Agriculture and farming is responsible for ensuring our global population is well-nourished, and it’s crucial for farmers to properly manage their crops so they can get as high as yield as possible from the plants that they have. The higher the yield per square meter, the more profit they can gain from what they are growing.
One component to growing more crops is gathering as much data as possible to know when to water your crops. Through proper management of crops with accurate data, farmers and landowners are better able to monitor their fields, leading to more optimized watering, maintenance, and soil conservation.
With the IoT technologies and the Sigfox global network, you can easily gather the following important data points for better crop management:
IMPORTANT DATA POINTS FOR BETTER AGRICULTURAL GROWTH:
These data points are all variables that can be tracked by IoT (Internet of Things) solutions. Through better data monitoring, you can instantly see any of these metrics on your phone, tablet, or computer from anywhere with an Internet connection. Here’s an overview into each of these metrics and how they are important to your crop health.
Soil Moisture (VWC):
Also known as soil volumetric water content, soil moisture allows you to see at a glance whether or not your plants need to be watered. This can prevent overwatering, especially in cases of high humidity or rainfall where additional watering is not needed.
Soil Temperature:
By monitoring underneath ground level, farmers are able to figure out if the soil is at the right temperature for planting, watering, or weeding. Crops thrive when they are planted at the right temperature, and watering plants before it gets too hot outside ensure that water won’t be wasted from evaporation.
Air Temperature:
Like soil temperature, knowing the current air temperature can offer ideal planting and watering times.
Leaf Wetness:
Detecting the moisture on the leaves through a sensor that acts as a “digital leaf” with a flat surface to collect rainfall, leaf wetness helps determine if watering is needed and can be beneficial in tracking the crops by knowing how moisture affects growth.
Solar Radiation:
Sun and weather in a specific geographical region can make a huge impact on crop growth and output. Solar radiation sensors measures the active radiation and ultraviolet rays of the sun, which can help farmers best decide what crops to plant each season.
Atmospheric Pressure:
Looking up weather in a search engine or app for your city often gives a large approximation that may not be accurate for your exact land. By measuring atmospheric pressure in your exact area, you can better predict weather patterns and climate changes. This will cut down on watering and helps farmers know the best time to seed or fertilize their fields.
Wind Direction:
Wind direction is another useful metric for tracking watering and weather changes. This helps you be better prepared for weather and to take protective measures if needed.
Air Humidity:
Depending on the local climate and time of year, humidity can play a part in crop growth and watering. By tracking humidity of your land over a period of time, you can better schedule planting and harvesting.
Having instant, personalized data about your crops is instrumental to better crop output and production. Learn more about how soil condition monitoring sensors using IoT technologies and the Sigfox global network can better optimize agriculture through instant data.
