It is extra than likely that if you are straight involved in the agricultural globe at some point you have heard about precision agriculture. Just like the tablet computer systems right now, or the Macarena in the 1990s, precision agriculture is that unavoidable factor that everybody is talking about and with great reason. With a guarantee of substantially escalating productivity by integrating 21st century agriculture technologies into the farm, one particular can not assistance but to get excited about all the potential advantages. And considering smorfia relies on advanced on-board computing systems you can anticipate tomorrow’s tractors to extra closely resemble the automobile from Knight Rider than your dad’s John Deere.
The premise behind precision agriculture is uncomplicated due to the fact terrains are not uniform in most of their dimensions such as soil composition, nutritional desires, crop yields, and pest/disease presence, then the traditional practice of treating them uniformly is hardly ideal. Precision agriculture intends to resolve this issue by splitting every single block into a grid of smaller sized plots of land and micromanaging them individually, or performing “website certain management” as we say in agriculture. Of course this is also large a activity for individuals to do with considering the fact that it needs collecting and analyzing millions of pieces of information. This is exactly where technologies comes into play with a range of sophisticated technologies such as GPS systems, yield monitors, variable price applicators, and geospatial statistical evaluation application.
Soil composition and yield maps
As with any profitable scientific endeavor, a very good precision agriculture method calls for correct information. A excellent place to begin is typically by producing soil composition and yield maps of the blocks you wish to analyze. These maps represent the huge numbers of samples that will be the basic input for geospatial statistical analysis software program that will create recommendations for distinct processes such as fertilization, sowing density, and pest/disease handle.
The problem with these kinds of maps is that they can be extremely hard to make appropriately. A cumulative set of errors coming from a lot of various components such as GPS system accuracy limitations, usage of many harvesting machines on the very same fields (Many yield monitors), and time delays on data capture due to hardware capacity, can drive the margin of error exponentially even to the point of rendering it useless. This is why obtaining a appropriate process for minimizing errors for the duration of data capture, and where the posterior filtering of suspiciously out of spot data (Outliers) turn into essential activities.
Variable price applications
At the moment there are two important schools of believed behind variable rate applications and potentially even precision agriculture in basic on 1 side we have those who want to enhance the fields to further heights than had been previously possible with traditional methods. Their rationale lies behind the fact that since we’re not utilizing optimal agricultural solutions for each precise internet site, then the maximum prospective of fields has not been reached and large benefits can be achieved by trying to maximize production. On the other side of the fence we have specialists who assume that due to the reality that an very high level of production has already been reached on most crops, doable gains in production due to internet site certain management of fields are marginal and not worth pursuing. The focus of these experts alternatively is centered in price-cutting by decreasing waste and more than application of agricultural supplies (Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc.). What I’ve noticed is that actual precision agriculture savvy farmers in numerous circumstances have a position that sits half-way between both camps, and therefore treat every field as a one of a kind case that requirements to be treated individually to identify the best method.
After you have decided which method suits your present situation much better, modern geospatial statistical evaluation software program tools will present a myriad of mathematical solutions for figuring out an optimal application pattern that requires into account the distinct situations of each and every person site. This application patterns will then be transferred to an on-board pc that can automatically handle application prices of the tools attached to the tractors (Planters, sprayers, etc.) primarily based on the GPS position of the car. Here once more making sure the minimization of errors in information, such as making certain an accurate GPS position, can have a huge effect on the final outcomes of the exercise