Showing papers on "Precision agriculture published in 2020"

Internet of Things (IoT) and Agricultural Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in smart farming: A comprehensive review

Abstract: Internet of Things (IoT) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are two hot technologies utilized in cultivation fields, which transform traditional farming practices into a new era of precision agriculture. In this paper, we perform a survey of the last research on IoT and UAV technology applied in agriculture. We describe the main principles of IoT technology, including intelligent sensors, IoT sensor types, networks and protocols used in agriculture, as well as IoT applications and solutions in smart farming. Moreover, we present the role of UAV technology in smart agriculture, by analyzing the applications of UAVs in various scenarios, including irrigation, fertilization, use of pesticides, weed management, plant growth monitoring, crop disease management, and field-level phenotyping. Furthermore, the utilization of UAV systems in complex agricultural environments is also analyzed. Our conclusion is that IoT and UAV are two of the most important technologies that transform traditional cultivation practices into a new perspective of intelligence in precision agriculture.

Applications of Remote Sensing in Precision Agriculture: A Review

Abstract: Agriculture provides for the most basic needs of humankind: food and fiber. The introduction of new farming techniques in the past century (e.g., during the Green Revolution) has helped agriculture keep pace with growing demands for food and other agricultural products. However, further increases in food demand, a growing population, and rising income levels are likely to put additional strain on natural resources. With growing recognition of the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment, new techniques and approaches should be able to meet future food demands while maintaining or reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture. Emerging technologies, such as geospatial technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analysis, and artificial intelligence (AI), could be utilized to make informed management decisions aimed to increase crop production. Precision agriculture (PA) entails the application of a suite of such technologies to optimize agricultural inputs to increase agricultural production and reduce input losses. Use of remote sensing technologies for PA has increased rapidly during the past few decades. The unprecedented availability of high resolution (spatial, spectral and temporal) satellite images has promoted the use of remote sensing in many PA applications, including crop monitoring, irrigation management, nutrient application, disease and pest management, and yield prediction. In this paper, we provide an overview of remote sensing systems, techniques, and vegetation indices along with their recent (2015–2020) applications in PA. Remote-sensing-based PA technologies such as variable fertilizer rate application technology in Green Seeker and Crop Circle have already been incorporated in commercial agriculture. Use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has increased tremendously during the last decade due to their cost-effectiveness and flexibility in obtaining the high-resolution (cm-scale) images needed for PA applications. At the same time, the availability of a large amount of satellite data has prompted researchers to explore advanced data storage and processing techniques such as cloud computing and machine learning. Given the complexity of image processing and the amount of technical knowledge and expertise needed, it is critical to explore and develop a simple yet reliable workflow for the real-time application of remote sensing in PA. Development of accurate yet easy to use, user-friendly systems is likely to result in broader adoption of remote sensing technologies in commercial and non-commercial PA applications.

IoT-Based Smart Irrigation Systems: An Overview on the Recent Trends on Sensors and IoT Systems for Irrigation in Precision Agriculture

Abstract: Water management is paramount in countries with water scarcity. This also affects agriculture, as a large amount of water is dedicated to that use. The possible consequences of global warming lead to the consideration of creating water adaptation measures to ensure the availability of water for food production and consumption. Thus, studies aimed at saving water usage in the irrigation process have increased over the years. Typical commercial sensors for agriculture irrigation systems are very expensive, making it impossible for smaller farmers to implement this type of system. However, manufacturers are currently offering low-cost sensors that can be connected to nodes to implement affordable systems for irrigation management and agriculture monitoring. Due to the recent advances in IoT and WSN technologies that can be applied in the development of these systems, we present a survey aimed at summarizing the current state of the art regarding smart irrigation systems. We determine the parameters that are monitored in irrigation systems regarding water quantity and quality, soil characteristics and weather conditions. We provide an overview of the most utilized nodes and wireless technologies. Lastly, we will discuss the challenges and the best practices for the implementation of sensor-based irrigation systems.

