Use of Machines and Tools in Today’s Farming Techniques

New technologies change the world its also work for agriculture field. Sometimes

you are out in the middle of nowhere and need to make an unexpected repair, but you don’t have the right tools. Not a problem for a farmer. In a pinch you can make something else work for you 9 times out of 10.

Farmers are also great at adopting new technology. Nowadays machine and  tools on many farm, ranches and agriculture based company are very sophisticated. From tractors that drive themselves to cows that text, the modern farmer’s toolbox contains a host of cool toys.

Here are few of the most advanced agricultural technologies using today:

Advanced Tractors on Autopilot

Tractors are the power of in agriculture. Thanks to GPS tractors, combines, sprayers and more can accurately drive themselves through the field. After the user has told the onboard computer system how wide a path a given piece of equipment will cover he will drive a short distance setting A & B points to make a perfect line. Then the GPS system will have a track to follow and it extrapolates that line into parallel lines set apart by the width of the tool in use.

These systems are capable of tracking curved lines as well. The tracking system is tied to the tractor’s steering, automatically keeping it on track freeing the operator from driving. This allows the operator to keep a closer eye on other things. Guidance is great for tillage because it removes human error from overlap, saving fuel and equipment hours. Trust me when I tell you that once you starting auto tracking, you’ll never go back manual steering.

Time And Effort Saving Technology Sugarcane Harvester

The machine, originally developed in the 1920s. The  huge market for cane harvester in India. Demand for such machines is expected to grow with rising cost of farmer. Harvesting of sugarcane at a proper time i.e., peak maturity, by adopting right technique is necessary to realize maximum weight of the malleable canes produced with least possible field losses under the given growing environment.

On the other hand harvesting either under-aged or over-aged cane with improper method of harvesting leads to loss in cane yield, sugar recovery, poor juice quality and problems in milling due to extraneous matter.

Therefore, proper harvesting should ensure:-

·         To harvest the cane at peak maturity.

·         Cutting cane to ground level so that the bottom sugar rich internodes are harvested which add to yield and sugar

·         De-topping at appropriate height so that the top immature internodes are eliminated

·         Proper cleaning of the cane i.e., removing the extraneous matter such as leaves, trash, roots etc.

·         Quick disposal of the harvested cane to factory

Amazing Swath Control  and Variable Rate Technology

Building on GPS technology are swath control and VRT. This is where guidance really begins to show a return on investment. Swath control is just what it sounds like. The farmer is controlling the size of the swath a given piece of equipment takes through the field. This video is a great visual representation of how swath control works.

The savings come from using less inputs like seed, fertilizer, herbicides, etc. Since the size and shapes of fields are irregular you are bound to overlap to some extent in every application. Thanks to GPS mapping the equipment in the field already knows where it has been. Swath control shuts off sections of the applicator as it enters the overlap area, saving the farmer from applying twice the inputs on the same piece of ground.

Saving a Lot to use Vertical Farming

A natural extension of urban agriculture, vertical farms would cultivate plant or animal life within dedicated or mixed-use skyscrapers in urban settings. Using techniques similar to glass houses, vertical farms could augment natural light using energy-efficient lighting. The advantages are numerous, including year-round crop production, protection from weather, support urban food autonomy and reduced transport costs.

Sensing How Your Crop Is Feeling

Crop sensors is taking variable rate technology to the next level. Instead of making a prescription fertilizer map for a field before you go out to apply it, crop sensors tell application equipment how much to apply in real time. Optical sensors are able to see how much fertilizer a plant may need based on the amount of light reflected back to the sensor. I haven’t seen one of these systems in operation yet, but I’m keeping a close eye on them. It’s fairly new and pretty expensive, but I see huge potential here. Crop sensors are going to help farmers apply fertilizer in a very effective manner, maximizing uptake and reducing potential leaching and runoff into groundwater.

