Precision farming

S.Seifullin Kazakh Agro-Technical University

Technical faculty

Department of Agricultural and post-harvesting Machines

LABORATORY WORK

) on subject) on subject on subject «Adjustment and linkage of Agricultural machines»

Theme: Precision Farming

Astana 2012

Considered and approved at the meeting of Methodological Council of S.Seifullin Kazakh Agro-Technical University Protocol №___ «___»_______________2012

«APPROVED» Chairman of Methodological Council of S.Seifullin Kazakh Agro-Technical University Protocol №___ _____________A.M.Abdyrov «___»_______________2012

Authors: Yeskhozhin К. – Candidat of Techical Sciense, Associate Professor of the Department of Agricultural and post-harvesting Machines.

Educational-methodical __________ is designed for training on discipline "Fundamentals of tractors" for students on specialty 5B080600 - "Agricultural techniques and technology"

Educational-methodical instructions are made according to the working curriculum of specialty.

Methodical instructions are intended for students of specialties 5В080600 – «Agricultural techniques and technology» and includes laboratory occupation tasks and independent work, educational literature lists and control questions for self-examination.

Reviewers: Doctor of Technical Science, Professor S.O. Nukeshev;

Reviewed and recommended at a meeting of the Department of Agricultural and post-harvesting Machines.

Protocol № ___, of "__" ___________ 2012.

Reviewed and recommended at a meeting of the methodical commission of Technical Faculty.

Protocol № ___, of "__" ___________ 2012.

1. To study the positioning in precision farming

3. Concepts of Precision Farming Systems and Required System Elements

4. Yield Mapping

5. Soil and Weed Mapping

6. Control of Field Operations

7. Information Management

Precision farming

Yield monitors are a recent development in agricultural ma­chinery that allow grain producers to assess the effects of weather, soil properties, and management on grain production. They are a logical first step for those who want to begin practicing site-specific crop management or “precision agriculture.” The accu­racy of these devices depends on appropriate installation, calibration, and operation. Therefore, it is essential that grain producers understand how the yield monitor works to improve their grain enterprise.

Figure 3.1. An integrated precision farming system.

Crops and soils are not uniform but vary according to spatial location. Large-scale nonuniformities have long been countered with different cropping practices in different regions. But precision farming responds to spatial variability within individual fields or orchards. This leads to a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly agricul­ture by

^• Increasing food production

^• Optimizing the use of restricted resources of water and land

^• Reducing environmental pollution

^• Engaging the efficiency capabilities of intelligent farm machinery

^• Improving the performance of farm management

Precision farming concepts include:

^• More accurate farm work by better adjustments of settings and by improved monitoring and control mechanisms

^• Localized fertilizing on demand in accordance with the variability of soils, nutrients, available water, and plant growth

^• Weed and pest control by localized crop production needs

^• Automated information acquisition and information management with well-structured databases, geographic information systems (GIS), highly sophisticated decision-support models, and expert-knowledge systems in integrated systems con­nected by standardized communication links (Fig. 3.1).

Precision farming is not a fixed system, but rather a set of general concepts that may have different physical realizations with

Different soil types under different climate conditions

Different farm management systems and production levels

Different mechanization solutions

Benefits of Using a Yield Monitor. The yield monitor is intended to give the user an accurate assessment of how yields vary within a field. Although a yield monitor can assist grain producers in many aspects of crop man­agement, the device was never intended to replace scales for marketing grain.

A yield monitor by itself can provide use­ful information and enhance on-farm re­search. Yield data can be accumulated for a specific load or field, thereby facilitating the comparison of hybrids, varieties, or treat­ments within test plots. For example, all yield monitors can measure grain mass and har­vested area on a load-by-load or field-by-field basis. This feature allows an operator to get instantaneous readout in the field of accumulated grain weight, harvested area, and average yield. With many yield moni­tors, these values can be exported to a per­sonal computer and stored in nonvolatile memory for further analysis or printing via specialized software packages or more standard word-processing and spreadsheet software. Season sum­maries of harvested areas might then be used to settle custom harvesting charges or to keep track of production from indi­vidual fields when it is impractical to scale grain trucks. With a yield monitor, a producer also can conduct on-farm variety tri­als or weed control evaluations without the need of a weigh wagon. Such on-farm comparisons help producers fine-tune crop production practices to their soils.

Geographic Information System (GIS) is mapping software that can link information about where things are with information about the location, e.g. soil type, vegetation, topography, roads, etc. Combining GPS and GIS can direct tractors, four wheelers, aircraft, or persons on foot to desired field locations. Additionally, these systems can be programmed to direct mechanical operations, e.g. variable-rate sprayers, fertilizers, or seeders, etc. This technology is revolutionizing many agricultural operations.

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