Precision agriculture (Remote sensors and field measurement)

What

Precision agriculture encompasses a broad range of management techniques that considers paddock scale and finer attributes to optimise the use of agricultural resources, yields, and the quality of crops. Precision agriculture is a technique that can reduce the risk of nitrate and other contaminants leaching by giving the farmer the ability to assess the soil moisture as well as other factors to make informed decisions about fertiliser application, irrigation management, etc.

Why

Precision agriculture allows for a “finesse of decisions in both space and time” by allowing variations between and within paddocks to be observed.

Techniques that can be used for precision agriculture include:

• Soil moisture sensing – can be mapped by remote sensing or by using in paddock soil moisture sensors. Allows you to know how saturated your soils are and when the appropriate time is to apply fertilisers or where to and not to irrigate. Soil moisture monitoring will also alert you to when soils that are susceptible to natural bypass are nearing soil moisture deficit.

• Variable rate technology – variable rate technology uses fertilising equipment that can change the rate of application based on soil properties that can either be plugged into the system prior to application or can be measured at the same time as application. Variable rate irrigation systems allow for changes in application rate across an irrigation area to maximise water use efficiency and prevent leaching.

References