This book covers three main types of agricultural systems: the use of robotics, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and satellite-guided precision farming methods. Some of these are well refined and are currently in use, while others are in need of refinement and are yet to become popular. The book provides a valuable source of information on this developing field for those involved with agriculture and farming and agricultural engineering. The book is also applicable as a textbook for students and a reference for faculty.
This book provides a review of precision agriculture technology development, followed by a presentation of the state-of-the-art and future requirements of precision agriculture technology. It presents different styles of precision agriculture technologies suitable for large scale mechanized farming; highly automated community-based mechanized production; and fully mechanized farming practices commonly seen in emerging economic regions. The book emphasizes the introduction of core technical features of sensing, data processing and interpretation technologies, crop modeling and production control theory, intelligent machinery and field robots for precision agriculture production.
At Clay Bottom Farm, author Ben Hartman and staff practice kaizen, or continuous improvement, cutting out more waste--of time, labor, space, money, and more--every year and aligning their organic production more tightly with customer demand. Applied alongside other lean principles originally developed by the Japanese auto industry, the end result has been increased profits and less work. In this field-guide companion to his award-winning first book, The Lean Farm, Hartman shows market vegetable growers in even more detail how Clay Bottom Farm implements lean thinking in every area of their work, including using kanbans, or replacement signals, to maximize land use; germination chambers to reduce defect waste; and right-sized machinery to save money and labor and increase efficiency. From finding land and assessing infrastructure needs to selling perfect produce at the farmers market, The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables digs deeper into specific, tested methods for waste-free farming that not only help farmers become more successful but make the work more enjoyable. These methods include: Using Japanese paper pot transplanters Building your own germinating chambers Leaning up your greenhouse Making and applying simple composts Using lean techniques for pest and weed control Creating Heijunka, or load-leveling calendars for efficient planning Farming is not static, and improvement requires constant change. The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables offers strategies for farmers to stay flexible and profitable even in the face of changing weather and markets. Much more than a simple exercise in cost-cutting, lean farming is about growing better, not cheaper, food--the food your customers want.
This book covers three main types of agricultural systems: the use of robotics, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and satellite-guided precision farming methods. Some of these are well refined and are currently in use, while others are in need of refinement and are yet to become popular. The book provides a valuable source of information on this developing field for those involved with agriculture and farming and agricultural engineering. The book is also applicable as a textbook for students and a reference for faculty.
Unknown to most people, there are innumerable microbial species that accomplish vital ecosystem functions while residing in a suspended state in the troposphere or resting on crop canopies. These microbial species, if utilized properly, can improve agriculture. At the same time, harmful microbes can also devastate crops easily. This new book, Microbiology of the Agricultural Sky, explores a number of microbes present in the agrarian sky and details their identities, roles in nature, and usefulness to crops as well as other biotic factors. The volume first provides an introduction that details the historical aspects of microbes relating to their discovery and identification of their role in agrarian ecosystems. The book then gives detailed explanations of microbes in the atmosphere, with information on the general distribution, spread distance, and intercontinental migration of microbes in the atmosphere. It discusses aeolian dust microbes above agrarian regions and the role of aerial microbes in nutrient dynamics. The book also explains the functions of microbes that reside on crop canopies and the importance of the plant‘s phyllosphere. It looks at microbial flora and how a region‘s bio-geochemical functions affect crops. Also discussed is the role of aerial microbes in inducing epidemics and pandemics among different crops. The final chapter details farm procedures that can be adopted in the outfield and in animal houses and how they impact atmospheric microbes. Key features: Highlights the relevance of the agrarian sky and its microbial component, detailing the wide range of functions that microbes accomplish in the aerospace Presents a timeline of discoveries about aeromicrobiology and the agrarian sky Discusses aerial microbes on crop canopies and their influence on plant pathogens, including beneficial nutrients, need for crop protection, etc. Looks at the microbiology of the agrarian sky and the spread of crop diseases locally and via the intercontinental migration of microbes Discusses farm procedures and their impact on microbes in the troposphere and the agricultural fields beneath it This first-of-its-kind book provides extensive information on microorganisms that can be traced in the agrarian sky and their relevance to agriculture. The easy-to-read style of the book makes it suitable for farmers, agricultural science professors, students, and researchers. It will be useful for farm specialists dealing with airborne diseases, GHG emissions, and agronomic procedures as well.
