Precison agriculture

[tarak]

A new concept called precison agriculture is making rounds now a days as future of agriculture.It is true that land is heterogenous and needs a very specific treatment so that quality and productivity can be taken care off. So Precision agriculture uses GPS/GIS tracking and other automation for targeted delivery of inputs.

I was wondering how to fit this with another extreme of organic farming.

tarak

[Fishteacher73]

I think this concept is not mutually exclusive with organic farming. It is essentially just a survey method. The application of this information would determine what style of farming it would be considered. This could be applied to decide which crops would be most appropriate in an specific area as opposed to what chemicals would be needed to grow say, tomatos.

[bumab]

That is a great way of targeting crops for maximum yield or bio-conservation or soil conservation or whatever. It's not unlike things farmers have been doing for years- looking at the soil and deciding what crops would grow best.

 

In the past, people have measured moisture levels, acidity, light levels, and others to "target" their crops. This seems like a natural extension of that, and as such, certainly goes along with any type of farming, organic or otherwise.

[Robust]

Organic farming?....of course! Precision farming?....why not?....and if you want to make the most of it and have fun in process.... "Fun in the Sun", right?....then consider this:

 

A plot of the beautiful Sunflower in the round. Determine the degree-distance between each angular degree of the circle's circumference and set your seed at uniform distance on the arc and along the radial lines (I start at the radius). There are optimal results to be had in the distance to each other of these plantings - but , Hey!....it'll be a a beautiful flower garden - and Sunflower seed brings a handsome price.

[Turtle]

___How about planting the Sunflowers radially as Robust says but have the radial rows spiral inward(outward) in the same pattern as the Sunflower's seeds form in the flower head? A Fibonacci Garden!

___PS I have grown a small patch of Sunflowers the last couple of years; they don't like crowding if you want really big seed heads.

[Robust]

___How about planting the Sunflowers radially as Robust says but have the radial rows spiral inward(outward) in the same pattern as the Sunflower's seeds form in the flower head? A Fibonacci Garden!

___PS I have grown a small patch of Sunflowers the last couple of years; they don't like crowding if you want really big seed heads.

 

Interesting approach Turtle. You can be sure I'll follow-up on it - if not the sunflower then some other planting. Will let y'all know how it turns out.

[Turtle]

___Thanks Robust. I have a thread going in Earth Science, 'What's Growing In Your Garden' if you want to share other garden adventures.

___Do you plan to eat your Sunflower seeds?

[Robust]

___Thanks Robust. I have a thread going in Earth Science, 'What's Growing In Your Garden' if you want to share other garden adventures.

___Do you plan to eat your Sunflower seeds?

 

Darn tootin' I eat them....give to neighbors and sell to others. My major planting this spring has been the poppy - a new perennial I developed from an annual/perennial crossing. If I can learn how to do it, I'll post a picture of it when in bloom. I'm not very computer literate.

[Turtle]

___Last year a week of rains ruined my Sunflower harvest as they all went moldy on the stalk.

___The more I think of a giant field of Sunflowers planted like the swirling seed head the more I like it. I'm thinking a whole field now where you'd have to go up in a plane to fully appreciate the form. People could walk through the rows as if following one of those sacred paths. Getting sticky with the Sunflower's resin as you brush by the leaves while the heads hang ominously over you from 12 feet above.

___Sorry, off on a tangent there. Love the Poppy.