Site-Specific Agriculture

Site-specific agriculture (SSA) enhances resource use efficiency by exploring temporal and spatial variability in agricultural fields. SSA, also called precision agriculture, is based on the computation and analysis of intra-field variability of soil or plant variables that affect the relationship between input application and crop productivity. The overall objective is to match crop demand and input supply while minimizing traffic. The development of GPS systems and new sensors and the ability to locate interventions have significantly boosted site-specific applications. The application of site-specific management follows three steps: (i) assessing variability and developing management and prescription maps, (ii) applications using the variable rate approach, and (iii) output evaluation. To address field spatial variability, the commonly employed strategy is the development of management zones based on similar crop production potential and the response to input application. The most effective strategy for implementing precision agriculture schemes is to define management zones based on yield patterns, which can be derived from yield monitors installed in harvesters or modeled using vegetation indices. The primary advancements have centered around the localized application of inputs, such as irrigation, fertilization, and herbicides, which have been facilitated by the development of tools for input precise application.