INGENIEUR
‟ in commercial drones that can capture real
time images . Now farmers can examine crops , investigate irrigation problems and soil variation without being physically present on the farm through the implementation of Internet of Things ( IoT ). These save significant amounts of time and money . With spectral imaging , farmers can also identify the level of plant healthiness , whereas this might not be visible to the naked eye . Fertilizer spraying drones are also available in the market . While performance is limited by battery power , the effectiveness of drone spraying is still under investigation ( Abd-Kharim et al ., 2019 ).
With spectral imaging , farmers can also identify the level of plant healthiness , whereas this might not be visible to the naked eye .
Structured-Closed Environment System Structured-closed environment farming differs significantly from the open farm system . If fully enclosed , the strength of this system rests in the ability of the operator to control the environment in the facility . In common terms , this include greenhouses and sheltered houses . The design of commercial , closed environmental systems have changed significantly over the past three decades from basic structures to heavily instrumented controlled systems that are able to monitor and adjust the microclimate within the facility to suit the need of the crops .
In a structured and closed system , planting density can be increased through vertical layering . Therefore , the limit for plant density is on the space available ( 3-Dimensional ) rather than the land area . One of the issues with layering is to ensure that the plants at all levels achieve uniform growth ( Hamidon et al ., 2019 ). There are many parameters that affect plant growth , but one of the significant factors is the light source . For this reason , a closed system can provide artificial lighting through LEDs and plants can grow without receiving sunlight .
In a tropical climate such as Malaysia , the closed environment system is used to protect crops from the impact of extreme climatic conditions such as heavy rainfall , extreme winds , occasional water shortage and invasion of pests and diseases . In the case of tomatoes , a wellmanaged greenhouse can produce a yield of over two to three times more than an open farm ( Shamsiri et al ., 2017 ).
In terms of automation , it is much easier to implement technology such as a robotic arm harvester in a structured-closed system . The factory-like setting allows power to be provided from a fixed source .
WAY FORWARD
Both the open farm and structured-closed environment systems have their own pros and cons . An open farm is suitable for big plants , while the structure-closed system for smaller plants . It is worth noting that the structuredclosed system can be implemented in the city , thus removing the need for transport from rural areas . Functioning like a smart building , tighter security can be designed that restricts access to the facility . Therefore , a “ dangerous ” high value crop such as marijuana can be grown for medicinal and pharmaceutical purposes in such an environment .
Recent advances in autonomous tractors and drones have introduced new specialised machines to agriculture . The level of sophistication in these machine changes the scope of work of farmers . It is no longer “ farmers do it all ” but farmers can do more work as enterprise managers through IoT based monitoring system , while the machines are operated by specialists . This will also ensure that
8 VOL 84 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2020