Technology in Crop Production

Contact: Dimitris Paraforos Info Kontaktdaten
Email: d.paraforos@uni-hohenheim.de

Master Thesis

Agricultural output will have to double to provide the necessary food, feed, fiber and fuel to meet the needs of the growing world population in a sustainable manner. Precision agriculture, i.e. the optimal management of all crop production factors in time and space, is a paradigm which can contribute towards this goal. Precision Farming requires many soil and crop related information in order for the right decision to be taken in every step. The development of RFID applications in precision agriculture makes possible to increase efficiencies, productivity and profitability while minimizing unintended impacts on wildlife and the environment, in many agricultural production systems. Moreover, the real time information from the fields will provide a solid base for farmers to adjust strategies at any time [1].

The aim of the current MSc Thesis is to investigate the possibility of data transmission from sensors related to agricultural practice (soil water availability, soil compaction, soil fertility, leaf temperature, leaf area index, plant water status, local climate data, insect-disease-weed infestation etc.) by using RFID technology. An application for mobile devices can be developed to ease access to this data from the user's side. In addition, the measured data can be integrated to a Farm Management Information System (FMIS) providing support to the farmer for decision making.

Basic knowledge on Software, Electronics, Measurements and Data Analysis.

References

[1] Luis Ruiz-Garcia and Loredana Lunadei (2011). The role of RFID in agriculture: Applications, limitations and challenges, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 79, pp. 42-50.