Unique precision research
The University of Debrecen's Institution of Excellence in Higher Education (Eureka) presented research on water, on Thursday, at the institution's agricultural faculty. The achievements of university researchers in the field of precision agriculture is leveraged in the sector.
- In today's history of Hungarian agriculture, we are facing the biggest problem, water shortage. Decades of development in water management are missing and the ability of the sector to enforce its interests is also inadequate. Innovation is the solution to the challenges of production efficiency, like precision agriculture - András Jávor, professor of the University of Debrecen said in his greeting.
Within the framework of the Institutional Excellence Program of Higher Education, 45 teachers, researchers and 17 PhD students from the university in five workgroups participate in the development of precision agriculture. The research is based on the institution's unique, 35-year-old experiments at Látókép. Based on the results, the specialists quantify the adaptability of the different varieties and the interactions of the individual crop production factors.
- We have data and analyses for 35 years. In addition to reducing environmental impact and costs, our goal is to increase yields, improve their quality and genetic development of varieties. For example, we already have corn hybrids whose productivity is twice as high as that of the previous ones - János Nagy, professor of the Agricultural, Food Science and Environmental Management faculty (MÉK) reported.
The professor emphasized that new knowledge is also incorporated into education. According to his hopes, in 2021, agricultural higher education of Debrecen will be able to produce master-degree graduates who will be able to stand up to the agribusiness with a full range of precision knowledge. This is precisely the purpose of the training of the precision agricultural specialist engineer recently launched.
Researchers from the University of Debrecen and KITE Zrt., The Agricultural Research Institute and the Széchenyi István University are conducting the research. Miklós Neményi, academic, professor of Széchenyi István University, presented the connection between the Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainable crop production at the meeting.
- New technical-IT opportunities contribute to the understanding of the interaction of natural and artificial systems. IoT can change every aspect of our lives, but its greatest impact will be in the field of agriculture and environmental protection, says Miklós Neményi.
Represented by KITE Zrt., who has been cooperating with the University of Debrecen for 40 years, CEO Levente Szabó has presented the modern water management and water utilization systems to the participants, from soil tillage to the irrigation, he presented the factors of sustainable water management. László Hadászi, development and consulting director of the company, led the precision approach from the design phase to the implementation, including the protection against erosion and inland waterways and the 3D drainage technology.
After the lectures, the discussion continued with the reports of the five research groups at the Böszörményi campus of the University. In addition to MÉK and Institutes for Agricultural Research and Educational Farm, the project is participated by specialists from the Faculty of Law, Humanities, Economics, Natural Sciences, Technology and Informatics.