Remote Sensing for Precision Agriculture: Sentinel-2 Improved Features and Applications

Abstract: The use of satellites to monitor crops and support their management is gathering increasing attention. The improved temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution of the European Space Agency (ESA) launched Sentinel-2 A + B twin platform is paving the way to their popularization in precision agriculture. Besides the Sentinel-2 A + B constellation technical features the open-access nature of the information they generate, and the available support software are a significant improvement for agricultural monitoring. This paper was motivated by the challenges faced by researchers and agrarian institutions entering this field; it aims to frame remote sensing principles and Sentinel-2 applications in agriculture. Thus, we reviewed the features and uses of Sentinel-2 in precision agriculture, including abiotic and biotic stress detection, and agricultural management. We also compared the panoply of satellites currently in use for land remote sensing that are relevant for agriculture to the Sentinel-2 A + B constellation features. Contrasted with previous satellite image systems, the Sentinel-2 A + B twin platform has dramatically increased the capabilities for agricultural monitoring and crop management worldwide. Regarding crop stress monitoring, Sentinel-2 capacities for abiotic and biotic stresses detection represent a great step forward in many ways though not without its limitations; therefore, combinations of field data and different remote sensing techniques may still be needed. We conclude that Sentinel-2 has a wide range of useful applications in agriculture, yet still with room for further improvements. Current and future ways that Sentinel-2 can be utilized are also discussed.

Advanced UAV-WSN System for Intelligent Monitoring in Precision Agriculture.

Abstract: The growing need for food worldwide requires the development of a high-performance, high-productivity, and sustainable agriculture, which implies the introduction of new technologies into monitoring activities related to control and decision-making. In this regard, this paper presents a hierarchical structure based on the collaboration between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and federated wireless sensor networks (WSNs) for crop monitoring in precision agriculture. The integration of UAVs with intelligent, ground WSNs, and IoT proved to be a robust and efficient solution for data collection, control, analysis, and decisions in such specialized applications. Key advantages lay in online data collection and relaying to a central monitoring point, while effectively managing network load and latency through optimized UAV trajectories and in situ data processing. Two important aspects of the collaboration were considered: designing the UAV trajectories for efficient data collection and implementing effective data processing algorithms (consensus and symbolic aggregate approximation) at the network level for the transmission of the relevant data. The experiments were carried out at a Romanian research institute where different crops and methods are developed. The results demonstrate that the collaborative UAV-WSN-IoT approach increases the performances in both precision agriculture and ecological agriculture.

Applications of UAV Thermal Imagery in Precision Agriculture: State of the Art and Future Research Outlook

Abstract: Low-altitude remote sensing (RS) using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is a powerful tool in precision agriculture (PA). In that context, thermal RS has many potential uses. The surface temperature of plants changes rapidly under stress conditions, which makes thermal RS a useful tool for real-time detection of plant stress conditions. Current applications of UAV thermal RS include monitoring plant water stress, detecting plant diseases, assessing crop yield estimation, and plant phenotyping. However, the correct use and interpretation of thermal data are based on basic knowledge of the nature of thermal radiation. Therefore, aspects that are related to calibration and ground data collection, in which the use of reference panels is highly recommended, as well as data processing, must be carefully considered. This paper aims to review the state of the art of UAV thermal RS in agriculture, outlining an overview of the latest applications and providing a future research outlook.

