Advanced agriculture

Digital technologies are used to improve agricultural outcomes and some examples are data science, digital communication channels, automation and sensors. Digital farming provides insights to farmers so that they can make decisions that will improve productivity. The farmers receive the data, by this it helps them to decide how to use it to best fit for their farm. An important advantage is that the data can be shared with other experts in the agro-industry including agronomists, Agri experts and other farmworkers, who form an integrated and strong collaboration. Digital agriculture has the power to change the lives of small farmers around the world. Digital solutions can help farmers access the best information, adopt the most efficient farming methods, improve the quality of their products and connect with the right buyer to maximize their income.

Farm automation, often associated with “smart farming”, is technology that makes farms more efficient and automates the crop or livestock production cycle. An increasing number of companies are working on robotics innovation to develop drones, autonomous tractors, robotic harvesters, automatic watering, and seeding robots. Although these technologies are fairly new, the industry has seen an increasing number of traditional agriculture companies adopt farm automation into their processes. 

Bonsai is the art of growing and training a plant into a small form with an aged appearance. Although it originated in China, it is now known as Japanese art. It uses the technique of dwarfing in plants. Bonsai can grow as small as 30 to 60 cm tall, while smaller sizes of less than 25 cm have also been popular.

Vertical gardening is a type of urban gardening that is especially suited to tiny spaces and may be used to decorate the walls and rooftops in a variety of styles. This is a different approach to gardening that allows to grow plants in a vertical environment. There is very little horizontal area for outdoor gardening due to intensive urbanisation. Green walls absorb hot gases in the air, lowering both indoor and outdoor temperatures and resulting in a healthier indoor air quality as well as a more attractive environment.

Bt cotton hybrids had good control of the American Boll worm and used fewer insecticides, resulting in a more environmentally friendly environment. In comparison to insecticide-mediated control of bollworms, Bt cotton technology does not affect non-target beneficial insects; in addition, this revolutionary technique reduces production costs, increases profit, reduces farming risk, and improves the economic outlook for cotton. This technology also aids in the improvement of wild life populations, the reduction of insecticide run-off, the reduction of air pollution, and the increased safety of farm employees and the surrounding community.

Transplant stage of tissue culture is the stage in which plantlet is transferred from the aseptic cultural environment to the free living environment of the green house. The plants ultimately requires hardening process to the final field location. The plantlet must not only root adequately but also must undergo a period of acclamation to enable it to survive and establishment.

The Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, TNAU, Coimbatore, created Nutriseed Pack Technology, a revolutionary way of crop production. Each plant can be established using Nutriseed Pack technology by placing a Nutriseed Pack in soil. Seed is on top with manure  in the middle, and encapsulated fertiliser is at the bottom of the Nutriseed Pack. Nutriseed Pack supports each plant in the root zone in terms of optimal nutrient delivery, biological activity, and so enables plants to utilise nutrients to their maximum potential. With Nutriseed Packs, there is no waste of fertiliser nutrients.