"The agricultural sky" is a dominant natural entity that has influenced, interacted with, and guided the evolution of crops, farming practices, and cropping systems. The sky—and all its components—above and near agricultural areas is an important aspect of an agricultural enterprise—as important as soils, water, and crop species. The blue sky above crops that is seemingly clear, tranquil or sometimes filled with clouds, is really a repository of a large number of gases, mineral or organic particulate matter, dust, mist, turbulent wind, innumerable species of micro-organisms, tiny biotic flora/fauna, seeds, insects, etc. The agrarian sky supports complex interactions of biotic and abiotic aspects with perhaps immediate and/or delayed influence on crops sown on the ground. This volume helps us to better understand the importance of the sky above crop fields, with the goal to encourage revolutionary agronomic procedures that lead to higher yield. It is a comprehensive treatise on the agriculture sky, covering basic definitions, limits, and explanations about atmospheric layers like troposphere, stratosphere, and the phyllosphere. The volume addresses the nutrient dynamics in the sky and their relevance to crop productivity. It looks at both natural biotic and manmade abiotic factors in the sky and how they affect what goes on below, such as from dust storms, at cloudy and/or windy locations, and from high-altitude jet streams. The author discusses wind and solar power generation in the agrarian sky and explores aeroponics to revolutionize crop production. The volume delves into several types of aerial robots, employing AI and other technology, to provide aerial spectral data that are capable of analyzing procedures, soil conditions, irrigation, insect pests, weed detection, herbicide application, soil fertility, and much more. The book includes examples from the North American Great Plains, Pampas of Argentina, Sahelian production zones of West Africa, Indo-Gangetic Plains, etc. This eye-opening book, The Agricultural Sky: A Concept to Revolutionize Farming, will be useful to students and professors in universities as well as to researchers in industry dealing with aerial aspects of farming.
Precision Agriculture: Evolution, Insights and Emerging Trends presents a complete guide from foundational concepts to the economic, commercial and environmental implications of the approach. Showcasing recent research improvements, future trends, and highlighting innovative use of machine vision, artificial intelligence, UAVs, drones, IoT and data analytics to promote sustainable agriculture, the book brings the reader up-to-date with understanding and implementing this targeted practice. From the basic elements of agronomy to insights on reflectance and remote sensing indices, chapters use summary abstracts, case studies and real-world examples of implementing the tools of precision agriculture (PA) to demonstrate the latest advances. It includes explanations on the origin of the intra-plot variability of a culture (spatial and temporal), different types of existing sensors, controllers and site-specific management. The book further explores yield monitoring, weed, disease and pest control, automated irrigation systems, PA tools for variable rate application of inputs within the field, and data processing methods. By also exploring the economic profitability of precision farming approaches, and its utility for sustainable agriculture, Precision Agriculture: Evolution, Insights and Emerging Trends is a truly comprehensive view of this important approach to improving global agriculture production. Scientists, researchers, policymakers, graduate and postgraduate students, and engineers in the related fields of agriculture, computer science and engineering will benefit from this book. - Addresses soil, machinery, plants, irrigation, sensors, UAVs and more - Explores current and future technologies in the field of Precision Agriculture - Details comprehensive cost-benefit analysis for governments and other policymakers to incentivize and promote precision agriculture technology
This important volume provides a plethora of information on aerial vehicles and their possible roles in revolutionizing agricultural procedures through spectral analysis of terrains, soils, crops, water resources, diseases, floods, drought, and farm activities. There are several semi-autonomous and autonomous (robotic) aerial vehicles that are examined for their efficiency in offering detailed spectral data about agrarian regions and individual farms. Among them, small drone aircrafts such as fixed-winged and copter models have already caught the imagination of farmers. They are spreading fast in every nook and corner of the farm world. However, there are many more aerial robots that are utilized in greater detail during farming. In this volume, the focus is on aerial vehicles such as parafoils, blimps, aerostats, and kites, and how they are being evaluated for use in experimental farms and fields. A few aerial vehicles, such as robotic parafoils, have been adopted to procure aerial spectral data and visual imagery to aid agronomic procedures. These and other aerial robots are expected to change and improve the use of the sky in agricultural endeavors and the way we conduct agronomic procedures in the very near future. This volume is a timely resource for agricultural researchers, professors and students, and the general public who are interested in aerial vehicles.
