ECONOMY AND MECHANIZATION FOR PRECISION FARMING

Module MECHANIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES BY PRECISION FARMING TECHNIQUES

The course aims to provide disciplinary and professional skills for the application of techniques, machinery, and procedures in precision farming at both farm and territorial scales, in order to reduce environmental impact, working times, resource usage, and production costs. It also aims to provide knowledge of the instruments and techniques necessary for field monitoring, including the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and to translate field data into agronomic management practices using properly equipped machinery, models, and decision support systems. Furthermore, the course offers criteria for selecting machinery that supports the sustainable management of agro-ecosystems, with respect for natural resources and the environment.

Lectures (21 hours) supported by slides, and exercises (42 hours) consisting of practical application analyses, seminars, and visits to local farms.

If teaching is delivered in a hybrid or online format, necessary adjustments may be made to the above methods to ensure the program outlined in the syllabus is followed.

To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current regulations, students can request a personal interview to discuss any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on their specific needs and the educational objectives of the course.

Students may also contact the departmental representatives of CInAP (Center for Active and Participatory Integration - Services for Disabilities and/or Learning Disabilities), including Professor Anna De Angelis.

Attendance of the course is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended to facilitate the understanding of theoretical aspects and to assist in evaluating the conditions for selecting the appropriate machines to be used in a real-world context.

The concept of precision agriculture will be explained by referring to its evolution. During the lectures, the following topics will be analyzed: farm information systems, remote sensing systems, and remote control platforms, including UAS, for crop monitoring; sensors for soil and crop surveys; positioning and guidance systems for agricultural machinery; production mapping systems; and variable rate machines for soil tillage, sowing, fertilization, and crop protection. Additionally, precision farming applications for open-field herbaceous crops and arboreal crops will be examined.

The lecturer provides all the slides used to cover the topics outlined in the program during class, in order to serve as a guide for individual study. Therefore, lecture notes will also be important. Additionally, the following texts are recommended, while students are free to consult any other books related to the topics covered.

Oral examination covering the entire program.

The evaluation will take into account the relevance and quality of the answers provided, as well as the use of appropriate technical language, the ability to reason, and the capacity to connect the transversal knowledge acquired throughout the various parts of the program.

The final assessment for the integrated course will be a single grade, expressed out of thirty, based on the knowledge demonstrated during the oral exam, with reference to the program content of both modules of the integrated course.

Exam dates can be found on the website of the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the following link: https://www.di3a.unict.it/courses/l-25/exams-calendar.

Remote sensing systems.

Positioning systems.

Existing satellite networks.

UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems): functions and limitations; usage issues.

Proximity sensors for crop monitoring.

Sensors for production mapping.

Variable rate machines.