Internet Of things [IoT] in Crop Production

Today, connected devices are penetrating our life in many sectors starts from health, Home automation, logistics, smart Cities and Industrial Internet of Things [IIoT]. Agriculture had many technological transformation in adaption with industrial revolutions till reaching out to Agriculture 4.0 that mainly focuses on applying technology in farming, Thus Technologies like IoT – Internet of Things – would find its application in Agriculture and building connected environment which is automatic and rich with data about each item. Let us divide the smart farming into three categories: Crop Production, Livestock, and Smart greenhouse.
In this article we will explore use cases of applying IoT in Crop production and its benefits.

Smart Irrigation System

Saving Time, Water management, remotely monitoring & control system are benefits of Smart irrigation system that simply optimizes water levels based on sensors installed such as soil moisture sensors and help inform the farmer whether it is in need of water or not. By sending these data [that comes from sensors (things)] through WiFi, GPRS, LAPWAN to a cloud platform where all data is recorded and the end user [farmer] can control remotely and monitor the system. Also by adding the water pump to the loop, The system can be working full automatic with no need to labor. The sensor record data, valves take the action to turn motor ON and increasing water level based on the sensors recorded data.

Machinery & Equipment Tracking

Where is the machine working? How much work is done? How long do they work? Fuel consumption?. Connecting The machinery and equipment through sensors record data about machine work status and data about the machine itself such as fuel consumption, maintenance is helping in monitoring all processes of growing crops and keep your asset secure, Avoid Idle time of sudden incidents and monitor fuel consumption.

Fertigation

By Installing sensors for measuring parameters of the soil such as PH, Fe [iron], K [Potassium], Ca [calcium]…etc. And determining what the plant needs and providing it with the exact amount needed, Or mixing it with water automatically. It is a very simple way to talk to the crops and learn about what they exactly need.

Micro-Climate

Microclimates are the localised, dynamic interplay between different processes in the surface layer, such as energy and matter exchange, radiation processes and effects of the underlying surface. Microclimate components are Air Temperature, Humidity, Wind direction & Wind Speed and light. That’s why Microclimate sensors are important for promoting crop growth:

Air temperature: The air temperature range, and diurnal and seasonal fluctuations, play a large role in determining the local flora and fauna. Higher air temperatures also have an influence on the spread and effects of pests and plant diseases.
Humidity: As plants transpire, the humidity around saturates leaves with water vapor. When relative humidity levels are too high or there is a lack of air circulation, a plant cannot make water evaporate (part of the transpiration process) or draw nutrients from the soil.
Wind direction: essential to maintain good CO2 levels for growth, remove excess humidity, thereby reducing the potential for diseases. Further, many cereal crops are wind pollinated.

Disease Detection

Tons of data are being generated from the things [sensors installed in the farm that monitor the status of soil, water, climate …etc]. Analyzing these data and the changes happened by using Machine learning will to predict changes and diseases would happen. Or by using computer vision which means using a camera [Mobile camera through mobile app Or inspection cameras fixed in the farm or by using a camera fixed to drones] for capturing images to the crop and then analyzing the image by using machine learning/deep learning to find and classify the defected samples.

In a connected environment of IoT system that consists of Sensors/Actuators that record data about soil quality, Moisture levels, weather conditions, machinery …etc and transmit the recorded data though Communication network to a Cloud Platform where all data recorded and stored and could be presented through PC or Mobile Application. Gathering that Data will help in decreasing the chance of crop damage, monitoring environment parameter and plant growth. And help in predicting pest behavior before they affect on the crops. Beside Smart irrigation system that help in decreasing the water waste.

Analyzing and correlating information about weather, soil, diseases …etc will assist farmers in taking the right decision at the right time. Applying technology optimize costs and labor usage, decrease water waste, and produce better quality yields. [Read also: Technologies change the future of Crop Production]