Precision Agriculture in Crop Production
(book excerpts)The development of agriculture has experienced a transformation over the years from traditional agriculture to precision agriculture. Conventional agriculture is an age-old practice that relies on manual labor and historical knowledge, while precision agriculture (PA is a farming management concept that uses technology and data to optimize agricultural practices. It involves observing, measuring, and responding to variations within a field to make more informed decisions about resource application, crop management, and overall farming operations. Precision farming distinguishes itself from traditional agriculture by its level of management. Instead of managing whole fields as a single unit, it attempts to match the kind and amount of inputs with the actual crop needs within a field. Precision agriculture allows farmers to control important processes, saving time, energy, and resources. Precision agriculture will not only improve yield but could also impart predictive forecasting, which leads to appropriate and timely action. Precision agriculture also allows for greater flexibility in adapting the entire harvest to extreme weather events since forecasting and other data-driven environmental factors can be formulated and updated in real time. The technologies used in precision agriculture are constantly evolving. The Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and global positioning systems (GPS), among other technologies, enhance production and reduce inputs and yield losses. Precision agriculture can be applied to multiple cultural practices, including tillage, precision seeding, variable rate fertilizer application, precision irrigation, and selective pesticide application, and facilitates other management decisions, such as site-specific deep tillage to remove soil compaction. Precision agriculture has the potential to not only improve the use efficiency of farm inputs but also increase farm profits, reduce adverse environmental impacts, and improve agricultural sustainability.
Click on the following topics for more information on an introduction to precision agriculture.
Topics Within This Chapter:
- Advantages and Limitations of Precision Agriculture
- Remote Sensing
- Sensors
- Key Technologies of Precision Agriculture
- Internet of Things
- Big Data
- Cloud Computing
- Data Fusion
- Artificial Intelligence
- Wireless Sensor Networks
- Global Navigation Satellite System
- Remote Sensing
- Sensors
- Geographical Information Systems
- Variable Rate Application
- Auto-Guidance Systems
- Farm Management Information Systems
- Precision Agriculture Versus Smart Farming
- Application of Precision Agriculture in Crop Production
- Water management
- Soil Management
- Crop Monitoring
- Vegetative Indices
- Pest and Disease Management
- Weed Management
- Crop Planting and Harvesting
- Nutrient Management
- Intelligent Agricultural Machinery
- Crop Yield Monitoring
- Data Management and Analysis
