We have been talking about the practices,
agriculture practices, which have been happening,
which has been followed by our ancestors and
our fathers and further what are we going
to do is the big solution.
For that only we were giving a assessment
of what is going on.
Now what has in terms of food production we
have just Green Revolutions and things like
that.
So now we have come into another type of activity
is called a precision agriculture to tide
over the crop yield deficiencies.
So what does it mean by precision agriculture?
Agriculture previously we used to do it, we
spray the seeds here and there, and then those
things, they come up.
And it is a mass scale fertilizer application,
mass scale of pesticides.
And we never bothered about the individual
plants or a group of plants.
And the people were feeling that because of
the mass activity, it is like a sarvajanik
activity.
We are not able to get the more crop yield.
Now people have gone for specific activities.
What we felt was that certain growth parameters
are missing in some of the small, small patches
within the agriculture fields.
Because of that, they have gone for the precision
agriculture?
What is the precision precise precision agriculture
is nothing but you give offer uniform or a
homogeneous soil conditions, homogenous water
supply conditions so that the plant growth
deficiency factors will be minimized in these
areas so that the plants have to yield better.
That is what is mean by precision agriculture.
That is what it in terms of it is a specific
production.
I want this much of production.
What is the alternatives or the supplements
which I have to give?
That I will give it to the plant so that that
crop yield is accurate.
Now here what is needed is as we were talking
about information, the data collection is
the major issue here and the frequency is
a major issue because if you do it continuously
for a small part of the field, then your crop
yield will be better.
It is all done on a small areas.
Now then what we have is a field data collection
as well as the analysis, and reliable decision
making.
The data collection is one thing and what
is going on is another problem.
Then we should be able to do a better decision
making is nothing but either apply fertilizer,
apply pesticide, apply water or whatever it
is needed.
Now it is what we assume in by this way is
every part of the agriculture plot is homogeneous
in difference.
But here the problem is if there is going
to be a sudden change or a gradual change
from one homogenous area to another homogeneous
area, some of the decisions need not work
successfully as it has worked, and our transition
rate and transition intensity is not known
by this type of activity.
Now here what we are trying to understand
is demarcation of spatial variability.
Spatial variability is suppose if the soil
has got potassium, sodium and all those elements
in one percentage, in a uniform percentage,
it is likely to be there throughout the area
or throughout some part of the field, it is
likely to be the same.
And based on this knowledge, you go for a
cultivation.
Then the procedures which you are going to
follow, they are also identified with reference
to the variability.
Okay.
Then third thing is about the monitoring the
plants.
So this monitoring plants, sensors are effectively
used.
In addition to sensor, some micro level monitoring
devices are also in place for that is the
soil moisture, you have a soil moisture sensors
at the root zone of the crop that will be
able to tell you about weather how much is
the soil moisture content, whether it is sufficient
or whether it is getting reduced or leading
to a yield point.
Fertilizers, this is nothing but what is the
deficiency of elements in the soil so that
these fertilizers they take care.
Pesticides.
Pesticides, what is the probability of a formation
of a pathogens or virus in that particular
area that is it needs moisture content, it
need temperature and shadowness.
So what all the nutrients which we have to
give?
What are all the pesticides which we have
to give?
That decides based on this type of monitoring
surfaces.
What do they do?
Next one is they try to prepare the maps.
Maps is one way of representing a field to
anybody or it can be taken over, passed to
them.
So it is based on the coordinate system.
This coordinate system all of us are aware
with reference to one specific point how far
it is XY coordinates when you want to do it.
From the zero, how much it is there in the
x-axis and how much it is there on the y axis.
So that is where we try to make use of these
coordinates, and these coordinates are known
as it is in the table the rows and columns.
These rows and columns some places we address
it by the coordinates.
Coordinates are, again, it is related to longitude
and latitude so that it is globally it is
geo reference.
Now this is what everybody tries to prefer
before going for a precision agriculture of
a small part of the area.
Now what is it that which I what is it that
they have got which I do not have is one thing
is the precise map.
Precise map of that particular field is missing.
What do they have in the precision agriculture?
What type of tools they use is Global Positioning
System.
This Global Positioning Systems, it comes
up with a precise Global Positioning Systems
are coming up even point 0.1 meter up to meter
or 20 meters it is like the precision comes
out.
Accuracy comes out.
So this Global Positioning System, which these
people they try to use it, so it should coincide
with the group of plants or a plant in question.
Second thing is the geographical information
or a geo information system.
It is related to Lat, Lon, things like that.
Then remote sensing.
What is a remote sensing is without touching,
without going nearer to that and you tell
about the properties of a particular object,
that is what the remote sensing it does it.
So it could be a reflectance base or it could
be a some property base or it could be anything
depending upon what is needed.
Now here many of our think chlorophyll content
is better revealed by the green mass of that
particular plant.
So we try to do the satellite remote sensing,
the visible as well as near-infrared which
will tell you about the what is the healthiness
of the particular plant.
The intelligent devices and the implements
which are their part and parcel of it and
a dedicated computer system or online network
system with these field-based sensors, field-based
measurements units, they are the main reason
for this.
They are attached to this computer so that
what is happening, what has been recorded
by the sensor, you will be able to immediately
see it on the screen, and you can take immediate
decisions.
Now based on this type of information, whether
it is a excess or it is less, in some aspect
growth parameters, the precision agriculture
is carried out.
