-
Review Article
- A review study on Japan’s smart agriculture package project
- Dong hyeon Kang, Sang-Hyeon Kang, Ho-seung Jang, Sangho Lee, Choung Keun Lee
- Japan has actively promoted smart agriculture as a national strategy in response to a 45.7% decline in the agricultural population from 2.05 …
- Japan has actively promoted smart agriculture as a national strategy in response to a 45.7% decline in the agricultural population from 2.05 million in 2010 to 1.11 million in 2024, with 72% of workers aged over 65. The government supported 50% of the smart machinery adoption cost and conducted demonstration projects in 217 regions. As a result, labor time was reduced by up to 80%, with 18% for rice transplanters, 32% for tractors, 61% for drones, and 80% for automated water gates. Cultivated rice areas expanded from 164 to 196 ha, and export rice production increased by 2.8 times. Economic analysis showed increased revenues and profits, with corporations reporting an average income of 4.51 million yen per person and an operating profit margin of 8.1%. However, high equipment costs, fragmented farmland, lack of skilled personnel, and operational constraints remain barriers to wider adoption. In 2024, 6.3 trillion won (88%) of the 7.2 trillion won smart agriculture budget was allocated to infrastructure development. This case offers three key implications for Korea: (1) continuous research and development in smart agriculture, economic analysis based on field experiments, and the provision of user-friendly information are essential for the widespread adoption of the technology. (2) a cross-ministerial governance system and infrastructure investment are critical, and (3) practical, field-oriented training systems must be established for young farmers and technical personnel. - COLLAPSE
-
Review Article
- Analysis of end-effector cases for fruit-thinning robot development: A review and future prospects
- Jeong Gyun Kang, Jun-Woo Park, Ho-Seung Jang, Choung-Keun Lee, Manjung Kim
- This paper reviews end-effectors for robotic fruit thinning of fruiting vegetable crops, emphasizing that the primary separation target is the fruit attachment …
- This paper reviews end-effectors for robotic fruit thinning of fruiting vegetable crops, emphasizing that the primary separation target is the fruit attachment structure—pedicel, peduncle, or abscission zone (AZ)—rather than the fruit body. Prior studies are organized along three linked axes: target physical properties, end-effector design (mechanism/ actuation), and performance evaluation (metrics/protocols). The review shows that comparability and reproducibility are most often limited by inconsistent definitions of the target cutting/separation location, heterogeneous test conditions, and differing definitions of success. Because AZ presence and proximal–distal pedicel segments can substantially change diameter, stiffness, and required separation loads, results are difficult to compare without explicit specification of target region and measurement conditions. Design implications are discussed across cutting-based and twisting/plucking-based end-effectors, with emphasis on integrated design features that couple support–alignment–separation–retrieval. To address the limitations of single success-rate reporting, we propose a minimum reporting format including (1) target attachment structure and cutting location, (2) condition metadata (environment, cultivation, maturity, moisture), (3) stage-wise metrics (reach/alignment, grip/support, separation, damage), and (4) cycle time and the number of trials (n). We further recommend robustness and durability tests that inject alignment errors and incorporate contamination and wear, and a staged validation roadmap from repeated indoor baseline tests, to intermediate tests with controlled variations in occlusion and illumination, and finally to long-duration greenhouse/open-field pilots. - COLLAPSE
-
Research Article
- Analysis of thermal flow in the high-ridge greenhouse according to external weather conditions
- Dong hyeon Kang, Jinkyung Kwon, Ki Young Park, Seong heon Kim
- This study investigates the thermal flow characteristics and ventilation of the high-ridge greenhouse (52 m wide, 84 m long, 15.5 m high) …
