New Technologies and Spatiotemporal Approaches in Precision Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

The ever-increasing nutritional demands have led to the use of large quantities of various inputs to satisfy the requirement of increased agricultural production. At the same time, the stabilization and improvement of the quality of crop and food production is a major challenge facing today’s agriculture.

The effects of preharvest factors on the ultimate quantity and quality of harvested products are often overlooked and underestimated, although a wide spectrum of preharvest factors, including environmental conditions and field management practices, directly or indirectly impact field crops’ yield characteristics. In particular, seasonal climatic conditions, soil fertility, variety selection, fertilization, irrigation, pest control, weed management, and harvest time play a crucial role in determining yield quantities and postharvest quality attributes (such as color, flavor, texture, and nutritional value of the harvested product) and, subsequently, consumers’ decision to purchase the product in the marketplace. Modern precision agriculture has provided substantial solutions that address the spatial and temporal dimensions of field management practices.

This Special Issue focuses on the role of geospatial digital technologies (GIS, RS-UAV, GPS) and sensors (image, climate, soil) in the capture, monitoring, and spatiotemporal analysis of data from preharvest factors toward better agricultural decision making in terms of space and time, with a major emphasis on the best agronomic practices for finally obtaining products with high and stable quality. For this Special Issue, we welcome all types of articles, including original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Dionissios Kalivas
Guest Editor

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