser prescriptions during crop production with precision farming technologies.