Precision farming

Concepts and Technologies

1. PRECISION AGRICULTURE: CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES-ISSUES AND CONCERNS FOR INDIAN AGRICULTURE Dr. H. A. ARCHANA Assistant Professor (Agronomy)

2. Agriculture GDP- 17% - Employment- 70 % Indian Agriculture- Population is increasing After green revolution- Yield became constant Horizontal expansion is not possible- Cultivable land Per capita land availability- 0.33 ha/ 1952 now reduced to 0.15/ 2022 Soil are not uniform- place Essential to maintain ecofriendly technologies Presently- Technical methods- using modern electronic devices and tools Global positioning system (GPS) based agriculture, Site specific Nutrient Management (SSNM), Precision agriculture, spatially variable crop production.

3. PRECISION AGRICULTURE Precision agriculture is the application technology and principles to control the geographic and temporal variability associated with all aspects of agricultural production for improving output and environmental quality.

4. NEED: By using less water, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides in addition to other farm equipment, precision farming has the potential to be advantageous for both the economy and the environment . Instead than managing a field based on some fictitious average state that may not exist everywhere in the field, a precision farming technique considers site-specific variances within fields and adapts management measures accordingly. With precision agriculture, data gathering and analysis might be automated and made simpler . It enables the quick and effective implementation of management choices on smaller fields within bigger fields.

5. COMPONENTS OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE: In precision agriculture, the field is split into "management zones," commonly referred to as "grids," depending on the Crop production is affected by many variables, including soil pH, nutritional condition, pest infestation, yield rates, and others. Zone inputs are controlled using precision agriculture tools like GIS, GPS, etc., and management choices are based on the requirements of each zone.

6. With the aid of the GPS , one of the primary precision farming technologies, the exact location can be determined, and applications can be made on the exact place using the most cutting-edge equipment now on the market. In order for the tractor or system applying the chemical to know where it is in the field, the farmer needs place a GPS receiver on it. The fertilizer/pesticide (or other substance that needs to be administered) - need map must be stored on an in-car computer and compared to field position data obtained from the GPS receiver. In addition to the need for fertiliser and pesticides, a plant population can be selected to optimise soil nutrients and a plant variety can be selected to benefit from field circumstances. Crop output can also be tracked to provide maps of a field's high- and low-production regions for better management choices.

7. Technologies used in Precision Agriculture: Anyone interested in precision farming needs to be familiar with the latest technology tools in order to gather and use information effectively. Mapping GPS receiver Yield monitoring and mapping Grid soil sampling and VRT Application Remote sensing GIS Quantifying on Farm Variability Soil Variation Variability of Soil Water Content Time and Space Scales

8. Issues in Precision farming Economics issues Changes in costs Changes in revenues Cash flow risk Management Issues: Data acquisition and analysis Decision support systems Increased attention to management Environmental issues Reduce input loses Increase water and nutrient use - scarce Technologies issues Accurate GPS system Variable rate technology Site specific management services Financing

9. Concerns in Indian Agriculture The users culture and perceptions Small-scale farming The absence of success tales Cropping system diversity and market flaws Institutional limitations, infrastructure, and land ownership A lack of technical knowledge in the area Data availability , cost and quality