Agriculture & Allied Sciences

Push Button Agriculture
Robotics, Drones, Satellite-Guided Soil and Crop Management

K. R. Krishna, PhD

Push Button Agriculture

Published. Now available.
Pub Date: July 2016
Hardback Price: see ordering info
Hard ISBN: 9781771883047
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-77463-596-4
E-Book ISBN: 9781771883054
Pages: 470pp w/ index
Binding Type: hardbound / ebook / paperback

Now Available in Paperback


“Push-button agriculture” has been a reality for some time. It involves the use of high technology robotics with machine vision, sensors, electronic controls, and satellite guidance. Push-button systems include a series of autonomous/semi-autonomous farm vehicles, contraptions, gadgets, and processors. The goal of push-button agriculture is to lessen the burden on human physical labor and personal time to accomplish several farm operations. This technology, while decreasing the need for human labor, can also be applied for greater efficiency, greater energy savings, lower costs, and better crop yield, as well as fewer adverse environmental effects.

This new book covers three main types of agricultural systems: the use of robotics, drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), and satellite-guided precision farming methods. Some of these are well refined and are currently in use, while others are in need of refinement and are yet to become popular.

The technological systems described address soil fertility, climate, precipitation, and other factors associated with agriculture. Robotics, mainly ground-based robots, can be used to enhance farm productivity, reduce dependence on human labor involvement in crop fields, and perform farm operations more methodically, accurately, briskly, and efficiently. Drones are already being used in agricultural farms around the world; they provide crucial data about farms. They supply photos depicting natural resources, soil fertility and moisture variations, crop growth, weed infestation, soil erosion, etc. Satellite-guided farming, now being practiced in several agrarian regions of world, is helpful in attaining precision during farming. Activities such as planting seeds of different crop species/genotypes, application of fertilizer-based nutrients based on digitized data about soil fertility, weeding, irrigation, and harvesting grains have been accomplished using satellite techniques. Satellite guidance is also known to reduce soil deterioration, reduce loss of fertilizers to the vadose zone, and avoid ground water contamination. There are a range of farm vehicles, ground robots, and drones that are guided by connection to GPS systems/satellites.

Push Button Agriculture: Robotics, Drones, Satellite-Guided Soil and Crop Management is a valuable source of information on this developing field for those involved with agriculture and farming and agricultural engineering. The book is also applicable as a textbook for students and a reference for faculty.

CONTENTS:
Preface
1. Push Button Agriculture: An Introduction
2. Robotics in Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Crop Management
3. Drones in Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Crop Management
4. Satellite-Guided Agriculture: Soil Fertility and Crop Management
5. Push Button Agriculture: Summary and Future Course
Index


About the Authors / Editors:
K. R. Krishna, PhD
Formerly Visiting Professor and Research Scholar at the Soil and Water Science Department at the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA; Independent Researcher and Author

K. R. Krishna, PhD, is retired from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India. He has several years of experience in crops research. He has been a Cereals Scientist in India and a Visiting Professor and Research Scholar at the University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. Dr. Krishna is a member of several professional organizations, including the International Society for Precision Agriculture, the American Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of America, the Ecological Society of America, and the Indian Society of Agronomy. He received his PhD in Agriculture from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India.




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