Drones: Innovative Technology for Use in Precision Pest Management

Abstract: Arthropod pest outbreaks are unpredictable and not uniformly distributed within fields. Early outbreak detection and treatment application are inherent to effective pest management, allowing management decisions to be implemented before pests are well-established and crop losses accrue. Pest monitoring is time-consuming and may be hampered by lack of reliable or cost-effective sampling techniques. Thus, we argue that an important research challenge associated with enhanced sustainability of pest management in modern agriculture is developing and promoting improved crop monitoring procedures. Biotic stress, such as herbivory by arthropod pests, elicits physiological defense responses in plants, leading to changes in leaf reflectance. Advanced imaging technologies can detect such changes, and can, therefore, be used as noninvasive crop monitoring methods. Furthermore, novel methods of treatment precision application are required. Both sensing and actuation technologies can be mounted on equipment moving through fields (e.g., irrigation equipment), on (un)manned driving vehicles, and on small drones. In this review, we focus specifically on use of small unmanned aerial robots, or small drones, in agricultural systems. Acquired and processed canopy reflectance data obtained with sensing drones could potentially be transmitted as a digital map to guide a second type of drone, actuation drones, to deliver solutions to the identified pest hotspots, such as precision releases of natural enemies and/or precision-sprays of pesticides. We emphasize how sustainable pest management in 21st-century agriculture will depend heavily on novel technologies, and how this trend will lead to a growing need for multi-disciplinary research collaborations between agronomists, ecologists, software programmers, and engineers.

Alfalfa Yield Prediction Using UAV-Based Hyperspectral Imagery and Ensemble Learning

Abstract: Alfalfa is a valuable and intensively produced forage crop in the United States, and the timely estimation of its yield can inform precision management decisions However, traditional yield assessment approaches are laborious and time-consuming, and thus hinder the acquisition of timely information at the field scale Recently, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have gained significant attention in precision agriculture due to their efficiency in data acquisition In addition, compared with other imaging modalities, hyperspectral data can offer higher spectral fidelity for constructing narrow-band vegetation indices which are of great importance in yield modeling In this study, we performed an in-season alfalfa yield prediction using UAV-based hyperspectral images Specifically, we firstly extracted a large number of hyperspectral indices from the original data and performed a feature selection to reduce the data dimensionality Then, an ensemble machine learning model was developed by combining three widely used base learners including random forest (RF), support vector regression (SVR) and K-nearest neighbors (KNN) The model performance was evaluated on experimental fields in Wisconsin Our results showed that the ensemble model outperformed all the base learners and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0874 was achieved when using the selected features In addition, we also evaluated the model adaptability on different machinery compaction treatments, and the results further demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed ensemble model

Crop Monitoring Using Satellite/UAV Data Fusion and Machine Learning

Abstract: Non-destructive crop monitoring over large areas with high efficiency is of great significance in precision agriculture and plant phenotyping, as well as decision making with regards to grain policy and food security. The goal of this research was to assess the potential of combining canopy spectral information with canopy structure features for crop monitoring using satellite/unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data fusion and machine learning. Worldview-2/3 satellite data were tasked synchronized with high-resolution RGB image collection using an inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at a heterogeneous soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) field. Canopy spectral information (i.e., vegetation indices) was extracted from Worldview-2/3 data, and canopy structure information (i.e., canopy height and canopy cover) was derived from UAV RGB imagery. Canopy spectral and structure information and their combination were used to predict soybean leaf area index (LAI), aboveground biomass (AGB), and leaf nitrogen concentration (N) using partial least squares regression (PLSR), random forest regression (RFR), support vector regression (SVR), and extreme learning regression (ELR) with a newly proposed activation function. The results revealed that: (1) UAV imagery-derived high-resolution and detailed canopy structure features, canopy height, and canopy coverage were significant indicators for crop growth monitoring, (2) integration of satellite imagery-based rich canopy spectral information with UAV-derived canopy structural features using machine learning improved soybean AGB, LAI, and leaf N estimation on using satellite or UAV data alone, (3) adding canopy structure information to spectral features reduced background soil effect and asymptotic saturation issue to some extent and led to better model performance, (4) the ELR model with the newly proposed activated function slightly outperformed PLSR, RFR, and SVR in the prediction of AGB and LAI, while RFR provided the best result for N estimation. This study introduced opportunities and limitations of satellite/UAV data fusion using machine learning in the context of crop monitoring.

