A dissertation in soil science at UFLA receives an honorable mention from Capes – UFLA

A soil science dissertation at UFLA received an honorable mention by CAES

thesis Application of proximity sensors to predict soil classes and traits in Brazil (Application of Close Sensors for Predicting Soil Classes and Traits in Brazil) from the Postgraduate Program in Soil Sciences of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) received an Honorable Mention at the Capes Award 2023.

The study, conducted by researcher Renata Andrade, began in April 2018 and ended in February 2022. Part of the research was conducted at Texas Tech University for nine months, through a grant from the Capes PrInt Program. The research, under the guidance of Professor Sergio Enrique Godinho Silva, who was co-supervised by Professors Nelton Currie and David Weindorf, involved using data from nearby sensors linked to machine learning tools to predict soil classes and characteristics.

The main findings of the study demonstrate the great potential of using data from nearby sensors, primarily portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), as an alternative to reduce costs and time needed to assess soil properties, and to support agricultural and environmental strategies.

For Renata, taking a graduate course in the Graduate Program in Soil Sciences at UFLA has always been a dream. “From the very beginning of my scientific initiation (IFGoiano – Campus Rio Verde / GO) I was encouraged to pursue my master’s and doctoral degrees in one of the best graduate programs in soil sciences in the country. When I arrived in Lavras, I not only realized that the university and the program were of extremely high quality , but the city was welcoming and the people were welcoming. When I began my PhD research, there was little work available in the literature on the subject. In this sense, our study expanded the frontiers in this field of soil science, through unpublished and groundbreaking publications in influential international scientific journals higher education, such as Geoderma and Geoderma Regional. It is very satisfying to receive this recognition, as it demonstrates the quality of the graduate program in soil sciences at UFLA,” he says.