Basic knowledge of application of computers in agriculture

Computer use among agro-meteorologists, agronomists and other agricultural professionals has risen rapidly in the past decade.
The application of the computer in agriculture research originally exploited for the conversion of statistical formula or complex model in digital farm for easy and accurate calculation which are found relatively tedious in the manual calculation.

1. Basic knowledge of application of computers in agriculture Submitted to: Dr.P.K.KINGRA Submitted by: Jatinderpal Singh

2. A computer is an advanced electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program . The basic components of a modern  digital computer  are: Input Device, Output Device, Central Processor Unit (CPU), mass storage device and memory.  

3. Analog Computer:  A computer that represents numbers by some continuously variable physical quantity, whose variations mimic the properties of some system being modeled. Personal computer:  A  personal computer is a computer small and low cost. The term " personal computer" is used to describe  desktop computers  (desktops ). Workstation :  A terminal or desktop computer in a network . In this context, workstation is just a generic term for a user's machine (client machine) in contrast to a "server" or "mainframe."

4. Mainframe :  It refers to the kind of large computer that runs an entire corporation . Minicomputer:  A minicomputer is a type of computer that possesses most of the features and capabilities of a large computer but is smaller in physical size. A minicomputer may also be called a mid-range computer. Supercomputer :  It is the biggest, fastest, and most expensive computers on earth.(latest supercomputer used by IMD; PRATYUSH and MIHIR since January, 2018 ) Microcomputer: The   personal computer  is a  microcomputer .

5. Computer use among agrometeorologists , agronomists and other agricultural professionals has risen rapidly in the past decade. The application of the computer in agriculture research originally exploited for the conversion of statistical formula or complex model in digital farm for easy and accurate calculation which are found relatively tedious in manual calculation.

6. In the next generation, the same computers have been used to mechanization, automation and to develop decision support system for taking strategic decision on the agricultural production and protection research.

7. Crop growth models have been used since 1970s ( Hoogenboom , 2003). Crop growth is a very complex phenomenon and a product of a series of complicated interactions of soil, plant and weather . In the past decade, the dynamics of crop growth models have made substantial progress ( Gerdes , 1993) and many crop models are available on the market

8. Some of models are: ORYZA1 (Kropff et al., 1994), CERES-Rice (Singh et al., 1993 ), SIMRIW (Rice-Weather relations) (Matthews et al., 1994) ORYZA2000 (Bouman, 2006), DSSAT ( Decision Support System for Agro-technology Transfer) (Jones et al ., 2003), APSIM (Agriculture production Simulator )( Keating et al., 2003 ), AquaCrop ( Raes et al., 2009) Computer models have achieved various degrees of success in application

9. Data Mining : Data mining is the process of discovering potentially useful, interesting , and previously unknown patterns from a large collection of data . The data mining process is interactive and it requires an understanding of the decision maker's intentions and objectives, the nature and scope of the application, as well as the limitations of data mining methods . A variety of software systems are available today that will handle the technical details so that people can focus on making the decisions . Data mining techniques are used in many research areas, including mathematics,  cybernetics, genetics and marketing etc.

10. Bioinformatics: Bioinformatics integrates the advances in the areas of Computer Science , Information Science and Information Technology to solve complex problems in Life and plant Sciences . Bioinformatics  is an  interdisciplinary  field that develops methods and  software tools  for understanding  biological   data. B ioinformatics techniques such as  image  and  signal processing   allow extraction of useful results from large amounts of raw data. Bioinformatics tools aid in the comparison of genetic and genomic data and more generally in the understanding of evolutionary aspects of molecular biology.

11. Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System: Remote sensing refers to the process of gathering information about an object, at a distance, without touching the object itself. Remote Sensing techniques have a unique capability of recording data in visible as well as invisible part of electromagnetic spectrum .

12. The application of remote sensing data taken momentum in the field of agriculture and crop studies in India especially crop production forecasting covering both crop inventory and crop yield forecast models, drought assessment, soil mapping and soil degradation, command area monitoring, flood damage assessment, land suitability mapping, insect pest infestation forecasting and widespread availability of satellite signals that allow private use of GPS made it possible for farmers to spatially locate data from precision farming applications.

13. Geographical Information System is a computer-based information system that can acquire spatial data from a variety of sources, change the data into useful formats, store the data, and retrieve and manipulate the data for analysis . The majority of the operational GIS are used for thematic mapping, handling spatial queries, and decision-making support . GIS technology is being increasingly employed by agriculture researchers to create resource database and to arrive at appropriate strategies for sustainable development of agricultural resources.

14. Precision agriculture : Precision Agriculture is conceptualized by a system approach to re-organize the total system of agriculture towards a low-input, high-efficiency, sustainable agriculture . This new approach mainly benefits from the emergence and convergence of several technologies, including the Global Positioning System (GPS ), geographic information system (GIS), miniaturized computer components, automatic control , in-field and remote sensing, mobile computing, advanced information processing , and telecommunications.

15. Expert Systems : An expert system is a specific kind of information system in which computer software serves the same function expected of an expert. The computer, programmed to mimic the thought processes of experts, provides the decision-maker with suggestions as to the best choice of action for a particular problem situation .

16. Expert systems allow users to influence the knowledge of experts without requiring their presence. Expert systems are useful in any field especially in agriculture where experts are rare, expensive, or inaccessible.

17. Machine learning  is an algorithms based application of artificial  intelligence  (AI) that provides systems the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.  Machine learning  focuses on the development of computer programs that can access data and use it learn for themselves.

