Precision farming

Dr. ir. Sander H. van Delden (DeS)Lecturer HAS den BoschSoil and fertilisation

Soil, Nutrition & Water

What is precision agriculture ?

Precision agriculture: ◦ Farm management with the goal of optimizing returns on

inputs while preserving resources

◦ Crop science: match farming practices to crop needs (e.g. fertilizer inputs)

◦ Environmental protection: reducing environmental risks and footprint of farming (e.g. limiting leaching of nitrogen)

◦ Economics: more competitiveness, causes efficient (short term) practices (e.g. improved management of fertilizer usage and other inputs).

Productivity: Amount of product produced per unit resource input e.g. labour productivity

system

Input of resources

Output of products

Efficiency: [ Output / Input ] ratio of particular resource, e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, energy

[Product output / Resource input]

[Resource output / Resource input]

Measures of productivity and efficiency ?

3

Ingredients for precision agricultureFarm management with the goal of optimizing

returns on inputs while preserving resources

(Crop) science◦ What are the needs of my crop ? (dose – response)

◦ What are the needs of my soil ?

Environmental protection◦ What are my limitation by mitigation (law) and long term damage to

my system ?

Economics◦ What are my investment / costs ?◦ What is the value of my product ?

◦ What is the return on investment (marginal productivity) ?

What are the needs of my crop ?

Research on dose response

Soil

Water

Nutrients

Ecology Climate

Starting material

Crop

Measuring: Does my crop gets what it needs

◦Lectures Toine Buijs◦Jan Ties Malda◦Ecology Rob Kerkmeester

Does my soil provide what my crop needs?◦Meten is weten?

Meten is weten? (measuring knowing)

What is the cause of stains?High feverLong in the sunAfter a skatingSkin diseaseAnxietyRageBlush...

Picture PPO (2012)

Example: Potato field

Cause of stainsdroughtsoil structurefloodingnematodesN deficiencyfertilization Errorsdiseases....?

Picture PPO (2012)

Most sensordata is relative!

N-adviesVariabeldoseren

Picture PPO (2012)

Calibration lines

Secondary indicator

Prim

ary

indi

cato

r

Example: Potato field

Cause of stainsdroughtsoil structurefloodingnematodesN deficiencyfertilization Errorsdiseases....?

Law of the Minimum

Org

anic

Mat

ter

Str

uct

ure

Dra

inag

e

Pat

ho

gen

s

Justus von Liebig

“Yield is proportional to the amount of the most limiting

nutrient”

“Yield is proportional to the most limiting growth factor”

Measuring element in the soil

Metaphor Basement Kitchen Table Plate

Method K-total K-CEC K-PAE K-soil solution

K per ha. 1000 kg 500 kg 180 kg 50 kg

Total soil reserve(including fixed portion)

Soil reserve Plant available reserve

Readily available for uptake

pH and nutrient uptake

Organic matter and Moisture

Geonics EM38 unit

Hossian 2008

The Mole

The Soil Company

Alfa: He, shielded by paper Beta: 1 elektron, shielded by

aluminum Gamma: EM radiaton, shielded by 4

m lead

Gamma-ray

Gamma-rayHalf life times238U 4.46*109 yr232Th 1.39*1010

yr40K 1.3*109 yr137Cs 30 yr

Correlation and calibration

Measuring gamma

Factors influencing gamma measurements:

(irrespective of sensing system)

Gamma influential factors

Temperature of crystal

Measurement height

Which properties can be mapped?

Soil texture; clay, loam, grain size

Nutrients; Soil organic matter, Mg,

pH, Fe, K

Depends on the size and scale of

calibration dataset

From gamma to soil properties

From gamma to soil properties

Regression analysis

clay = 1.326 * th - 15.774R2 = 0.78

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

10 20 30 40Th232

Cla

y %

2005

2006

2007

alles

Lineair(alles)

SOM = 69.69e-0.0148K40

R2 = 0.76

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0.0 50.0 100.0 150.0 200.0 250.0

K40

SO

M

10

20

30

40

50

134375 134475 134575 134675 134775 134875 134975

542050

542150

542250

542350

542450

542550

542650

0 50 100 150 200

Farm:

Field:

Size:

Projection:

Sample

Field 1

14.6 ha

Average: 23.8

Potassium(m g/kg dm )

Potassium

N

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

134375 134475 134575 134675 134775 134875 134975

542050

542150

542250

542350

542450

542550

542650

0 50 100 150 200

Farm:

Field:

Size:

Projection:

Sample

Field 1

14.6 ha

Average: 18.8

W ater retention(M axim um % for p lant availab le m oisture am ount in cm 3 soil)

Water retention

N

0

2.5

5

7.5

10

12.5

15

17.5

134375 134475 134575 134675 134775 134875 134975

542050

542150

542250

542350

542450

542550

542650

0 50 100 150 200

Farm:

Field:

Size:

Projection:

Sample

Field 1

14.6 ha

Average: 8.2

C lay content(% < 2 m icron)

Clay content

N

1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

2.00

2.25

2.50

2.75

3.00

3.25

3.50

3.75

4.00

4.25

4.50

4.75

5.00

134375 134475 134575 134675 134775 134875 134975

542050

542150

542250

542350

542450

542550

542650

0 50 100 150 200

Farm:

Field:

Size:

Projection:

sample

field 1

14.6 ha

Average: 3.27

R isk for com paction

Risk for compaction

U nsensitive

Sensitive

N

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

134375 134475 134575 134675 134775 134875 134975

542050

542150

542250

542350

542450

542550

542650

0 50 100 150 200

Farm:

Field:

Size:

Projection:

Sample

Field 1

14.6 ha

Average: 1.7

O rganic m atter (% )

Organic Matter

N

0

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

134375 134475 134575 134675 134775 134875 134975

542050

542150

542250

542350

542450

542550

542650

0 50 100 150 200

Farm:

Field:

Size:

Projection:

Sample

Field 1

14.6 ha

Average: 51.0

Phosphate

Phosphate (m g P

2O

5 / l)

N

From gamma to soil properties

Law of the Minimum

Org

anic

Mat

ter

Str

uct

ure

Dra

inag

e

Pat

ho

gen

s

Justus von Liebig

“Yield is proportional to the amount of the most limiting

nutrient”

“Yield is proportional to the most limiting growth factor”

Ask yourself:Do I get paid for a more homogeneous

product ?

What is the potential gain of precision farming and is this worth the investment……in time and equipment ?