Precision in Crop Farming

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Hermann J. Heege

   Pages 1-2

3. Heterogeneity in Fields: Basics of Analyses

   • Hermann J. Heege

   Pages 3-13

4. Sensing by Electromagnetic Radiation

   • Hermann J. Heege

   Pages 15-33

5. Precision in Guidance of Farm Machinery

   • Hermann J. Heege

   Pages 35-50

6. Sensing of Natural Soil Properties

   • Hermann J. Heege

   Pages 51-102

7. Sensing of Crop Properties

   • Hermann J. Heege, Eiko Thiessen

   Pages 103-141

8. Site-Specific Soil Cultivation

   • Hermann J. Heege

   Pages 143-170

9. Site-Specific Sowing

   • Hermann J. Heege

   Pages 171-192

10. Site-Specific Fertilizing

    • Hermann J. Heege

    Pages 193-271

11. Site-Specific Weed Control

    • Roland Gerhards

    Pages 273-294

12. Site-Specific Sensing for Fungicide Spraying

    • Eiko Thiessen, Hermann J. Heege

    Pages 295-311

13. Site-Specific Recording of Yields

    • Markus Demmel

    Pages 313-329

14. Fusions, Overlays and Management Zones

    • Hermann J. Heege

    Pages 331-344

15. Summary and Perspectives

    • Hermann J. Heege

    Pages 345-347

16. Back Matter

    Pages 349-356

    PDF

High yields and environmental control in crop farming call for precise adaptations to local growing conditions. Treating large fields in a uniform way by high capacity machinery cannot be regarded as a sustainable method for many situations. Because differences existing within single fields must be considered. The transition from former field work carried out manually or by small implements to present-day high-capacity machinery caused that the farmers lost the immediate and close contact with soils and crops. However, modern sensing and controlling technology can make up for this deficit. High tech methods that include proximal sensing and signals from satellites can provide for controls that allow adjusting farming operations to small fractions of one ha and sometimes even down to some m2, hence in a site-specific mode. This applies to operations for soil cultivation, sowing, fertilizing and plant protection. This book deals with site-specific concepts, applications and results.

• Environmental Control
• Precision Farming
• Site-specific Control
• Utilizing the Yield Potential
• Variations within fields

From the reviews:

“This well-designed, well-written book covers appropriate topics related to production crop farming anywhere in the world. … This book can be used in a beginning and/or intermediate precision farming course. It can also serve as a reference in a more comprehensive course or series of courses on precision crop farming. The material presented will enhance students’ knowledge of specific production practices. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners.” (M. K. Swan, Choice, Vol. 51 (8), April, 2014)

• , Agricultural Systems Engineering, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany

  Hermann J. Heege

The editor and main author – Hermann J. Heege – is Professor Emeritus of the University of Kiel and was formerly head of its Department of Agricultural Systems Engineering. He conceived and initiated the worldwide known concept of the “N Sensor”. 

The chapter about weed control is from Roland Gerhards, Professor of the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim. 

Contributions about the use of plant-fluorescence are from Eiko Thiessen, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Agricultural Systems Engineering of the University of Kiel. 

Markus Demmel from the Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture in Freising-Weihenstephan and its section head for System Engineering in Crop Farming is author of the chapter about yield sensing.

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