Strategic approaches of precision farming technology for improvement of fruit production

Abstract

Precision farming is one of the most scientific and modern approaches to sustainable agriculture that has gained momentum towards the end of 20th century. Precision farming involves the application of technologies and principles to manage spatial and temporal variability associated with all aspects of horticultural production for improving crop performance and environment quality. Precision farming calls for an efficient management of resources through location specific hi-tech interventions. Hi-tech horticulture
encompasses a variety of interventions such as micro irrigation, fertigation, protected/greenhouse cultivation, soil and leaf nutrient based fertilizer management, mulching for in-situ moisture conservation, micro propagation, biology for germplasm, genetically-modified crops, use of biofertilizers, vermiculture, high density planting, hitech mechanization, green food, soil less culture, biological control etc. Utilization of these interventions orchestrated together having the aim of achieving higher output in given time period leads to precision farming, which is largely knowledge driven.