Sharafat Khan

​​How did you become interested in this field of study?
Plants have always fascinated me. My father was an agronomist, getting his Ph.D. from New Mexico State University. I have always been around plants because of my father’s profession.

What is the title of the ARI project and what faculty are you working with?
“Effect of Different Irrigation and Nitrogen Treatments on Corn Silage and Grain Yield Production Under Precision Agriculture.” My adviser on the project is Dr. Reza Chachi, a lecturer in the Department of Plant Science at Cal Poly Pomona.

Briefly describe your project and why it is important to California agriculture or natural resources.
California has and will face droughts, and water for agriculture may be limited. In addition, nitrogen-based fertilizers have the potential to pollute groundwater and add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. We need to use water and fertilizers more wisely, and this is where precision agriculture comes in—adding the water, fertilizers and pesticides when and where they are needed. We are using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with sensors to grow several crops under different water and fertilizer treatments to determine an environmentally friendly method to produce the crop. The technology is still under development, so there is a lot of development work, called “ground truthing,” to make this work for commercial agriculture.

Why are you interested in this project?
I am interested in precision agriculture, specifically how it can be used in agronomy and determine its benefits and its future. The project was a good learning experience for me and the idea of bringing newer technology into crop production is interesting.

Describe your role in this ARI project.
I worked on several crops, strawberries, lettuce and corn. We collected samples from the field for lab analyses to determine the water and nitrogen status of plants and compare it to the sensors on the UAV. The data that would take us all day to obtain could be completed in 25 minutes with the UAV. This is when you can see the value of UAVs, remote sensing and precision agriculture.

What do you hope to learn, or have you learned, through your involvement?
This project has helped me learn about conducting research. I am excited that it looks like the remote sensing will really help grow and manage crops.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us regarding your background and interests?
I plan to continue my studies and enroll in a Ph.D. program. I believe with the knowledge and experience I have obtained through the ARI project I can achieve my dreams of getting a doctorate.