Improving Crop Yields Through Optimized Planting Schedules

Abstract: Agricultural yields tend to be low in developing countries. In this research we study how crop yields could be improved through optimized seed planting schedules. We utilize a seed growth model based on phytology literature and embed that in an optimal seed planting problem while considering seasonal rainfall uncertainty. We show that the optimal planting policy is a time dependent threshold-type policy and the optimal threshold is dependent on the soil water content and seeding capacity. 

Bio: Jayashankar (Jay) M. Swaminathan is the GlaxoSmithKline Distinguished Professor of Operations at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An internationally recognized thought leader on productivity and innovation in business operations, he is an inducted Fellow of The Institute for Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS) and Production and Operations Management Society (POMS). 


This seminar series is sponsored by the Cornell-r4 Applied AI Initiative, a partnership between Cornell and r4 Technologies that focuses on addressing business and societal problems holistically.
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