Tomorrow's high-tech tractor will be equipped with GPS, a computer and a controllable implement such as a seeder or a fertilizer spreader. Implements currently available on the market are not always compatible so that solving compatibility problems is a further research priority. The technology of the cultivation implements is, moreover, frequently not oriented towards precision agriculture so that soil tillage tools capable of flexibly varying the working depth and intensity are to be developed in the project. A further research aspect is the development of sensors to determine pesticide requirements. However, the project is focused on the development of crop cultivation measures for precision agriculture which should be capable of being transferred to other sites.
Practical experiments are therefore an integral component of the research.
From the beginning, four representative farms, three private contractors and a machinecooperative have been integrated in the project in order to achieve practical application. The farms were selected in such a way that they represent different climatic and geographical conditions of German agriculture, from Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria, from Westphalia to Brandenburg. The guidelines for computer-assisted precision agriculture will be developed and tested in these farms. The selected farms have initial experience in applying satellite navigation. In the second project phase, at least three further farms will be added in order to validate the management system.