Dr. Abhilash Chandel
Assistant Professor, Precision Agriculture & Data Management
Advancing Precision Agriculture Through AI, Remote Sensing & Crop Phenotyping
Research Program
Sensing, automation, and data-driven agriculture
Designing and deploying sensing, automation, and data-driven solutions for spatiotemporal, targeted management of agricultural inputs, from a single sensor to an entire field.
Ag-Sensing Systems
Ground (fixed and mobile), smartphone, aerial, and satellite-based sensing for real-time crop monitoring across field and specialty crops.
Recent work
UAV multispectral mapping of nematode stress in soybean; cotton boll-opening mapping at field scale.
Innovation & Impact
Projects that ship to the field
Tools and inventions that move research out of the lab and into the hands of Virginia growers.
Agroclimate Viewer & Planner App
A web-based decision support platform delivering real-time agroclimate data and smart farming insights to growers across Virginia, built to bridge the gap between research and on-farm decision-making.
Live usage data · updated hourly
Sensor-Based Intra-Row Weeding System
An autonomous crop-detection sensor paired with a PMDC-actuated rotary weeder on a 4-bar linkage, reducing herbicide use, manual labor, and crop injury during in-row weeding.
Indian Patent · Assigned to IIT Kharagpur
Modular 3D-Printed Microneedle Biosensor
A wearable, lithography-free electrochemical platform for wireless, in-situ monitoring of biotic and abiotic plant stress, fabricated via SLA 3D printing with modular, multiplexed surface chemistry.
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties (VTIP)
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Extension publications
Peer-reviewed publications that translate precision agriculture research into practical tools and field guidelines for Virginia growers.
Drone ImagingDrone Imaging to Evaluate Impact of Nematodes on Soybean Yield
View PublicationDecision ToolAgroclimate Viewer & Planner App
View Publication
Soil HealthPotential of Controlled Traffic Farming for Enhanced Soil Health and Productivity
View Publication
Drone ImagingMapping Cotton Boll Opening at Field-Scale (%Open Bolls) Using UAV Imagery
View PublicationTeam Activities
Research, Outreach & Training
From field trials and drone operations to international conferences and community expos — a look at how the lab brings precision agriculture to life.
