SENSOR FARMING

SENSOR SOFTWARE FOR FARMERS TO GET THE PRE-KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE UPCOMING INFECTION.
Now farmers are also get benefit from computer software named as sensor software,the farmer will use this on his field and get prediction about the upcoming danger of pests .
by this software farmer will get the idea how much he need pesticides or other necessary elements
for his crop.

Prof Roy Kennedy, director of the National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit (NPARU) based at Worcester University, led the development of the technology, which was funded by the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

‘The device is very similar to a pregnancy test but it’s set up to detect important plant pathogens. It’s semi-quantitative in that you can put the test device into a digital reader and look at the reading in relation to a calibration curve, which tells you how many propagules [active spores] are in the air.’

Kennedy added that early warning of infection means that farmers no longer have to waste time and money spraying crops when there is no disease in the air — resulting in more targeted protection with potentially greater yields.

‘We have several of these devices each set up for different pathogens that affect different crops in the UK — and we’re looking to detect these in the air before they infect the crop.’

The system is being tested out by several agriculture consultancies, including the Allium and Brassica Centre (ABC) in Lincolnshire, and Alphagrow in Lancashire.

Read more: http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sensor-software-device-could-help-farmers-to-protect-crops/1009133.article#ixzz25i6tB3Xx