Precision agriculture aims to control variability in agricultural production to improve output and environmental quality. It involves dividing fields into management zones based on factors like soil quality. Zone inputs are controlled using GPS and GIS technologies. This allows applying the right amount of fertilizer, water, and pesticides only where needed. Precision agriculture can benefit both farmers economically through reduced input costs and the environment by minimizing waste. However, there are also concerns for its adoption in Indian agriculture including small landholdings, lack of infrastructure, and farmers' technical knowledge about the technologies involved.

1. PRECISION AGRICULTURE: CONCEPTS
AND TECHNIQUES-ISSUES AND
CONCERNS FOR INDIAN AGRICULTURE
Dr. H. A. ARCHANA
Assistant Professor (Agronomy)

2. • Agriculture GDP- 17% - Employment- 70 %
• Indian Agriculture- Population is increasing
• After green revolution- Yield became constant
• Horizontal expansion is not possible- Cultivable land
• Per capita land availability- 0.33 ha/ 1952 now reduced to 0.15/
2022
• Soil are not uniform- place
• Essential to maintain ecofriendly technologies
• Presently- Technical methods- using modern electronic devices and
tools
• Global positioning system (GPS) based agriculture, Site specific
Nutrient Management (SSNM), Precision agriculture, spatially
variable crop production.

3. PRECISION AGRICULTURE
Precision agriculture is the application technology and principles to
control the geographic and temporal variability associated with all
aspects of agricultural production for improving output and
environmental quality.

4. NEED:
• By using less water, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides in addition to
other farm equipment, precision farming has the potential to be
advantageous for both the economy and the environment.
• Instead than managing a field based on some fictitious average
state that may not exist everywhere in the field, a precision
farming technique considers site-specific variances within fields
and adapts management measures accordingly.
• With precision agriculture, data gathering and analysis might be
automated and made simpler. It enables the quick and effective
implementation of management choices on smaller fields within
bigger fields.

5. COMPONENTS OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE:
• In precision agriculture, the field is split into "management
zones," commonly referred to as "grids," depending on the Crop
production is affected by many variables, including soil pH,
nutritional condition, pest infestation, yield rates, and others.
• Zone inputs are controlled using precision agriculture tools like
GIS, GPS, etc., and management choices are based on the
requirements of each zone.

6. • With the aid of the GPS, one of the primary precision farming
technologies, the exact location can be determined, and applications
can be made on the exact place using the most cutting-edge
equipment now on the market.
• In order for the tractor or system applying the chemical to know
where it is in the field, the farmer needs place a GPS receiver on it.
• The fertilizer/pesticide (or other substance that needs to be
administered) - need map must be stored on an in-car computer and
compared to field position data obtained from the GPS receiver.
• In addition to the need for fertiliser and pesticides, a plant population
can be selected to optimise soil nutrients and a plant variety can be
selected to benefit from field circumstances.
• Crop output can also be tracked to provide maps of a field's high-
and low-production regions for better management choices.

7. Technologies used in Precision Agriculture:
• Anyone interested in precision farming needs to be familiar with the
latest technology tools in order to gather and use information
effectively.
1. Mapping
2. GPS receiver
3. Yield monitoring and mapping
4. Grid soil sampling and VRT Application
5. Remote sensing
6. GIS
7. Quantifying on Farm Variability
8. Soil Variation
9. Variability of Soil Water Content
10. Time and Space Scales

8. Issues in Precision farming
Economics issues
• Changes in costs
• Changes in revenues
• Cash flow risk
Management Issues:
• Data acquisition and analysis
• Decision support systems
• Increased attention to
management
Environmental issues
• Reduce input loses
• Increase water and nutrient use -
scarce
Technologies issues
• Accurate GPS system
• Variable rate technology
• Site specific management services
• Financing

9. Concerns in Indian Agriculture
1. The users culture and perceptions
2. Small-scale farming
3. The absence of success tales
4. Cropping system diversity and market flaws
5. Institutional limitations, infrastructure, and land
ownership
6. A lack of technical knowledge in the area
7. Data availability, cost and quality