Since time immemorial, increasing crop yields has been the bane of every farmer’s existence. Farming communities worldwide have researched, experimented and discussed extensively what factors affect crop yield most and how they can assure an increased crop yield per acre. Now, with a looming food security crisis, burgeoning world population, global supply chain disruptions and dwindling natural resources, the concern for increasing crop yield has become global.
As old solutions- add more fertilisers and pesticides- become obsolete and new agrarian challenges surface, there are also new technologies and sciences to address and overcome these concerns. Among these tech-driven solutions is precision farming, a scientific approach to farm management that leverages high-tech sensors and analytic tools to optimise crop and soil health while ensuring profitability and sustainability. Thus, it is imperative to understand how precision technologies can increase crop yield and agrarian performance.
Regular Crop Scouting & Monitoring
From sowing seeds to harvesting, numerous problems can arise on farmland that directly impacts the crop yield. A farmer with acres of fields cannot scout acre by acre as it is time-consuming, laborious and ineffective. Given how critical crop scouting is, precision farming provides farmers with innovative tools and technologies to monitor their crops. These include in-field wireless sensors, aerial drones and satellites that eliminate farmers’ grunt work and provide them round-the-clock crop and field insights. Consequently, farmers can monitor multiple crops and fields, follow their growth and health status and take timely interventions to increase crop yield.
Forecasting Weather Conditions
Weather conditions greatly influence the development of plants and ultimately, crop yield. Considering how climate change affects different regions across the globe, it becomes vitally important to forecast uncontrollable weather factors to take preventive measures. Precision technologies offer weather insights such as humidity, temperature, wind speed, etc., along with accurate forecasts, enabling farmers to protect their crops from extreme weather conditions, decide farming practices in advance and mitigate the damages. Precision farming provides farmers with current, historical and future weather analytics to make informed decisions and increase crop yield.
Optimising Irrigation & Fertilisation
Just as much as the weather is crucial in determining the fate of crop yield, so are irrigation and fertilisation. A surplus or deficit of either can significantly affect the crop yield. Consequently, farmers who aim to increase their crop yield must deploy a streamlined irrigation and fertiliser application system. Precision farming gathers insights from in-field sensors to analyse soil moisture, leaf wetness, crop growth, etc. and recommend to farmers when and how to irrigate their fields. Similarly, precision technologies identify the areas that require soil fertilisation more than others so farmers can use fertilisers selectively and maximise crop yield.
Testing Soil Condition & Fertility
Perhaps there is no other factor as crucial to crop yield as soil fertility. Soil fertility influences a farmer’s decision to grow one plant or other and its cost. To increase their crop yields, farmers must closely monitor their soil condition and quality throughout the growing season. Precision technologies employ wireless sensors that monitor soil health, such as pH levels, moisture, temperature, salinity, etc., to allow farmers to gain insights into soil fertility. Such a comprehensive analysis enables farmers to allocate minerals, fertilisers and irrigation accordingly and maximise their crop yield.
Protecting Crops from Weed & Pests
Agrarians cannot maximise their crop yield unless they minimise the impact of weeds, pests, or diseases. A single weed or pest infestation can spread like wildfire from field to field if overlooked. While physical inspection acre by acre can be a herculean task, precision farming allows farmers to sit back and supervise their crops from their screens. Depending on the problem, farmers use several measures such as herbicides, insecticides, desiccants, fungicides, etc., to protect their crops and maximise their yield. With timely area-specific alerts, farmers can protect their crops from weeds, pests and diseases.
The Bottom Line
As natural and manmade calamities hover over the horizon, precision technologies can pave the way for profitable and sustainable farming practices, which are the need of the hour. With precision technologies, farmers can make the best of accurate allocation of resources, minimum agrarian efforts and timely alerts and analytics to maximise crop yields and secure the future of future generations and the planet.
(The writer is Founder & CEO, Samhitha Crop Care Clinics)
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)
FAQs
To increase their crop yields, farmers must closely monitor their soil condition and quality throughout the growing season. Precision technologies employ wireless sensors that monitor soil health, such as pH levels, moisture, temperature, salinity, etc., to allow farmers to gain insights into soil fertility.
