A review of combine sensors for precision farming

To maximize economic return from agricultural production units, costs have to be minimized and benefits maximized. For grain, kernel yield and quality have to be maximized while the use of seeds, fertilizer, herbicides and fungicides have to be optimized. The best location to evaluate productivity levels, by measuring yield and quality of grain and straw, is the combine harvester Moreover, other grain quality characteristics like density or test weight can be determined for use as an evaluation tool. In this paper, an overview is given of the past and current research toward the evaluation of currently available commercial sensors (e.g., for measuring grain yield and grain moisture content) as well as toward the development of new sensors (e.g., grain protein content and straw yield).