Wheat Growth Monitoring and Yield Estimation based on Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Abstract: Leaf area index (LAI) and leaf dry matter (LDM) are important indices of crop growth. Real-time, nondestructive monitoring of crop growth is instructive for the diagnosis of crop growth and prediction of grain yield. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing is widely used in precision agriculture due to its unique advantages in flexibility and resolution. This study was carried out on wheat trials treated with different nitrogen levels and seeding densities in three regions of Jiangsu Province in 2018–2019. Canopy spectral images were collected by the UAV equipped with a multi-spectral camera during key wheat growth stages. To verify the results of the UAV images, the LAI, LDM, and yield data were obtained by destructive sampling. We extracted the wheat canopy reflectance and selected the best vegetation index for monitoring growth and predicting yield. Simple linear regression (LR), multiple linear regression (MLR), stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), artificial neural network (ANN), and random forest (RF) modeling methods were used to construct a model for wheat yield estimation. The results show that the multi-spectral camera mounted on the multi-rotor UAV has a broad application prospect in crop growth index monitoring and yield estimation. The vegetation index combined with the red edge band and the near-infrared band was significantly correlated with LAI and LDM. Machine learning methods (i.e., PLSR, ANN, and RF) performed better for predicting wheat yield. The RF model constructed by normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at the jointing stage, heading stage, flowering stage, and filling stage was the optimal wheat yield estimation model in this study, with an R2 of 0.78 and relative root mean square error (RRMSE) of 0.1030. The results provide a theoretical basis for monitoring crop growth with a multi-rotor UAV platform and explore a technical method for improving the precision of yield estimation.

Remote sensing and machine learning for crop water stress determination in various crops: a critical review

Abstract: The remote sensing (RS) technique is less cost- and labour- intensive than ground-based surveys for diverse applications in agriculture. Machine learning (ML), a branch of artificial intelligence (AI), provides an effective approach to construct a model for regression and classification of a multivariate and non-linear system. Without being explicitly programmed, machine learning models learn from training data, i.e., past experience. Machine learning, when applied to remotely sensed data, has the potential to evolve a real-time farm-specific management system to reinforce farmers' ability to make appropriate decisions. Recently, the use of machine learning techniques combined with RS data has reshaped precision agriculture in many ways, such as crop identification, yield prediction and crop water stress assessment, with better accuracy than conventional RS methods. As agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of the worldwide water withdrawals, it must be used in the most efficient way to obtain maximum yields and food production. The use of water management and irrigation based on plant water stress have been demonstrated to not only save water but also increase yield. To date, RS and ML-based results have encouraged farmers and decision-makers to adopt this technology to meet global food demands. This phenomenon has led to the much-needed interest of researchers in using ML to improve agriculture outcomes. However, the use of ML for the potential evaluation of water stress continues to be unexplored and the existing methods can still be greatly improved. This study aims to present an overall review of the widely used methods for crop water stress monitoring using remote sensing and machine learning and focuses on future directions for researchers.

Crop Yield Prediction through Proximal Sensing and Machine Learning Algorithms

Abstract: Proximal sensing techniques can potentially survey soil and crop variables responsible for variations in crop yield. The full potential of these precision agriculture technologies may be exploited in combination with innovative methods of data processing such as machine learning (ML) algorithms for the extraction of useful information responsible for controlling crop yield. Four ML algorithms, namely linear regression (LR), elastic net (EN), k-nearest neighbor (k-NN), and support vector regression (SVR), were used to predict potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber yield from data of soil and crop properties collected through proximal sensing. Six fields in Atlantic Canada including three fields in Prince Edward Island (PE) and three fields in New Brunswick (NB) were sampled, over two (2017 and 2018) growing seasons, for soil electrical conductivity, soil moisture content, soil slope, normalized-difference vegetative index (NDVI), and soil chemistry. Data were collected from 39–40 30 × 30 m2 locations in each field, four times throughout the growing season, and yield samples were collected manually at the end of the growing season. Four datasets, namely PE-2017, PE-2018, NB-2017, and NB-2018, were then formed by combing data points from three fields to represent the province data for the respective years. Modeling techniques were employed to generate yield predictions assessed with different statistical parameters. The SVR models outperformed all other models for NB-2017, NB-2018, PE-2017, and PE-2018 dataset with RMSE of 5.97, 4.62, 6.60, and 6.17 t/ha, respectively. The performance of k-NN remained poor in three out of four datasets, namely NB-2017, NB-2018, and PE-2017 with RMSE of 6.93, 5.23, and 6.91 t/ha, respectively. The study also showed that large datasets are required to generate useful results using either model. This information is needed for creating site-specific management zones for potatoes, which form a significant component for food security initiatives across the globe.

