By applying materials when, where, and at what rate they are required, economic gains occur from improvements in yield and quality plus any associated cost reduction. Environmental gains occur through reducing the potential of off-target application. Some aspects of precision agriculture are ready for certain crops. Yield monitoring and variable rate fertilizer applications are providing benefits. However, to increase the gains that this technology has to offer, research is needed to develop ways to apply the technology to the fields.
Research lags far behind application technologies, and needs to be developed quickly.
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