Valued partnership reaps research rewards

By Stacy Cochran

More resilient soybeans. Precision field drainage. Capturing climate perceptions. Preventing disease. AI powered crop assessment. Thanks to the AgTech Innovation Hub, these innovative and practical solutions could be just what farmers need to address real-world problems in an evolving agroecosystem.

Building on a decades-long partnership, Nationwide collaborated with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), and the Ohio Farm Bureau to advance the development of agricultural innovations that help farmers understand, manage, and mitigate climate risk. Research takes time. And farmers need answers now as they try to grow food, raise animals, and make decisions for their operations. The Hub aims to speed up that process.

One year, five projects, and teams of researchers focused on helping producers navigate changing weather patterns, disease pressure, and adopting new technologies. The successful outcomes of the AgTech Innovation Hub year 1 research projects revealed key insights: 

Automated drainage water management: The use of automated drainage systems helped ease drought effects, supported plant health, and improved soil moisture. 

Insights from data and drones: AI models combined drone imagery and weather data to predict soil moisture, crop growth stage, and ultimately crop yield which could boost producer profitability. 

Mapping climate risk perceptions: Nationally, many people appear uncertain about climate science but remain largely neutral on climate risk perception.

Protecting soybeans from pathogens: Cold water exposure after planting is more damaging to soybean emergence than cold temperatures alone. 

Improving biostimulants and biopesticides with a new protein: New technology successfully increases effectiveness of biopesticides in tomatoes and cucumbers. 

The 5 inaugural Hub-funded research projects focused on topics like drought risk reduction, precision risk management, pathogen prevention, and mapping climate risk perceptions nationally. Each research team received funding in June 2023 and projects will run through June 2024.

Halfway through their year-long research projects, researchers are already seeing promising results—all of which would not be possible without the support of Nationwide and the AgTech Innovation Hub. For more details about each project, visit the Knowledge Exchange.

Pulling the Plug on Drought Risks: Automated Drainage Water Management

Principal Investigators:

Dr. Steve Lyon, School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR)
Dr. Yanlan Liu (SENR)
Dr. Vinayak Shedekar, Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE)
Dr. Hemendra Kumar (SENR)

AI for Farming: Harvesting Insights from Data and Drones

Principal Investigators: 

Dr. Sami Khanal (FABE)
Dr. Arnab Nandi, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Dr. Laura Lindsey, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science (HCS) 
Luke Waltz, PhD student (FABE)

Considering Climate Change: Mapping Climate Risk Perceptions

Principal Investigators:

Dr. Cara Lawson, Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership (ACEL)
Dr. Scott Scheer (ACEL)

It Starts and Ends with Seeds: Protecting Soybeans from Pathogens

Principal Investigators:

Dr. Alex Lindsey (HCS)
Dr. Laura Lindsey (HCS)
Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora, Department of Plant Pathology (PlantPath)
Dr. Jonathan Jacobs (PlantPath)

Boosting Plant Defenses: Improving Biostimulants and Biopesticides with a New Protein

Principal Investigators:

Dr. Guo-Liang Wang, (PlantPath)
Dr. Dehua Pei, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. David Francis, (HCS)
Dr. Christopher Taylor, (PlantPath)