nnovation International Society of Precision Agriculture Solutions - - PDF document
1/7/2018 Agriculture is changing Future of Farming: From Precision to Decision Prof. Raj Khosla Colorado State University Robert E. Gardner Professor of Precision Agriculture Founder and Past President nnovation International Society of
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Future of Farming:
From Precision to Decision
Colorado State University Robert E. Gardner Professor of Precision Agriculture Founder and Past President International Society of Precision Agriculture
Agriculture is changing
Farming = Multi-tasking
If farmer does this right Farmer will optimize inputs & yield and maximize profits
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Soil Water
Crop Management
Machinery Pest
Weather Labor
Land Genetics Livestock Ecology Cold chain supply
Investment Storage Food safety Education rket
Pollination Gender equity
Safety
Diseases
Weeds
Tradition
Manure
Neighbors
Age
Succession
Fertilizer Innovation
Harves ting
Climate change
Spatial variability
Quality
NDVI NBI Yield LAI Canopy Temperature Plant population Infestation level OM P content K content N content pH Texture Soil EC Bulk density Soil water content Yield potential Management zone Speed Engine performance Fuel consumption Machine health indicator GPS Humidity Precipitations Wind speed Air Temperature Soil Temperature Weed infestation Crop ET Market value Input cost Fuel cost
Water Water Crop Crop Soil Soil Weather Weather Data Data
Technology Technology
It will get complex… before it gets easy
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How do you climb a mountain? One step at a time….
How do you do precision agriculture? One field, one farm at a time….
Why do we need complex solutions? When was the first auto-pilot system invented?
2002 1998 1962 1938 1908 2008 1998 1968 1938 1908
Why do we need complex solutions?
steering device consisted of a small pilot wheel
Big Four Tractor…
which runs along in the furrow ahead of the engine and is connected with the front axle
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Variation in crop yields in small plots in fields at Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, England.
Mercer and Hall (1911)
At the regional scale At the farm scale At the field scale
Spatial variations in soil often translate into variations in crop
+/- 2 bu/A from the mean
+/- 10 bu/A from the mean
Only 36%
Mean: 182.5 bu/A
>192.5 bu/A
Under-fertilized
<172.5 bu/A
24%
Over-fertilized
Yield Map
Pixels = Average?
8%
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Farming the data… adding value
the land… its also about Farming the data!!
“A sub-region of a field that expresses a homogeneous combination of yield limiting factors”
In Colorado, we developed four techniques
Management Zones… Elevation map
Grain yields are correlated with topography
Management Zones…
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Management Zones…
Low Productivity (Zone 3) Medium Productivity (Zone 2) High Productivity (Zone 1)
The three data layers
Aerial Imagery Topography Farmer’s experience
are stacked as GIS layers to delineate the zone
Traits such as dark color, low-lying topography, and historic high yields were designated as a zone of potentially high productivity or high zone
Delineating management zones… Mean grain yield across MZs
16 12 8 4
a a b
Low Medium High Management zones Grain yield (Mg ha -1) 12 9 6 3
ab
b
Low Medium High Management zones Grain yield (Mg ha -1)
a
20 15 10 5
b b
Low Medium High Management zones Grain yield (Mg ha -1)
a
Management zones… Up to 46% reduction in N loadings without impairing grain yields
Source: Koch, Khosla, et al. 2004
Precision Manure Management
manure to improve soil quality, productivity
like an opportunity
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VT V12 V9 V6 V4 V2
Growth Stage
60 50 40 30 20 10
Growing Days
60 40 20 % of Total N Uptake
Rapid Uptake Begins
Nitrogen Mineralization Days
5 15 30 120 90 60
Cumulative NH4
+ & NO3
250 200 150 100 50
10 tons/ac 20 tons/ac 30 tons/ac 60 tons/ac Manure Rates
Mineralization rate analysis was conducted in a laboratory at a constant temp. (60o F)
VT V12 V9 V6 V4 V2 60 50 40 30 20 10
Growth Stage Growing Days
60 40 20 % of Total N Uptake
Manure applied 1 month before planting. Average daily temp. 40o F. Growers typically apply 10 - 20t/ac of manure once every three years
Moshia, Matshwene, et al. “Precision Manure Management on Site‐Specific Management Zones: Nitrogen Mineralization.” Journal of Plant Nutrition, vol. 39, no. 1, 2015, pp. 59– 70., doi:10.1080/01904167.2015.1009547.
Thank you Raj.Khosla@Colostate.Edu Colorado State University