Now the GPS Guidance and auto-steer.
the GPS will tell you about which plants are
there under stress of what kind of stress
it is, what is needed?
It is knowledge-based information systems
which they have got.
So it will tell you about how much is the
fertilizer which we have to add or how much
is the water which is needed by that particular
plant.
The sprayers.
The sprayers are guided by the location base
and it GPS guided and it will be able to control
the amount of spray which it gets is to these
plants.
Otherwise, in the manual way, in the regular
practice, the amount of spray or amount of
water yield which you are give water which
you are giving it to the plant, it does not
have a controlling systems.
Now yield monitoring is another thing that
means when it is the fruits, when they come
up, the type of fruits, the type of flowering,
type of leaves, based on that, the yield monitoring
is done continuously so that you are sure
about how much I have expected about a X tons
of yield from this area, but am I come back
closer to that or am I likely to get more?
That is what the thing.
I should not get anything less than what I
have expected because my support to the plant
is the maximum.
My surveillance is the maximum.
I am able to see, look on every day and then
try to attach things.
And also we have in-field sensing that means
the sensors are not are throughout the field.
It gives a representative look of the field
and a sense of the field so that they will
be able to monitor and give things.
Now having done what are all the other if
when you when you do certain things, there
will be a positive aspect as well as a negative
aspect.
What are the implications?
There are implications in the precision agriculture
is there is a fertilizer requirement, which
is needed immediately if it is to grow.
If you delay it, then there is a probability.
That means you have to have a stock, which
is ready for a delivery purpose.
Then you have to have efficiency in using
of fertilizer as well as pesticides.
If you use, reduce the total applications,
that means you are reducing the amount of
fertilizer or pesticide, which will get washed
off, which will be removed from the higher
elevation areas to the lower elevation areas.
All these things are yield to it is for the
early yield prediction, which is normally
used in the commercial purposes.
I will be able to give you this much of tons
of crop yield of a particular variety.
So then trading will be very easy by this
way.
Now the issues are in this is additional cost,
which you are doing it in terms of machinery,
in terms of surveillance.
This cost is added to the cost of the production.
Now another weather issues you may control
yourself.
You may have your own umbrella when during
the rainy days.
But weather is likely to change, and you are
not able to control them.
Depending upon the forthcoming weather, once
the weather, once the heavy rainfall comes,
again, you may have to do all the surveys,
and then get your database ready and then
start applying it.
If there is going to be high wind, then if
the plants are going to be off flat, then
you you cannot do anything for that.
So this is the major issue about the weather
issues cannot be trade off in this type of
thing.
Now what are all the unmanned vehicles which
can do in this type of precision thing is
it can take care of the inventory of the tree
crops.
The crop stress is nothing but it is the crop
water stress or a crop stress, stress which
it is exhibited by the leaves either by curling
or it is becoming a gray or becoming a brown
in colour.
These are all the indicators.
Suppose if these things are not properly exhibited
by the stress conditions, then we are not
able to do anything.
The rangeland conditions also we can use with
the unmanned condition.
The issues, the issues related to that is
airspace operational issues.
Even though the unmanned vehicles, drones
and things like that, they fly at a low altitude,
and they are able to monitor your field, but
the regulatory aspects of using these unmanned
vehicles is in some places or many of the
Asian many of the places, they have some problems.
Now second thing is about the image processing
all these sensors, all these all these image
process image remote sensing datasets, it
comes as a it comes as a image.
That image in a digital format, that images,
that needs to be processed.
When you process a image, what it should do
is it has to have a flat surface to the camera
or to the sensors so that whatever the warping
which is which it has produced because of
during the flight conditions so that needs
to be taken into consideration.
So in an orbital remote sensing because the
height between the land and the system is
high with few control points, regular control
points we are able to do it properly whereas
when it comes down to the low flying and the
fielding level activities, the control points
need to be on a higher side to process these
images.
Now difficulty of operation is related to
the maintenance of the sensors, maintenance
of the pumps, maintenance of the spray if
the spray, if you don't if through the which
is done through the nozzle, if the nozzles
because of the non using, non usages for a
time, it may get stuck with some solid over
there.
There may be a blocking which is possible.
Then machineries.
Machineries you need to use it very frequently.
These are all special vehicles, which can
use only in those areas.
We wish that these machineries need not be
used at a regular interval.
That is what the our cost-cutting activities.
So these are all the major issues of using
different machineries in monitoring the agriculture
land.
Now as agriculture is widespread, widespread
the sense it has been globally people are
growing crops, and they are having problems,
and they are doing everything, but they are
there in space across the globe or across
the area, and they have been doing it for
a long time.
This type of precision agriculture is possible
only a small area where your cost of per unit
area of product is on a higher side.
You may have to be on toes.
There are practical difficulties are possible.
This will drain out our resources in a big
way.
So this type of precision agriculture is being
followed on a large scale areas, not on a
small scale areas.
Large scale areas, as you increase the size
of the area, then problems or heterogeneity
goes on varying from one parameter to another
parameter.
In solving it, if you try to solve one problem,
then the other problem comes up in the natural
systems.
Now this type of production cost, precision
agriculture grown food is likely to have more
cost when compared to the normal type of things.
If this is this type of precision agriculture
is useful provided when we have reduced land
as well as water and everything.
We are not bothered about the cost per production.
Thank you.
