Agricultural technology

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Agricultural technology or agrotechnology (abbreviated agtech, agritech, AgriTech, or agrotech) is the use of technology in agriculture, horticulture, and aquaculture with the aim of improving yield, efficiency, and profitability. Agricultural technology can be products, services or applications derived from agriculture that improve various input/output processes.^[1][2]

Advances in agricultural science, agronomy, and agricultural engineering have led to applied developments in agricultural technology.^[3][4]

History

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The history of agriculture has been shaped by technological advances. Agricultural technology dates back thousands of years. Historians have described a number of agricultural revolutions, which identify major shifts in agricultural practice and productivity. These revolutions have been closely connected to technological improvements.

Around 10,000 years ago, the

A major turning point for agricultural technology is the Industrial Revolution, which introduced agricultural machinery to mechanise the labour of agriculture, greatly increasing farm worker productivity. Revolutionary inventions like the seed drill, mechanical reaper, and steam-powered tractors reshaped the farming landscape. This period also witnessed the establishment of agricultural societies and colleges dedicated to advancing farming methodologies. In modern mechanised agriculture powered machinery has replaced many farm jobs formerly carried out by manual labour or by working animals such as oxen, horses and mules.

Advances in the 19th century included the development of modern

The 20th century saw major advances in agricultural technologies, including the development of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and new agricultural machinery including mass produced tractors and agricultural aircraft for aerial application of pesticides. More recent advances have included agricultural plastics, genetically modified crops, improved drip irrigation, integrated pest management, and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics.

In the first decades of the 21st century, Information Age technologies have been increasingly applied to agriculture. Agricultural robots, agricultural drones and driverless tractors have found regular use on farms, while digital agriculture and precision agriculture make use of extensive data collection and computation to improve farm efficiency.^[7] Precision agriculture includes such areas as precision beekeeping, precision livestock farming, and precision viticulture.

Modern Agricultural Technology Tools

Climate Monitoring

• Weather forecasting
• IoT-based Sensors Networks

Nutrition Management

• Digital Soil Analysis Devices
• Soil moisture sensors

Irrigation Management

• Automated irrigation
• Irrigation Recommendations

Pest and Disease Management

• Digital Pheromone Traps

  

Crop Inspection

• Crop Monitoring via Satellite
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Farm Management

• Farm Management System

Hydroponics

Hydroponics is a method of cultivating plants without soil. Instead, it relies on a nutrient-rich water solution to deliver essential minerals and nutrients directly to the plant roots. This approach allows for precise control over growing conditions and can lead to increased crop yields and faster growth rates.

Vertical Farming

Vertical farming is a contemporary agricultural technique that cultivates crops in vertically stacked layers or inclined surfaces within controlled indoor settings. This innovative approach leverages technology and controlled environments to enhance crop growth.^[8]

Agricultural Drones

Agricultural drones, also known as "ag drones," are specialized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) tailored for agricultural applications. These drones are outfitted with an array of sensors, cameras, and advanced technology to aid in agricultural and land management tasks. Their purposes encompass crop monitoring, efficient irrigation management, early pest and disease detection, precise crop spraying, and detailed crop mapping, among others.

Agro-textiles

Agro-textiles is the segmented class of

• Bird control
• Bird netting
• Satellite photography and sensors
• Phase tracking
• Light and heat control
• Soil management and other involved analytical tasks
• Biotech

See also

• Agricultural aircraft – Category of Aircraft
• Agricultural engineering – Application of engineering for agricultural purposes
• Agricultural machinery – Machinery used in farming or other agriculture
• Atomic gardening – Form of mutation breeding in plants
• Automatic milking – Milking of dairy animals without human labour
• Controlled-environment agriculture – Technology-based approach toward food growing
• Data mining in agriculture – Application of data mining techniques to agriculture
• Food technology – Academic discipline regarding the preparation of foods
• Information and communications technology in agriculture – Agricultural and rural development
• Optical sorting – Automated sorting of solid products using cameras and/or lasers.
• Plasticulture – Use of plastic materials in agriculture
• Technology and society – Overview of the relationship between technology and society
• Timeline of cellular agriculture

References