Remote Sensing in Agriculture—Accomplishments, Limitations, and Opportunities

Abstract: Remote sensing (RS) technologies provide a diagnostic tool that can serve as an early warning system, allowing the agricultural community to intervene early on to counter potential problems before they spread widely and negatively impact crop productivity. With the recent advancements in sensor technologies, data management and data analytics, currently, several RS options are available to the agricultural community. However, the agricultural sector is yet to implement RS technologies fully due to knowledge gaps on their sufficiency, appropriateness and techno-economic feasibilities. This study reviewed the literature between 2000 to 2019 that focused on the application of RS technologies in production agriculture, ranging from field preparation, planting, and in-season applications to harvesting, with the objective of contributing to the scientific understanding on the potential for RS technologies to support decision-making within different production stages. We found an increasing trend in the use of RS technologies in agricultural production over the past 20 years, with a sharp increase in applications of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) after 2015. The largest number of scientific papers related to UASs originated from Europe (34%), followed by the United States (20%) and China (11%). Most of the prior RS studies have focused on soil moisture and in-season crop health monitoring, and less in areas such as soil compaction, subsurface drainage, and crop grain quality monitoring. In summary, the literature highlighted that RS technologies can be used to support site-specific management decisions at various stages of crop production, helping to optimize crop production while addressing environmental quality, profitability, and sustainability.

Transfer learning between crop types for semantic segmentation of crops versus weeds in precision agriculture

Abstract: Agricultural robots rely on semantic segmentation for distinguishing between crops and weeds in order to perform selective treatments, increase yield and crop health while reducing the amount of chemicals used. Deep learning approaches have recently achieved both excellent classification performance and real-time execution. However, these techniques also rely on a large amount of training data, requiring a substantial labelling effort, both of which are scarce in precision agriculture. Additional design efforts are required to achieve commercially viable performance levels under varying environmental conditions and crop growth stages. In this paper, we explore the role of knowledge transfer between deep-learning-based classifiers for different crop types, with the goal of reducing the retraining time and labelling efforts required for a new crop. We examine the classification performance on three datasets with different crop types and containing a variety of weeds, and compare the performance and retraining efforts required when using data labelled at pixel level with partially labelled data obtained through a less time-consuming procedure of annotating the segmentation output. We show that transfer learning between different crop types is possible, and reduces training times for up to $80\%$. Furthermore, we show that even when the data used for re-training is imperfectly annotated, the classification performance is within $2\%$ of that of networks trained with laboriously annotated pixel-precision data.

Applications of Computer Vision in Plant Pathology: A Survey

Abstract: The real-time decision support system can enhance the crop or plant growth, therefore, increasing their productivity, quality, and economic value. This also helps us in serving the nature by supervising the plant growth in balancing the environment. Computer vision techniques have proven to play an important role in the number of applications like medical, defense, agriculture, remote sensing, business analysis, etc. The use of digital image processing methods for simulating the visual capability of the human being has proven to be a dynamic feature in smart or precision agriculture. This concept has provided with the automatic preventing and monitoring of plants, cultivation, disease management, water management etc. to increase the crop productivity and quality. In this paper, we have surveyed the number of articles that adopt the concept of computer vision and soft computing methods for the identification and classification of diseases from the leaf of the plant. Our aim is to present the state of the art of the concepts, applications, and theories associated with the digital image processing and soft computing methodologies. The various outcomes have been discussed separately.