Old but Gold Biotechnology

Biotech or genetic engineering  is not new tech most of the farmer aware of this technology, it is a very important tool with much more potential and effective yet to be unleashed. The other would likely be insect resistant traits. Crops can be made to express toxins that control particular pests according to requirement. Many employ Bt toxin that is the same toxin found in some organic pesticides. That means a farmer won’t have to make a pass through his fields to apply pesticide, which not only saves on pesticide, but fuel, labor, and wear on equipment too.

New biotech coming online right now are things like drought resistant traits and nitrogen use efficiency. What does that mean? In short it means that crops are going to be able to protect more potential yield in drought conditions is helpful for farmers. Another way to look at it would be that farmers who irrigate their crops can cut back on water use and not see yields suffer. Nitrogen use efficiency is a lot like that except you’re doing it with fertilizer instead of water. A single crop variety can be made to express one, two, three or potentially even all of these traits in a single

Physiological Changes In Oat Seeds Aged At Different Moisture Contents

Oats are the fifth largest cereal crop in the world. China, as one of the cradle lands for oats, produces about 700 thousand tons per year. However, the oat consumption in China is very low so far. Besides consumer's habits, one critical aspect is a lack of detailed information on the dietary advantages of oats grown in China. Many studies carried out in the world have shown that oats are an all-value cereal with high quality protein and fatty acids. Unlike other cereal proteins, oat seed protein has poor solubility at neutral and slightly acidic pH. The properties of oat protein concentrate and iso-late have been improved through modification by chemical and exogenous enzymes , but these methods are high cost, require complex treatments and often result in bitterness in the final product In recent years, Oats have attracted research and commercial attention mainly due to their high contents of 0- glucan and phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activities 

Seeds are at the peak of quality at the time of physiological maturity. After this stage, the seed declines in vigor until it eventually dies Seed vigor, which is one of the measures of seed quality, has been the focus of much research in recent years. Oxygen radical, antioxidant enzyme and membrane lipid peroxidation levels were measured in order to explore the intrinsic mechanisms of deterioration in oat seeds stored for 6 and 12 months at 4°C with different moisture contents. Seeds of different moisture contents were also aged for 48 hours at 45°C. Germination declined significantly the higher the seed moisture content in all three treatments. Similar trends of declining activities of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) as moisture content increased were observed. In accordance with the antioxidant enzyme activity change, O2 production rate and malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased in the HTA seeds as moisture content increased, indicating that antioxidant systems could play an important role in determining the level of seed deterioration under HTA. However, similar O2·- production rate and MDA content change with changes in moisture content were not observed in either LTS6 and LTS12 seeds.

Oats are the fifth largest cereal crop in the world. China, as one of the cradle lands for oats, produces about 700 thousand tons per year. However, the oat consumption in China is very low so far. Besides consumer's habits, one critical aspect is a lack of detailed information on the dietary advantages of oats grown in China. Many studies carried out in the world have shown that oats are an all-value cereal with high quality protein and fatty acids. Unlike other cereal proteins, oat seed protein has poor solubility at neutral and slightly acidic pH. The properties of oat protein concentrate and iso-late have been improved through modification by chemical and exogenous enzymes , but these methods are high cost, require complex treatments and often result in bitterness in the final product In recent years, Oats have attracted research and commercial attention mainly due to their high contents of 0- glucan and phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activities 

The process of cereal seed germination has been used for centuries for the purpose of softening the kernel structure, improving its nutritional value, and reducing anti-nutritional effects. In fact, the germination process is also one of methods used to improve the functionality of oat seed protein. During germination, oat seed proteins were de-graded to increase the soluble protein content , and the oat protein properties were improved without any chemical modifications being required. After germination and subsequent drying, oat malts can be used as good replacements for barley malt in the brewing industry, and also can be used as ingredients in some convenience foods .

The chemical composition of malted oat seeds depends on the conditions and the level of germination,  and its sensory pro-file depends on the processing parameters of subsequent drying such as drying speed and temperature profile, as well as drying methods. Therefore, the level of germination and drying will affect oat product quality and commercial utilization.

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