Integrative Precision Agriculture
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Transplanting is the process in which seedlings are transferred from a specific place where they were sown to the soil where they will develop and produce. This process is an extremely important step in fruit and vegetable production as it helps with the initial establishment of the crop. Mechanical transplanters have emerged as important agricultural machines for farmers, and are designed to automate and optimize the transplanting process.
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This circular contains the fundamentals of watermelon irrigation scheduling using the crop water demand method. Decisions regarding the timing, frequency, and amount of water required for a crop are some of the most critical factors in vegetable production. There are numerous irrigation scheduling strategies employed by growers, but the crop water demand method of irrigation management is one of the most reliable and precise ways to schedule irrigation. This method adjusts irrigation events using the crop evapotranspiration, or ETc.
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Pulse width modulation (PWM) technology is becoming a standard option on most new agricultural sprayers because of its ability to precisely regulate both flow rate and pressure over a wide range of travel speeds. This publication provides information on nozzle selection for sprayers equipped with PWM technology, including how to use PWM nozzle selection/tabulation charts, other useful online tools, and considerations for effective pesticide applications.
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This publication provides information on selecting an optimal soil sampling grid size that can accurately depict spatial nutrient variability within the fields in the southeastern US and helps in informing precision site-specific nutrient applications.
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Researchers have investigated the issue of mislaid eggs in cage-free housing and the possibility of reducing the incidence of floor eggs through management of lighting, litter and bedding, and nesting space, and the use of robotics. Methods with potential for managing mislaid or floor eggs in cage-free layer houses can be summarized as follows: 1. House-lighting time management: In cage-free aviary systems, lighting management is used to help control floor-access time. According to observations in commercial cage-free layer houses, most floor eggs are laid at first light. Delaying floor access time in the morning may help reduce floor eggs by keeping the birds near the nests for the first few hours of light. 2. Light intensity and distribution: Make sure to provide sufficient light intensity evenly across the litter floor. Increasing the light intensity under the aviary system has been tested to be effective at reducing over 80% of floor eggs. 3. Bedding depth: Scratch areas covered with litter help reduce the risk of feather pecking and cannibalism, and minimize flightiness, for hens living in large flocks. However, deep litter attracts birds to lay eggs on the litter itself. According to research conducted at Iowa State University, reducing litter depth discourages hens from laying eggs on floor of commercial cage-free houses. 4. Nesting space: Nesting behavior is a key priority and important welfare indicator for egg production, so providing hens with safe and secure locations to lay eggs is critical. A good nesting design in cage-free systems facilitates egg collection, minimizes the risk of cloacal cannibalism, and assists food safety and sanitation.
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This publication provides information on pulse width modulation (PWM) technology including its working principle, components, benefits, and best management practices for its optimal utilization on agricultural sprayers. Agricultural sprayers are commonly used for pesticide applications and come in various design types and sizes, including three-point hitch, pull-behind, and self-propelled. During pesticide applications, maintaining a target application rate across the whole field is important for effective pest management. On sprayers with traditional flow-based control systems, the liquid flow rate is regulated to account for ground speed variations by adjusting the spray pressure. However, this becomes an issue when spray pressure reaches outside the narrow operating range of the selected nozzle and results in non-uniform droplet size and pattern. Higher spray pressures at faster travel speeds produce finer droplets which are more prone to spray drift; applications at lower pressures produce coarser spray droplets and reduce spray fan angle. Pulse width modulation technology was developed to overcome this pressure variation issue; pulse width modulation does not rely on spray pressure to regulate system flow rate with changes in ground speed. In pulse width modulation systems, the flow rate is varied by changing the intermittent cycling of the electronically actuated solenoid valves while the system pressure remains constant throughout the boom.
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In commercial poultry houses, bird density and distribution in drinking, feeding, and
resting zones are critical factors for evaluating flock productivity, bird health, and well-being. Proper distribution of chickens in the house greatly influences animal well-being and house environmental management. Currently, routine daily inspection of broiler flock distribution in commercial grow-out houses is done manually, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. UGA poultry science researchers currently are developing an automated imaging system for monitoring floor distribution of chickens.Ongoing studies are focusing on detection of individual chickens with different gait scores in the research facility. It’s challenging to track individual birds with early health or welfare concerns using a computer vison-based method, but it is necessary and critical for producers to identify birds with well-being concerns and address those issues quickly.
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This publication is the second in a series focusing on irrigation scheduling for vegetable crops. It contains basic guidance on water use and irrigation management for Brassica crops such as cabbage, leafy greens, broccoli, and cauliflower, and this information should assist growers in scheduling irrigation.
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Some of the most widely adopted precision agriculture technologies include guidance systems that utilize a Global Positioning System (GPS). Although these technologies are most commonly utilized in row-crop agricultural systems, they also have many potential benefits in forage-based production systems. With so many different options to choose from, it can be a daunting task to determine which technologies are the best fit for a specific farming application and budget. When coupled with a differential GPS system (which are available in various levels of correction accuracy), the accuracy of these guidance systems can be greatly improved. The main goal of this bulletin is to cover the currently available GPS guidance options for forage production systems.
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