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Agriculture is one of the oldest and most labor-intensive industries. It’s also one of the most IoT-ready segments, thanks to its high usage of sensors, remote monitoring devices, and other digital tools. Smart agriculture is the next logical step for this sector—it combines the advantages of digital technology with those of farming.However, farmers face a number of challenges when implementing new technologies at their farms. There are several factors that make implementation difficult, including cost/benefit analysis, maintenance issues, and available manpower. This blog post explains how you can use sensors for smart automating agriculture and why you should do it now!
What Can Sensors Do for Agriculture?
Sensors are the key components in smart agriculture. They can be used to collect data on soil conditions, the climate, the state of plants, and many other variables. This data can then be analyzed by a computer algorithm to make timely and appropriate decisions to maximize profits.There are many different types of sensors that can be used for different tasks. For example, sensors for soil monitoring can be used to detect chemicals, pH levels, moisture, and temperature for more efficient fertilization and watering.Climate sensors can be used to track weather conditions and make necessary adjustments to reduce the risk of damage from extreme weather.Finally, sensors for plant health can be used to track the growth of crops and detect the first signs of diseases, allowing farmers to take corrective action before problems become severe.
Automating Irrigation
The most basic task in agriculture is watering plants. It’s such a challenge because growing conditions are always changing, and plants can’t tell us when they need water. This is why growers have been using sensors to automate irrigation for several decades.Today, there are many different types of irrigation sensors on the market. The most basic ones measure soil moisture content, while others can analyze the nutrient content of the soil and adjust the watering schedule accordingly.Modern irrigation systems are designed to be fully automated. They use sensors to detect plants’ water needs, as well as weather forecasts to predict the risk of drought. They also have a back-end software with monitoring and reporting functions, making it easier for you to understand what’s going on with your farm.
Smart Tending
Traditionally, farmers use sensors to increase their productivity and decrease their costs. Now, they can also use them for tending. This is a process in which growers identify and remove weeds from their fields.There are a lot of challenges with weed management. First of all, farmers have to deal with varying soil types. Each type of soil has different weed seeds that will grow in it. This means that growers have to use different techniques depending on their soil type.Next, weeds grow extremely quickly, so it’s important to detect them early and remove them as soon as possible. If they go to seed, they can create new generations of weeds that are even harder to kill.
Automating Fertilization and Spraying
The other basic task in agriculture is fertilization. It’s important for growers to know how much fertilizer to apply to their crops. If they add too much, they risk creating runoff that pollutes rivers and groundwater. If they add too little, their crops may suffer from nutrient deficiencies.The best way to avoid these problems is by using sensors to automate fertilization. The most common types of sensors measure the pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels in the ground. A computer program can use this information to recommend how much fertilizer to add to the soil.Growers can also use sensors to detect the health of their crops, as well as the right time to spray them. This helps them avoid damaging their plants by using the wrong type of pesticide.
Summing up
This article explained how you can use sensors to smart automate agriculture. The most important thing to understand here is that you have to make the decision to automate now. The longer you wait, the more expensive it will be.All of these tasks are difficult for humans to do efficiently. This is why agriculture has been relying on machines for decades. However, now that computers have become much cheaper and more powerful, they can take over many of these tasks from machines.This is why sensors are so important for agriculture. They can collect data on all of these factors, which a computer can then analyze to make the best decision.With sensors, there is no need for expensive machines that get worn down over time. You can implement simple sensors that can be easily maintained without any extra cost.
