Cropaia - Articles

Pesticides – things you must know before your next application

27 Nov 2018

WHAT ARE PESTICIDES? Pesticides are substances or mixtures that are used to prevent, destroy or control pests. Pests can be insects, diseases (fungi, bacteria), nematodes or weeds. Pesticides can be classified as chemical pesticides or...

Is it time for artificial intelligence in agriculture?

24 Nov 2018

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that exhibits behavior that could be interpreted as human intelligence. Can we apply artificial intelligence in agriculture? Can a computer be better than man in making decisions related to...

Potassium in plants

28 Oct 2018

Potassium is an essential plant nutrient, one of the three macro-elements – nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (NPK), as it is absorbed by plants in relatively large quantities. Potassium enhances crop yields and quality in different...

Irrigation water quality

26 Oct 2018

The quality and composition of the irrigation water may affect plant development, soil structure and the irrigation system itself. Irrigation water quality refers mainly to the chemical composition of the water, or more specifically, to...

Whitefly – a tiny, devastating pest

25 Oct 2018

Whiteflies belong to the order Hemiptera. They are related to aphids, scales and mealybugs. Whiteflies are tiny (0.8-1.5mm long), yellowish insects, with white wings. The origin of their name comes from the white wax that...

Water Disinfection Byproducts (DBP)

17 Oct 2018

The use of some disinfectants, such as chlorine, results in the formation of byproducts, many of them are considered carcinogenic. Disinfection byproducts are formed as a result of a reaction of the disinfectant with several...

Irrigation scheduling using evapotranspiration data

07 Oct 2018

Irrigation scheduling refers to the timing, frequency and amount of water applied to the crop. In other words – when and how much to irrigate. There are various methods and models to determine irrigation scheduling....

Activated carbon in water treatment

30 Sep 2018

In water treatment, treatment with activated carbon is an adsorption process, in which impurities are trapped, by adsorption, on the surface of the carbon particles. The activated carbon particles have a porous micro-structure with a...

Tomato diseases

22 Sep 2018

Tomato plants can be affected by numerous plant diseases, caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses. Disease occurrence and development are greatly influenced by: Air temperature and humidity. Soil moisture. Pests that can transmit the disease....

Coagulation in water treatment

11 Sep 2018

Water and wastewater may contain suspended and dissolved impurities that must be removed in order to meet certain water quality criteria. These impurities include: Silt Bacteria, algae and viruses Material derived from organic soil matter...

Reverse osmosis – a sophisticated membrane filtration process

02 Sep 2018

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a membrane filtration process. It removes dissolved salts, as well as viruses and bacteria. The particle size removed by reverse osmosis is approximately 0.0001 to 0.001 micron. Reverse osmosis has various...

This is why 570 million farmers are not yet using agricultural apps

01 Sep 2018

Until recently, using agricultural apps and software was a rare practice among growers. This is now changing. The mass adoption of smart devices in the recent few years brought a huge change in the way...

Precision agriculture – what is it and what’s out there

20 Aug 2018

Precision agriculture refers to the use of technology that helps farmers to manage their fields in a more precise and accurate manner. These technologies include: Using precision agriculture technology to predict and monitor crop yields....

Fertigation as a precision agriculture technology

30 Jul 2018

Fertigation is a fertilizer application method, in which dissolved fertilizers are delivered to the crop through the irrigation system. This technology provides the opportunity to apply precise rates of water and fertilizers to the crop,...

Irrigation with desalinated water

22 Jul 2018

Desalinated water is being used for irrigation purposes in many places around the world, where the available water source is too saline to be used. Such water sources may include groundwater, sea water and sometimes...

Pest management – practices you must follow before making decisions

10 Jul 2018

Pests can cause sever damages to crops, and if not controlled, some pests might even destroy the entire crop. Despite the great advancement in agricultural technology, many growers are still struggling with pests and often...

Spider mites – detection, identification and control

27 May 2018

Spider mites are a common pest of many greenhouse and open field crops. If not identified and controlled in time, it might result in significant losses. There are different types of spider mites There are...

Using Electrical Conductivity sensors in precision agriculture

15 May 2018

Thoughts About Using Electrical Conductivity (EC) Sensors in Precision Agriculture The measurement of soil EC is widely used in agriculture. However, there is still confusion around the meaning of the readings and their application in...

Water Hardness

24 Apr 2018

Water hardness is defined as the sum of the divalent metallic ions in the water. The main contributors to the hardness of the water are calcium and magnesium. Additional contributors to the hardness of the...

Precision agriculture – the missing link

15 Mar 2018

The agtech boom over the last two years is indeed astonishing. Farmers are becoming more open to new, emerging precision technologies and are more willing to adopt them. Many great precision ag technologies are available...

Sand Filtration – 5 Interesting Facts Most People Don’t Know

07 Mar 2018

The aim of a filtration process is to remove solid particles and other impurities from water. This is accomplished by passing the water through a porous media. Here are 5 interesting facts you should know:...

5 things you must know before deciding on a water treatment process

13 Feb 2018

Deciding on the right water treatment process is a crucial step. Failing to understand the factors that will affect the decision and the design of the treatment process, might result in failure of the...

The Era of Digital-Ag: Opportunities and Challenges

15 Jan 2018

The digital revolution is changing the way agriculture is done all over the world. Rapid population growth, changes in market demands, depleting agricultural land and significant changes in climate patterns, including much more frequent extreme...

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