Does precision agriculture help with soil preparation?

Cultivating is not an easy task. The producer, in addition to his crop, needs to monitor hundreds of variables that can interfere with success at the end of the harvest. For this complex process, you need the help of tools that facilitate your work with data and numbers that will be fundamental in decision making. The trend in recent years is the emergence of precision agriculture solutions. We can say that precision agriculture is a philosophy of managing soil fertility using exact and precise information about bands or smaller portions of land, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of the use of correctives and fertilizers in agricultural crops. And what can we say about these new tools regarding the importance of good soil preparation?

First, let’s highlight some of these new “weapons” available to producers. We can list global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS or GIS), variable rate application technologies, area monitoring, remote sensing, harvest monitors, soil samplers and application beacons (aerial and tractor-driven). ). In addition, sensors for organic matter, weeds, soil moisture, pH, NO3 in the soil, compaction, precision sprayers, aerial photographs and others.

It has become clear to the farmer that soil preparation, done well, is essential, resulting in high productivity crops. In this initial phase, mechanization and use of these new technologies are essential. Soil preparation and, mainly, corrective practices such as the correct use of limestone, gypsum, and even phosphorus to correct the soil are on the mandatory list for success.

Piccin Tecnologia Agrícola, for example, is a company specialized in developing equipment aimed at soil preparation. In its portfolio, it has technological solutions with the ISOBUS standard for the entire production cycle. In other words, implements that guarantee full communication between machines and ISOBUS tractors, resulting in transparency and freedom for producers. In addition, there is also the possibility of using equipment with a line-by-line shutdown system for seeders, nozzle-by-nozzle shutdown for self-propelled machines and variable rate in the most diverse operations.

The company also has a partnership with the American Ag Leader, which provides the line of fertilizer distributors and materials such as limestone with InCommand 1200/800 type terminals, with the platform, called AgFinit. This option is handy and manages agronomic data, with variable rates and transfer of information to the “Cloud”, where the farmer can have access from anywhere and at any time. The data is available in a virtual location, in addition, maps and reports are synchronized between the cloud and the device used by the farmer to manage the harvest.

The use of these and many other precision agriculture tools reduces production costs, especially agrochemicals, fertilizers and/or correctives. As Rossato (2010) points out, on average, it is possible to obtain a 20-30% reduction in the cost of inputs such as limestone, phosphorus and potassium. With the differentiated application of inputs, greater homogeneity of the crop and an increase in productivity are achieved. It’s a matter of evaluating which tools best suit your budget and the property’s needs.