- This study investigates the thermal flow characteristics and ventilation of the high-ridge greenhouse (52 m wide, 84 m long, 15.5 m high) designed to mitigate summer heat stress. Using three-dimensional Computer Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, the research employed the Realizable k-ε turbulence model, Solar Ray Tracing for radiation, and Porous Media models for crop resistance to analyze the interactions between external meteorological conditions and mechanical ventilation. Numerical results revealed that a southern wind direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal vents, achieved the highest ventilation rate and the shortest mean age of air, identifying it as the optimal orientation for natural cooling. The study also identified a critical performance threshold for mechanical ventilation relative to external wind speed. At low wind speeds (< 1.5 m/s), ceiling fans significantly enhanced air exchange, reducing internal temperatures by approximately 1.2°C by exhausting stagnant hot air. Conversely, at higher wind speeds (> 3.0 m/s), natural ventilation driven by pressure differentials was sufficient, and fan operation was found to interfere with natural flow paths, occasionally leading to localized temperature increases. These findings provide essential quantitative data for developing intelligent greenhouse control algorithms. The results suggest that a variable ventilation strategy, which modulates mechanical fan operation based on real-time external wind conditions, is critical for optimizing the microclimate and ensuring stable crop production during extreme summer temperatures. - COLLAPSE
-
Research Article
- Greenhouse environment monitoring using a smartphone application with hybrid ANN-Kalman prediction
- Emmanuel Bicamumakuba, Md Nasim Reza, Hongbin Jin, Md Aminur Rahman, Atulinda Cholet Nyangoma, Hyeunseok Choi, Sun-Ok Chung
- Environmental monitoring and actuator performance validation are critical for developing greenhouse management strategies. The objective of this study was to develop and …
- Environmental monitoring and actuator performance validation are critical for developing greenhouse management strategies. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a smartphone application for monitoring and actuator control, implemented in a greenhouse simulator. The simulator comprised eight distributed sensor nodes measuring air temperature and relative humidity, a gateway, and a real-time visualization interface, with data exchange enabled via message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT). To quantify environmental responses and confirm actuator execution, ON–OFF control experiments were performed using a ventilation fan. Fan activation produced consistent temperature decreases of approximately 1.0-2.0°C and relative humidity changes of 4-8% across the sensor nodes, indicating stable and repeatable responses. Power monitoring further verified reliable actuator behavior: power consumption increased to 20-45 W during operation, while current remained below 1.0 A. For short-term environmental prediction, an artificial neural network (ANN) coupled with a Kalman filtering model was implemented. The hybrid (ANN-Kalman) model achieved strong predictive performance, with temperature RMSE values below 0.02 on the normalized scale and coefficients of determination (R2) exceeding 0.99 for all nodes; humidity prediction errors remained below 0.05 on the normalized scale. The results demonstrated that the proposed platform provided a robust pre-deployment testbed for greenhouse monitoring, actuator validation, and high-accuracy environmental prediction to support future closed-loop control development. - COLLAPSE
-
Research Article
- Predicting water loss of cucumbers in maritime transport environments via heat and mass transfer modeling
- Dong hyeon Kang, Seongheon Kim, Jinkyung Kwon, Fumina Tanaka, Fumihiko Tanaka
- Water loss is a primary cause of postharvest quality degradation in cucumbers, which possess high moisture content. This study developed a numerical …
- Water loss is a primary cause of postharvest quality degradation in cucumbers, which possess high moisture content. This study developed a numerical model based on heat and mass transfer using the Finite Element Method (FEM) to predict cucumber water loss during long-distance maritime export. A 3D geometric model was constructed distinguishing the mesocarp and endocarp regions, with the stem-end scar specifically included as a critical boundary representing the primary gas exchange site. Governing equations utilized unsteady-state heat conduction and Fick’s second law of diffusion. A logistic function-based transpiration rate reduction model was integrated to account for the non-linear decrease in water loss over extended periods. The proposed model was validated against experimental data gathered during a 19.5-day maritime transport route from Fukuoka, Japan, to Singapore. Environmental conditions were monitored in both refrigerated and cooling containers. Statistical validation using independent two-sample t-tests demonstrated no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the simulated results and the observed moisture ratios across all container conditions, establishing the high reliability of the model. The results indicate that the model can function as a robust decision-support tool for real-time weight loss and shelf-life estimation in global logistics. This research provides a vital technical framework for the development of digital twins for fresh horticultural produce. - COLLAPSE
-
Review Article
- Trends in video-based monitoring technologies for broiler houses: Camera systems and computer vision techniques