How does precision farming help farmers? ›
Precision agriculture technologies can improve resource management through the precise application of inputs, such as water, fertilizer, and feed, leading to more efficient agricultural production.
How have farming techniques and technologies increased yields? ›
Importance of Agricultural Technology
Farmers no longer have to apply water, fertilizers, and pesticides uniformly across entire fields. Instead, they can use the minimum quantities required and target very specific areas, or even treat individual plants differently. Benefits include: Higher crop productivity.
How new technologies increased crop yields? ›
Advances in machinery have expanded the scale, speed, and productivity of farm equipment, leading to more efficient cultivation of more land. Seed, irrigation, and fertilizers also have vastly improved, helping farmers increase yields.
What problem does precision farming solve? ›
This can improve crop quality and quantity, as well as reduce waste and pollution. Precision agriculture can also help farmers make better decisions based on historical and real-time data, and adjust their practices to changing conditions. This can enhance their efficiency, profitability, and resilience.
What are some examples of technologies that help farmers? ›
The following list shows several examples of modern farming technologies used to achieve the objectives:
- Remote health monitoring. Remote monitoring technologies provide more data on animal health and welfare than ever before. ...
- Automated feeding systems. ...
- Milk meter.
The advantages are manifold, contributing significantly to increased crop yields, resource efficiency, and time savings. By ensuring accurate seed placement and optimal spacing, precision seeding facilitates improved seed-to-soil contact, fostering optimal conditions for germination and growth.
What percent of farmers use precision farming? ›
While precision agriculture technologies, such as variable rate fertilizer applications and yield monitoring, have been available since the 1990s, only 27 percent of U.S. farms or ranches used precision agriculture practices to manage crops or livestock, based on 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reporting.
What is precision farming? ›
Precision agriculture (PA) is the science of improving crop yields and assisting management decisions using high technology sensor and analysis tools. PA is a new concept adopted throughout the world to increase production, reduce labor time, and ensure the effective management of fertilizers and irrigation processes.
How has technology evolved farming? ›
Increased Productivity: The use of modern machinery and genetically engineered crops has significantly increased agricultural productivity. With precision agriculture, farmers can optimize resource use, reducing waste and maximizing yields. Sustainability: Technology has enabled more sustainable farming practices.
Future agriculture will use sophisticated technologies such as robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial images, and GPS technology. These advanced devices and precision agriculture and robotic systems will allow farms to be more profitable, efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly.
How technology affects the growth of grain crops? ›
Technological innovations have greatly shaped agriculture throughout time. From the creation of the plow to the global positioning system (GPS) driven precision farming equipment, humans have developed new ways to make farming more efficient and grow more food.
What are 3 major factors that can influence crop yield? ›
Factors Influencing Yield Potential
- Soil productivity – Quality soil helps plants grow. ...
- Nutrient availability – Plants thrive when they have consistent access to nutrients. ...
- Root development – While they're unseen below the soil, roots play an important role in the overall health and productivity of a plant.
Temperature affects many growth and yield formation processes in crops. Depending on the process and current ambient temperatures, warmer temperature can lead to increased or decreased yield. One key process strongly influenced by temperature is crop development rate.
What was a main advantage of the three field system? ›
The main advantage of the three-field system was that it allowed multiple harvests and ensured a steady food supply, reducing the possibility of famine. It also allowed soil recovery, leading to improved crop yield.
Is precision agriculture cost effective? ›
Precision farming allows farmers to be more precise in their use of resources, leading to higher crop yields and cost savings. Techniques like site-specific planting, variable rate application, and crop monitoring are just a few examples of how precision farming is making farming more efficient and sustainable.
What is the role of precision agriculture for improved nutrient management on farms? ›
Precision agriculture focusses on improving nutrient use efficiency at the appropriate scale requiring (1) appropriate decision support systems (e.g. digital prescription maps), and (2) equipment capable of varying application at these different scales, e.g. the footprint of a one-irrigation sprinkler or a fertiliser ...
