For example, farmers can detect early signs of disease in crops and animals. This allows them to take early measures to prevent the spread of disease. In essence, IoT allows farmers to see what is happening at a much more detailed level than was ever possible before. The application of science in agriculture, combined with IoT technology, makes it possible to deploy activities such as planting, irrigation, fertilization, weed control and harvesting at the most optimal time.
All sensor and process data is stored and enables a cycle of continuous improvements. IoT makes it possible to combine this data with external data collected from multiple farms and soil types. It is also possible to combine everything with public data on weather conditions and weather forecasts, plant and animal diseases, government regulations, and so on.
IoT agriculture
Case: Van den Borne Potatoes
A good example of the Dutch applications of IoT in arable farming is Van Den Borne Aardappelen. This company uses IoT technology in almost every phase of the potato cultivation process. Owner Jacob van den Borne is happy to tell you more about it below.
1. The plot boundaries and plot contours are mapped
This data is used to determine the driving paths of agricultural machinery and, among other things, to prevent spraying outside the plot boundaries.
2. Scan soil
A soil scan provides data on soil moisture in various parts of the plot. Based on this, it is determined very precisely where and how much irrigation is required. Soil scan information is also used to explain differences in soil yield in different parts of the plot. A follow-up action could be to apply more compost in specific places.
Because the plot has been mapped, it is now easier to draw the 'tracks'. Tracks are the paths on which the agricultural machines must drive in order to achieve the maximum result from their activities. Also, no crops grow on the tracks. A track that is as efficient as possible is therefore important to prevent waste. The tracks are drawn in the computer. Then the agricultural vehicle and its driver are taught (by means of GPS) exactly where and when they have to make a turn or continue driving straight.
4. Soil cultivation with GPS
GPS systems are used in arable farming to hong kong telegram data maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of soil cultivation activities. For example, all Van den Borne tractors are even equipped with a GPS autopilot system. This can control a tractor or implement fully automatically via the mobile network using GPS signals. Because all routes are thought out and planned in advance, a plot is never worked twice or a plot is never skipped. This also applies to planting, spraying, fertilising and harvesting.
5. Crop protection
Van den Borne also uses the Decision Support System of Dacom, a software package that helps the grower with crop protection. The system uses three data:
Weather data obtained from external data clouds
Crop data obtained by crop sensors
Spray data from the spray computer
All these data are used to calculate whether there is a high probability that plants will be infected by a disease. This increases the effectiveness of spraying and prevents excessive spraying.