Precision Agriculture an Overview

Need for Precision Agriculture (1) l In 1970, 190,500,000 ha classified as arable and permanent cropland in the USA l Decreased to 187,776,000 ha by l Irrigated land in the USA peaked at 20,582,000 hectares in 1980 and has been stable at 18,771,000 hectares since l Trends suggest that cropland in the USA will not expand beyond the present 190,000,000 ha l In 1970, 190,500,000 ha classified as arable and permanent cropland in the USA l Decreased to 187,776,000 ha by l Irrigated land in the USA peaked at 20,582,000 hectares in 1980 and has been stable at 18,771,000 hectares since l Trends suggest that cropland in the USA will not expand beyond the present 190,000,000 ha

l Developing world: 760,000,000 hectares classified as cropland and could theoretically increase to 850,000,000 hectares. l World population increases by 86 million people per year (235,000/day, World Resources, 1996). l 33,000 people die each day due to malnutrition/starvation l Cropland needed to feed the human population, if population growth stops and land is preserved, will be roughly 3.3 billion hectares, and likely to become limiting near the year 2050 l Developing world: 760,000,000 hectares classified as cropland and could theoretically increase to 850,000,000 hectares. l World population increases by 86 million people per year (235,000/day, World Resources, 1996). l 33,000 people die each day due to malnutrition/starvation l Cropland needed to feed the human population, if population growth stops and land is preserved, will be roughly 3.3 billion hectares, and likely to become limiting near the year 2050 Need for Precision Agriculture (2)

l Probability of bringing 3.3 billion hectares into production from the current 1.4 billion hectares is small ( l A large portion of the lands considered as 'potentially arable' (e.g., increase from 1.4 to 3.3 billion hectares) include tropical rainforests and other lands that would require massive inputs for any kind of sustained crop production. l Probability of bringing 3.3 billion hectares into production from the current 1.4 billion hectares is small ( l A large portion of the lands considered as 'potentially arable' (e.g., increase from 1.4 to 3.3 billion hectares) include tropical rainforests and other lands that would require massive inputs for any kind of sustained crop production. Need for Precision Agriculture (3)

l Unlikely that the total arable world land will increase beyond its present level l Increased production per unit area will be essential. l Applied precision agricultural production practices are timely and required within the developed and developing agricultural community. l Unlikely that the total arable world land will increase beyond its present level l Increased production per unit area will be essential. l Applied precision agricultural production practices are timely and required within the developed and developing agricultural community. Need for Precision Agriculture (4)

Precision Agriculture? Human need Environment –Hypoxia –$750,000,000 (excess N flowing down the Mississippi river/yr) Developed vs Developing Countries High vs Low yielding environments

Many research & development practices are not designed to foster site-specific management Continued success in wheat germplasm and technology dissemination worldwide depends on the free and uninhibited flow of genetic materials and information. Restrictions imposed on such movement due to intellectual property protection could have serious consequences on the ability of developing countries to sustain wheat productivity growth. …. further gains would have to come from specifically targeting breeding efforts to the unique characteristics of marginal environments

What is Precision Agriculture? Treating small areas of a field as separate management units for the purpose of optimizing crop production based on in-field variability

Site Specific Management The application of an input to a specific area based on the evaluation of variability of the need for that input. Richardson, Recognition of site-specific differences within fields and tailoring management accordingly, instead of managing an entire field based on some hypothetical average. Emmert, 1995.

Definitions of Precision Agriculture Using information to better manage farms at the field level or finer resolution. Optimizing inputs to produce the largest net income. Combine yield monitors, GPS, Grid Soil Sampling.

What is Precision Farming? Management by the Field Management by the foot Global Positioning Systems Yield Monitors Sensor Based Weed Control Grid Sampling Variable Rate Fertilizer Application

Oklahoma State University’s Definition of Precision Agriculture Variable rate application of fertilizers, pesticides or other materials based on the sensed needs of the crop within the following constraints: –Available Technology –Agronomic –Economic

Large Scale (Macro) Variability Within a Field

Intermediate Scale Variability Within a Field IKONI Imagery 4 m Resolution

Small Scale (Micro) Variability Within a Field

Variability in Weed Populations

Variability in Grain Yield

Map Based - Precision Farming Map Based - Precision Farming

On-the- Go Sensing of Plant Needs and Variable Rate Treatment