St. Louis, MO (KMOX) - Geospatial technology is giving plant scientists a new view.
"Farmers are actually some of the early adopters of technology and I think the general public doesn't often know that," explains Katie Murphy, Director of Phenotyping and Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. "Tractors are already equipped with specialized GPS systems." Murphy points out, they're already using technology such as drones to make decisions about what's happening in their fields. "So we're just taking those applications and trying to push them a step further to answer questions about what plants are growing well, which plants are suffering when we apply different conditions to a field, for example, additional nitrogen or less nitrogen fertilizer. And so it's much easier if we could actually go in with, with imaging technologies, uavs and other things that are less labor intensive to answer those questions."
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a member of the Taylor Geospatial Institute, a research collaborative that also includes 7 major research institutions in Missouri and Illinois.
Murphy points out, the work happening in St. Louis could have a positive impact around the globe. "If we can better understand how to utilize that satellite data, then folks who are perhaps not as fortunate to have all the technologies we have here on site could also take advantage of that data to understand their plants as they're growing."
Speaking on KMOX's Total Information A.M., Murphy says her hope is to someday be able to have detailed assessments of individual plants in the field. "It's something we're actively working toward because if we can understand how individual plants are responding and really pair that with above ground data, with what we know about plant genetics and plant metabolism, I really think we can move the needle to making crops that are more sustainable, that are healthier and that are better for people across the world."
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