Precision cotton farming encompasses a wide range of similar technologies which have become available in the past five years. The most quickly adopted precision farming technology is highly accurate precision guidance systems for tractors and other farm implements such as sprayers and harvesters. More recently the merging of remote sensing and variable rate application technologies has occurred. Rapid adoption of this system is currently underway.

The availability of cost effective and timely remotely sensed images from which highly accurate zone maps, primarily based on NDVI, has been a critical component in the adoption. Concurrently the development of reliable, affordable commercial grade variable rate controllers and application equipment has completed the cycle for the implementation of this aspect of precision farming to cotton growers in California.

This presentation will cover the recent developments in these fields, the successes as well as the continued challenges. An outlook for the near future will also be included.