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Precision Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges--Michael O'Connor
Pages 199-206

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From page 199...
... THE PRECISION FARMING FEEDBACK LOOP Historically, the process of crop production has been an "open loop" process, with only qualitative or imprecise feedback methods available to growers. This process is illustrated in Figure 1.
From page 200...
... GNSS-based yield monitors gave farmers a tool to collect site-specific information about their crop production and to generate maps showing in-field yield variability on their farms. Today nearly every combine harvester manufactured and sold in North America includes a yield monitor.
From page 201...
... Field scouting techniques using GNSS are becoming popular in North America, and growers are beginning to utilize remote imagery from satellites or aircraft with multispectral imaging cameras. Near-real-time sensing of crop health can drive in-season management decisions such as pesticide application and inseason nutrient management (Figure 3)
From page 202...
... Powerful tools are now available to growers that allow real-time adjustment of seed and fertilizer rates. These rates are established by software "prescriptions," which are created based on a variety of data, including the yield monitoring and soil nutrient data described above.
From page 203...
... For one, fertilizer costs are rising. Fertilizer sales now exceed $18 billion annually in the United States and represent between 30–50 percent of the cost of production for wheat and corn on most farms.
From page 204...
... Unfortunately, the financial cost of applying extra fertilizer in a field is sig nificantly lower than the potential yield reduction caused by an under-application of fertilizer. Until growers can measure nutrients affordably and at higher density in near-real-time (particularly nitrogen, which is water soluble and highly timedependent)
From page 205...
... With advancements in electronics, computers, software, and sensors, growers now have better tools to manage their crop production. In the United States, adoption rates have been very fast for some of these technologies, such as seed genetics and precision steering, because of their high visibility and compelling value.


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