Artificial cognition for applications in smart agriculture: A comprehensive review

Abstract: Agriculture contributes to 6.4% of the entire world's economic production. In at least nine countries of the world, agriculture is the dominant sector of the economy. Agriculture not only provides the fuel for billions of people but also employment opportunities to a large number of people. The agricultural industries are seeking innovative approaches for improving crop yielding because of unpredictable climatic changes, the rapid increase in population growth and food security concerns. Thus, artificial intelligence in agriculture also called “Agriculture Intelligence” is progressively emerging as a part of the industry's technological revolution. The aim of this paper is to review various applications of agriculture intelligence such as precision farming, disease detection, and crop phenotyping with the help of numerous tools such as machine learning, deep learning, image processing, artificial neural network, deep learning, convolution neural network, Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology, wireless communication, robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), different genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic and computer vision to name a few. With the help of these technologies, the use of the colossal volume of chemicals can be used reduced, which would result in reduced expenditure improved soil fertility along with elevated productivity.

CRowNet: Deep Network for Crop Row Detection in UAV Images

Abstract: Nowadays, the development of robots and smart tractors for the automation of sowing, harvesting, weeding etc. is transforming agriculture. Farmers are moving from an agriculture where everything is applied uniformly to a much more targeted farming. This new kind of farming is commonly referred to as precision agriculture. However for autonomous guidance of these agricultural machines and even sometimes for weed detection an accurate detection of crop rows is required. In this paper we propose a new method called CRowNet which uses a convolutional neural network (CNN) and the Hough transform to detect crop rows in images taken by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The method consists of a model formed with SegNet (S-SegNet) and a CNN based Hough transform (HoughCNet). The performance of the proposed method was quantitatively compared to traditional approaches and it showed the best and most robust result. A good crop row detection rate of 93.58% was obtained with an IoU score per crop row above 70%. Moreover the model trained on a given crop field is able to detect rows in images of different types of crops.

Leveraging LoRaWAN Technology for Precision Agriculture in Greenhouses.

Abstract: The technology development in wireless sensor network (WSN) offers a sustainable solution towards precision agriculture (PA) in greenhouses. It helps to effectively use the agricultural resources and management tools and monitors different parameters to attain better quality yield and production. WSN makes use of Low-Power Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs), a wireless technology to transmit data over long distances with minimal power consumption. LoRaWAN is one of the most successful LPWAN technologies despite its low data rate and because of its low deployment and management costs. Greenhouses are susceptible to different types of interference and diversification, demanding an improved WSN design scheme. In this paper, we contemplate the viable challenges for PA in greenhouses and propose the successive steps essential for effectual WSN deployment and facilitation. We performed a real-time, end-to-end deployment of a LoRaWAN-based sensor network in a greenhouse of the 'Proefcentrum Hoogstraten' research center in Belgium. We have designed a dashboard for better visualization and analysis of the data, analyzed the power consumption for the LoRaWAN communication, and tried three different enclosure types (commercial, simple box and airflow box, respectively). We validated the implications of real-word challenges on the end-to-end deployment and air circulation for the correct sensor readings. We found that temperature and humidity have a larger impact on the sensor readings inside the greenhouse than we initially thought, which we successfully solved through the airflow box design.

Deep learning predictor for sustainable precision agriculture based on internet of things system

Abstract: Based on the collected weather data from the agricultural Internet of Things (IoT) system, changes in the weather can be obtained in advance, which is an effective way to plan and control sustainable agricultural production. However, it is not easy to accurately predict the future trend because the data always contain complex nonlinear relationship with multiple components. To increase the prediction performance of the weather data in the precision agriculture IoT system, this study used a deep learning predictor with sequential two-level decomposition structure, in which the weather data were decomposed into four components serially, then the gated recurrent unit (GRU) networks were trained as the sub-predictors for each component. Finally, the results from GRUs were combined to obtain the medium- and long-term prediction result. The experiments were verified for the proposed model based on weather data from the IoT system in Ningxia, China, for wolfberry planting, in which the prediction results showed that the proposed predictor can obtain the accurate prediction of temperature and humidity and meet the needs of precision agricultural production.