- Yeong-Gil Kim, Min-Young Hwang, Jin-Young Lee, Jeong-Chan Lee, Jae-Min Lee, Ryu-Gap Lim, Cheol-Woo Han
- In large-scale, intensive broiler production systems, continuous and quantitative assessment of individual condition and flock behavior through visual observation alone is inherently …
- In large-scale, intensive broiler production systems, continuous and quantitative assessment of individual condition and flock behavior through visual observation alone is inherently limited because of high stocking density, variations in lighting and environmental conditions, and the visual similarity among birds. Accordingly, considerable research has focused on the use of cameras and computer vision technologies for non-contact, automated monitoring of broiler location, distribution, activity, behavior, and abnormal signs. This review examines research trends in video-based monitoring technologies for commercial broiler houses and systematically summarizes the characteristics of broiler-house video data, camera system configurations, and the application of major computer vision techniques. Specifically, it reviews the visual and environmental characteristics of broiler-house video data, including high-density flocking, bird overlap, occlusion caused by feeders and drinkers, the complexity of litter backgrounds, lighting variation, and age-related changes in appearance and behavior patterns. In addition, the potential applications of xxx overhead cameras, side-view cameras, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, multi-camera systems, thermal imaging, and depth sensors are compared, and the applications and limitations of key computer vision approaches, including object detection, object tracking, segmentation, behavior analysis, and anomaly detection, are analyzed. A synthesis of previous studies indicates that video-based monitoring has significant potential for bird counting, flock distribution analysis, activity assessment, welfare monitoring, and early detection of health abnormalities. However, under practical commercial conditions, major challenges remain, including bird overlap, re-identification errors, limited dataset generalizability, constraints in real-time processing, and insufficient long-term operational stability. Future research should therefore focus on the development of multi-farm and multi-view datasets, the integrated design of camera systems and analytical algorithms, real-time processing architectures, and interpretable indicators that support managerial decision-making. By systematically reviewing the research trends and limitations of video-based monitoring technologies in broiler houses, this review provides a foundation for the design of integrated monitoring systems with high field applicability. - COLLAPSE
-
Research Article
- Case study of pear flowering detection using UAV-based vegetation indices and SAM
- Lak-Yeong Choi, Kyung-Do Lee, Meejeong Park, Jae-Hyun Ryu, Geun-Ho Kwak, Soo-Jin Lee, Seok Kyu Yun, Seul-Ki Lee
- Flowering is a critical stage in fruit trees that affects fruit yield, and climate change has increased risks such as early flowering …
- Flowering is a critical stage in fruit trees that affects fruit yield, and climate change has increased risks such as early flowering and frost damage. Accurate monitoring of flowering rates is essential, yet field surveys are limited. This study aimed to develop a UAV-based approach for pear orchards using multispectral and RGB imagery. UAV data were collected at different flowering stages in Naju and Wanju, South Korea, and analyzed with vegetation indices and the Geometry Segment Anything Model (Geo-SAM). Results showed that Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) had limited performance, while the Enhanced Bloom Index (EBI) clearly increased during full flowering and was more suitable for blossom detection. Based on Geo-SAM, segmentation achieved strong correlations with field observations (R²=0.91~0.94) and reduced background noise other than flowers, enabling flowering classification. Estimation of relative flowering rates using the EBI resulted in greater error (RMSE = 13.5~27.0%), whereas estimation using the SAM yielded higher accuracy (RMSE = 7.1~8.3%). These findings demonstrate that UAV imagery, particularly combining EBI and SAM, can provide reliable flowering monitoring across varieties and sites, offering potential for practical orchard management and yield prediction under variable climate conditions. - COLLAPSE
Journal Informaiton
Precision Agriculture Science and Technology
Precision Agriculture Science and Technology
Korean Society of Precision Agriculture
한국정밀농업학회
대구광역시 북구 대학로 80, 경북대학교 농업생명과학대학 4호관 605호
Tel: 053-950-6891 / E-mail: kspaknu21@gmail.com Copyright© Korean Society of Precision Agriculture. Powered by APUB
Tel: 053-950-6891 / E-mail: kspaknu21@gmail.com Copyright© Korean Society of Precision Agriculture. Powered by APUB