A review on application of technology systems, standards and interfaces for agriculture and food sector

Application of technology systems is seen in many sectors including agriculture and food. Traditionally, agricultural industry has been solely dependent on human labor with limited application of mechanical equipment and machines. The applications of advanced technology such as embedded computing, robotics, wireless technology, GPS/GIS (Geographical Positioning System/Geographical Information System) and DBMS (Database Management System) software are seen to be recent developments. This paper reviews the applications of technology systems in agriculture and food. Because knowledge on standardization and interfacing plays a key role in using the technology systems in any application domain, this paper aims to highlight the important attributes of such an emerging research area. In particular, the paper describes soil sampling methods and technology applications; field and yield mapping with GPS and GIS; harvesters and future research in robotic-based harvesters; food processing and packaging technology such as traceability and status of RFID networking research; application of sensor network; data management and execution systems; and the automation and control standards such as fieldbus systems and OMAC guidelines.

► We review of technology systems in agriculture.
► We examine various implementations of existing technologies in novel methods.
► We further examine sensor networks and packaging methods in agriculture.
► We offer a novel perception of current applications in food technology.