Precision Fertilization and Irrigation: Progress and Applications

Abstract

The transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture are required to address its shortcomings and deficiencies, which have resulted in environmental pollution or water problems. Precision agriculture emerged at the historic moment to solve the current problems. Field information collection, information management and decision-making, and execution systems are the three key links of precision fertilization and irrigation. The technical principle and application of field information acquisition systems are analyzed. The information management and decision-making system describes the management and summary of information in crop growth. The execution system combines the knowledge of various disciplines and experts for targeted applications to specific crops. It further focuses on the core implementation system, that is, variable fertilization technology and variable spraying technology that can realize variable operations. Major contributions from different countries, institutions, corresponding authors, and journals are presented in detail. This study proposes several suggestions and ideas based on the research status and progress of the three key systems to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the research and development of key technologies and innovative devices of precision agricultural fertilization and irrigation.

Technological Upgrade of a Vicon RS-EDW Spreader: Development of a Microcontroller for Variable Rate Application

“…Precision agriculture (PA) emerged from an urgent need for transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture and was driven by emerging technologies. Its purpose is to address shortcomings and deficiencies of traditional agriculture, which have resulted in excessive environmental pollution in the context of changing international situations and frequent natural disasters [1]. The PA concept has revolutionized agriculture over the last decades.…”

“…This optimizes fertilizer-use efficacy and increases both crop quality and productivity [4]. Field information collection, data management, decision making, and execution are the four key components of precision fertilization [1].…”

“…Precision application of agricultural inputs strives to optimize crop profitability and sustainability by increasing yield and improving input efficiency while concurrently decreasing spatial and temporal variability and diminishing adverse environmental effects [8]. Many types of fertilizer ejectors are used in variable rate fertilization devices, including the outer-grooved wheel type, centrifugal type, vibrating type, and star wheel type [1], although the centrifugal disc spreader is by far the most common applicator for granule fertilizer in Europe [7]. This spreader type uses the rotating disk at the bottom to scatter fertilizer particles under the action of centrifugal force [1].…”

Overcoming Domain Shift in Neural Networks for Accurate Plant Counting in Aerial Images

“…Precision agriculture relies heavily on the ability to accurately count and locate plants in crop fields via aerial imagery. This task is crucial in optimizing the use of resources [1], such as water [2], fertilizers, and pesticides [3], by targeting specific areas and reducing waste. Furthermore, accurate plant detection can aid in improving crop yields by identifying and addressing issues such as pests or diseases [4].…”

IoT-Based Systems for Soil Nutrients Assessment in Horticulture

“…As such, determinants for soil nutrients mining or depletion (defined as removal of more soil nutrients by crops than added through manure or fertilizers) [ 8 ] are investigated. Furthermore, many studies were published related to water use and technology that may optimize irrigation for diverse crops [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. The first step that is necessary to implement an efficient water and fertilizer management system is field information collection.…”