Machine Learning in Agriculture: Applications and Techniques

Recently we have discussed the emerging concept of smart farming that makes agriculture more efficient and effective with the help of high-precision algorithms. The mechanism that drives it is Machine Learning -- the scientific field that gives machines the ability to learn without being strictly programmed. It has emerged together with big data technologies and high-performance computing to create new opportunities to unravel, quantify, and understand data intensive processes in agricultural operational environments. Machine learning is everywhere throughout the whole growing and harvesting cycle. It begins with a seed being planted in the soil -- from the soil preparation, seeds breeding and water feed measurement -- and it ends when robots pick up the harvest determining the ripeness with the help of computer vision.