Sustainable Production of Specialty Crops with Artificial Intelligence and Precision Technologies (SPRINT)

The specialty crop industry is facing similar challenges across different crops, majorly in labor shortages and inefficient crop management. Precision tools powered by artificial intelligence are critical for advancing the specialty crop industry and responding to a rapidly changing climate because they enable farmers to monitor and manage environmental variables with high accuracy. These tools can help optimize water use, nutrient application, and pest control, reducing waste and increasing resilience to climate stressors like extreme temperatures, irregular rainfall, and accompanying biotic (pests, diseases, and weeds) pressures.

However, there is a need to train agricultural scientists in developing and implementing precision tools at the field level. An interdisciplinary team with expertise in plant science, weed science, mushroom production, entomology, precision agriculture, machine learning, economics, and extension will train five Ph.D. students to develop systematic solutions aimed at addressing challenges affecting specialty crop systems employing precision agriculture and AI tools. In the long term, this cohort project will lay the foundation for the team to advance the Penn State Specialty Crop program with the goal of developing need-orientated, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions for the US specialty crop industry.

For more information

Long He
Associate Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
luh378@psu.edu