UAV and Machine Learning Based Refinement of a Satellite-Driven Vegetation Index for Precision Agriculture

Abstract: Precision agriculture is considered to be a fundamental approach in pursuing a low-input, high-efficiency, and sustainable kind of agriculture when performing site-specific management practices. To achieve this objective, a reliable and updated description of the local status of crops is required. Remote sensing, and in particular satellite-based imagery, proved to be a valuable tool in crop mapping, monitoring, and diseases assessment. However, freely available satellite imagery with low or moderate resolutions showed some limits in specific agricultural applications, e.g., where crops are grown by rows. Indeed, in this framework, the satellite's output could be biased by intra-row covering, giving inaccurate information about crop status. This paper presents a novel satellite imagery refinement framework, based on a deep learning technique which exploits information properly derived from high resolution images acquired by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) airborne multispectral sensors. To train the convolutional neural network, only a single UAV-driven dataset is required, making the proposed approach simple and cost-effective. A vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba (Northern Italy) was chosen as a case study for validation purposes. Refined satellite-driven normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) maps, acquired in four different periods during the vine growing season, were shown to better describe crop status with respect to raw datasets by correlation analysis and ANOVA. In addition, using a K-means based classifier, 3-class vineyard vigor maps were profitably derived from the NDVI maps, which are a valuable tool for growers.

Precision aquaculture: a short review on engineering innovations

Abstract: Aquaculture is presented as a sustainable alternative to the consumption of wild fish, for example, reducing inputs (such as feed), optimizing outputs, and reducing pollution. Extending to the agricultural framework, in this context, different technologies are being used to diminish those environmental hazards, giving rise to the precision agriculture/aquaculture being this a management concept based on observing, measuring, and responding space/temporal variability of productions. The scope of the precision aquaculture is to apply control-engineering principles to the production, to direct farmers to a better monitoring, control, and documentation of biological processes in fish farms. The aim of this review is to show an overview (enriched by a terms mapping analysis) of the precision aquaculture engineering innovations, with some examples of commercial systems, even if most of them are not specifically addressed in the precision aquaculture framework, in terms of: computer vision for animal monitoring, environmental monitoring tools, and sensor network (i.e., wireless sensor network, and long-range), robotics, and finally data interpretation and decision tools (i.e., algorithms, Internet of Things, and Decision Support Systems). Over the Internet of Things, cyber-physical systems communicate and cooperate with each other and with humans in real-time both internally and across organizational services offered and used by participants of the value chain. To increase the production and ameliorate the fish product quality and animal welfare issues, it is becoming even more important to monitor and control the production process.

An Intelligent Irrigation Scheduling System Using Low-Cost Wireless Sensor Network Toward Sustainable and Precision Agriculture

Abstract: Agricultural irrigation developments have gained attention to improve crop yields and reduce water use. However, traditional irrigation requires excessive amounts of water and consumes high electrical energy to schedule irrigations. This paper proposes a fuzzy-based intelligent irrigation scheduling system using a low-cost wireless sensor network (WSN). The fuzzy logic system takes crop and soil water variabilities into account to adaptively schedule irrigations. The theoretical crop water stress index (CWSI) is calculated to indicate plant water status using canopy temperature, solar irradiation, and vapor pressure deficit. Furthermore, the soil moisture content obtained by a capacitive soil moisture sensor is used as a determination of water status in soil. These two variables are thus incorporated to improve the precision of the irrigation scheduling system. In the experiment, the proposed irrigation scheduling system is validated and compared with existing conventional irrigation systems to explore its performance. Implementation of this system leads to a decrease in water use by 59.61% and electrical energy consumption by 67.35%, while the crop yield increases by 22.58%. The experimental results reveal that the proposed irrigation scheduling system is effective in terms of precision irrigation scheduling and efficient regarding water use and energy consumption. Finally, the cost analysis is performed to confirm the economic benefit of the proposed irrigation scheduling system.