13 Basic Precision Farming Terms
In our blog, we constantly repeat the same terms time and time again. To make sure we’re on the same page, here’s a cheat sheet for everyone involved in precision agriculture.
Olga Polevikova
Olga is Editor-in-Chief of the OneSoil blog. She helps all the OneSoil ag tech experts speak in simple words and is keen on precision farming.
1. Vegetation has two meanings. The first is the time when plants actively grow and develop, from sowing to harvest. The second is a group of plants in a particular area. When we use the term, we mean the first one.
2. The vegetation index is a numeric value of a plant’s condition based on how it reflects different light waves. There are around 30 vegetation indices, each calculated using satellite images.
2. The vegetation index is a numeric value of a plant’s condition based on how it reflects different light waves. There are around 30 vegetation indices, each calculated using satellite images.
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1. Vegetation has two meanings. The first is the time when plants actively grow and develop, from sowing to harvest. The second is a group of plants in a particular area. When we use the term, we mean the first one.
2. The vegetation index is a numeric value of a plant's condition based on how it reflects different light waves. There are around 30 vegetation indices, each calculated using satellite images.
2. The vegetation index is a numeric value of a plant's condition based on how it reflects different light waves. There are around 30 vegetation indices, each calculated using satellite images.
3. The NDVI index is a numeric value of the overall state of vegetation, such as plants' density and health. It's the most popular kind of vegetation index.
4. Field scouting (also known as crop scouting or field monitoring) is the process of collecting information about sown areas. You can scout fields with a notebook and a pen, but the term 'scouting' is also associated with remotely examining a field using satellite images.
5. Productivity zones are areas of a field with various yield results. The area with the highest harvest in the field for several seasons is considered a high productivity zone. The lowest harvest in the field is the low productivity zone, while everything in the middle is moderate productivity zones.
6. Variable-rate application is a precision farming technique that allows you to apply different rates of fertilizer and seeds in each part of the field. This is based on the idea that a field is heterogeneous in terms of soil texture, nutrient content, moisture levels, and, as a result, varying crop yields.
7. An onboard computer is installed on agricultural machinery to conduct fieldwork precisely and collect data as it runs. This data could be the machinery’s speed, fuel consumption, seeding or fertilizer rates, and more. It’s incredibly useful!
8. A yield sensor is a sensor that is mounted on a combine to record the amount of harvest collected from a particular area of the field. It’s another great device that helps identify problem areas with low yields.
9. GIS (geographic information system) is a system for collecting, storing, analyzing, and graphically visualizing spatial data and related information. GIS can be used as a web, mobile, or desktop application. These programs are used to build digital field maps.
10. GPS is a navigation system that measures distance and time and determines location using satellite data. It appeared shortly after the launch of the first satellite in the late 1950s.
11. Assisted steering systems are navigation systems that help drivers select the best route, follow a set course, control fertilizer or seed application, and reduce skips or overlapping. There are also automated steering systems that allow the machinery to run without human control. When autopilot is enabled, an operator only needs to monitor the machine’s readings.
8. A yield sensor is a sensor that is mounted on a combine to record the amount of harvest collected from a particular area of the field. It’s another great device that helps identify problem areas with low yields.
9. GIS (geographic information system) is a system for collecting, storing, analyzing, and graphically visualizing spatial data and related information. GIS can be used as a web, mobile, or desktop application. These programs are used to build digital field maps.
10. GPS is a navigation system that measures distance and time and determines location using satellite data. It appeared shortly after the launch of the first satellite in the late 1950s.
11. Assisted steering systems are navigation systems that help drivers select the best route, follow a set course, control fertilizer or seed application, and reduce skips or overlapping. There are also automated steering systems that allow the machinery to run without human control. When autopilot is enabled, an operator only needs to monitor the machine’s readings.
12. A prescription map is a file with a task for the onboard computer that's related to fertilizer, seeding, or chemical variable-rate application. Prescription maps for seeding and fertilizers can be created for free in the OneSoil web app.
13. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aerial vehicle equipped with an engine but without a pilot. This term is often confused with drones. The difference is that some drones don’t necessarily fly since some are ground-based.
Quadcopters are a type of UAV with four propellers. In agriculture, they are used to monitor crops and identify pests and diseases. Recently, the common view was that every farmer should have a quadcopter. However, they don’t come cheap, can’t fly long distances, and require users to learn how to fly them. That’s why we believe that the future belongs to satellites, whose image resolution is continuing to improve and whose processing technology is becoming faster.
Quadcopters are a type of UAV with four propellers. In agriculture, they are used to monitor crops and identify pests and diseases. Recently, the common view was that every farmer should have a quadcopter. However, they don’t come cheap, can’t fly long distances, and require users to learn how to fly them. That’s why we believe that the future belongs to satellites, whose image resolution is continuing to improve and whose processing technology is becoming faster.
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What other terms are important for understanding precision farming?
Olga
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