18. Decision Support Systems: Computer systems that provide users with support to analyze complex information and help to make decisions are called decision support systems (DSSs ). Decision support systems are information systems with a specific function to help people with the problem solving to some extent and decision making process. DSS consists of a collection of people, procedures, software, and databases with a purpose. The computer is the primary technology in such systems.

19. Weather forecasting: Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to  predict  the conditions of the atmosphere and sky condition or cloud cover. W eather forecasting  now relies  on computer -based models that take many atmospheric factors into account

20. Pratyush and Mihir are the   supercomputers   established at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology   (IITM),  Pune and  National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF),  Noida  respectively.   Pratyush and Mihir are used in the fields of  weather forecasting  and  climate  monitoring in India. It helps the country to make better forecasts in terms of  Monsoon, fishing,   air quality , extreme events like Tsunami, cyclones, earthquakes,  lightning  and other  natural calamities  such as floods, droughts etc.

21. E-Agriculture Agricultural Education Crop Development Understanding the Crops Agri-business E- C houpal Agricultural Marketing Enhancing Agricultural Production Efficiency In Fertilizer And Irrigation System Efficiency In Getting Information Kisan Call Centre Improved Equipment Tracking Seeds Development Soil Development Farm Land Assessment

22. E-Agriculture is an emerging field focusing on the enhancement of agricultural and rural development through improved information and communication processes . Large and small, farms and ranches of all sizes have found many applications for computers and networks . Manufacturers of farming equipment have added computers to several types of equipment and have integrated a wide range of software programs into farming applications . The adoption of these technologies has improved productivity and has allowed the farmer to shift spending on labor to spending on capital items.

23. * Colleges and universities across the country now incorporate computer applications into their agricultural curriculums. * Agricultural students not only study basic business computing applications but also learn about -Yield management applications, -Herd management software, -Computer-based animal husbandry systems, and -Use of global positioning system devices in crop planning and management

24. Courses on P recision F arming S ystems that cover the use of farming machinery supported by global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS) are among the contemporary course offerings at many universities. As a result of the adaptation of computing technology to farming and ranching applications, agriculture careers are becoming more appealing to younger generations (Roberson, 2008).

25. Agri Business Division, one of India's largest exporters of agricultural commodities, has conceived e- Choupal as a more efficient supply chain aimed at delivering value to its customers around the world on a sustainable basis. The e- Choupal model has been specifically designed to tackle the challenges posed by the unique features of Indian agriculture, characterised by fragmented farms, weak infrastructure and the involvement of numerous intermediaries, among others .

26. Agri-business Online Trading Recent rapid growth in the availability of online commodity trading has allowed many amateur investors to trade on the commodity market from their own home or business.

27. National Agriculture Market or e-NAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India. The market facilitate farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities. The market is helping in better price discovery and provide facilities for smooth marketing of their produce. 

28. Through forum and social networking site farmers can get connect with other experts and exchange their views and other details .Farmers can get a lot of information on variety of agriculture topics by surfing. Farmers can get connect foreign customer which can help to improve their product and increase their production capacity .Farmer can get information regarding price, weather, temperature etc . Kisan call centre Launched on January 21, 2004 by the Department of Agricultural & Co-operation Computer system with Internet Telephone line Teleconferencing facility

29. Farmer dials toll free number ‘ 1551 ’ for any enquiry If queries not answered satisfactorily then the call is forwarded to level II & level III Important information gateway Cost is almost zero, response is in local language If needed, the agricultural scientists also visit the field

30. Remote management of grain storage facility for high quality of agricultural products Remote environmental monitoring system via the Internet Real-time monitoring and analysis of temperature variation in the storage facility Collection and distribution of crop growth stage information and pest information using GPS (Global Positioning System) .

31. Technology is dramatically increasing the amount of land each farmer can work effectively. Using the GPS vocational device and sensors in the field, farmers can harvest, along with their crops, detailed digital maps of their fields. Precise application reduces waste and improves yield

32. To determine the best application of pesticide and fertilizer products, agronomists have generally sampled soil at select locations in crop fields to develop an average fertilizer level for the field. New precision farming technologies enable farmers to go beyond an average application by developing a GPS-based grid pattern of the field and testing each grid before applying appropriate levels of fertilizer to improve crop yield at a more precise level. This reduces the consumption of fertilizer in some areas and increases it in other areas of the field. The amount of water sprinkled in a balanced quantity is also computerized. A center-pivot irrigation system  an onsite computer

33. It Increasing efficiency, productivity and sustainability of small scale farms by:- Providing information about pest and disease control, especially early warning systems, new varieties, new ways to optimize production and regulations for quality control In the planting process, it is important to place the proper number of seeds per row.

34. THANK YOU

35. Reference Ascough J C, Hoag D L, McMaster G S and Frasier W M (2002) Computer Use and Satisfaction by Great Plains Producers:Ordered Logit Model Analysis. J. Agron . 94 :1263-1269. Bernardi (2000) Chapter 8 Applications Software developed by FAO for Management of Soils and Crops Data. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Environment and Natural Resources Services Research, Extension and Training Division Sustainable Development Department Viale delle Terme di Caraclla 00100 Rome, Italy. Preeti S (2011). Uses of computer in agriculture. Retrieved Jun. 24, 2013, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/uses-of-computers RegaH  N (2013) How are computers used in farming. Retrieved from http:// www.ehow.com/facts_5850042_computers-used

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