Precision Agriculture in relation to in relation to Nutrient managementNutrient management

Speaker: Dr. Tarik MitranSpeaker: Dr. Tarik Mitran

SST

Agricultural Chemistry and Soil Science

,,

“It would be a simple matter to describe the earth’s surface if it were the same every where. The environment, however, is not like that there is almost endless variety.”

– Webster and Oliver (1990).

Definition of Precision Ag.

Precision agriculture is an art and science of utilizing innovative, site-specific techniques for management of spatial and temporal variability using affordable technologies… for enhancing output, efficiency, and profitability of agricultural production in an environmentally responsible manner

Source: Koch and Khosla, 2003

Basic steps in precision farming

Assessing variation

Managing variation Evaluation

The Building Blocks of Precision Farming

Global Positioning Systems

Geographic Information Systems

Direct &

Remote

Sensing

Variable Rate Techno

logy

Yield Monit

ors

Precision

Navigation

Precision Data Management Software

Direct &

Remote

Sensing

Yield Monit

ors

Source: Shibusawa, 2001

Components of PF

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

• Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

• Variable Rate Technology (VRT)

• Yield Monitor

• Remote Sensing

• Use of Laser Land leveler in SSNM

Science has never had a Science has never had a more complete set of more complete set of “knowledge nuggets”.“knowledge nuggets”.

Industry has never had a Industry has never had a more impressive set of more impressive set of

technologies.technologies.

Wright

Highly P fixing soilHighly P fixing soil

The challenge:Delivering science and technology to the farm such that it

can be integrated in support of decision making

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Computer software that stores, analyzes and displays spatial data and its corresponding attributes

• Attributes include: soil type, pH, salinity levels, nutrient levels, and crop history

• GIS can overlay multiple data maps

• GIS can store, calculate, and model current and historical data

• Maps are the main visual output but can include reports, tables and charts

GIS Example

Data layer of yield

Data layer of topography from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)

Data layer of soil conductivity

Output: A visual display of areas of low yield and high EC, indicating possible salinity problems OR fertility differences

GIS can be used to predict fertilizer needs across a field

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

An instrument that receives satellite signals to calculate your position (latitude, longitude and elevation).

Source: Morgan and Ess, 1997

Signal Availability and Accuracy

Availability: GPS units need 4 or more signals to accurately pinpoint your location.

Signal loss can occur with atmospheric conditions, excessive electromagnetic radiation (e.g. a microwave transmitting tower), etc.

Differential GPS (DGPS) – corrects signals DGPS – accurate within 1 yard

Uncorrected GPS - accurate to within 10 yards.

It’s important to recognize uncorrected GPS from DGPS.

Uncorrected GPS accuracy has greatly improved in the last few years.

Having precise location information allows soil and crop measurements to be mapped.

GPS/GIS

Source: A Conference on Nutrient Management:A Certified Crop Adviser’s Perspective by Steven Cromley, Certified Crop Adviser, Columbia, 2007

Phosphorus

Variability found

through Field Map by

GIS/GPS.

Soil test phosphorus

levels range from low

to very high.

Precision agriculture allows you to place the nutrients where you need them.

• Maximize crop returns with a minimum amount of inputs.

• The environment is protected because only the precise quantity of inputs is applied when and where needed.

“Do the right things in the right place at the right time and in the right way”

Remote Sensing (RS)

Collects data from reflected electromagnetic energy and

converts it into images using satellites or airplanes.

Any data that is suspect or highly irregular, needs to be confirmed by

field investigation.

Source: Morgan and Ess, 1997

Source: www.ppi-ppic.orgSource: www.ppi-ppic.org

Source: Gowrisankar and Adiga, 2001

Major Indian remote sensing missions for agriculture (current & immediate future)

Mission Year of launch Sensors

IRS-IA, IB 19881991

LISS-I (72.5 m resolution)LISS-II (36.25 m resolution)

IRS-P2 1994 LISS-II (36 m resolution)

IRS-IC, ID 19951997

PAN (5.8 m resolutionLISS-III (23.5, 70.5 m resolution)WiFS (188.3 m resolution)

IRS-P3 1996 WiFS (188.3 m resolution)

TES 2001 PAN (1 m resolution

RESOURCESAT-1 2001 LISS-IV (6 m resolution)LISS-III (23 m resolution)AWiFS (80 m resolution)

CARTOSAT-1 2002 PAN Stereo (2.5 m resolution

CARTOSAT-2 2002/03 PAN Stereo (1 m resolution

Example of Remote Sensing Imagery

Source: Bricklemeyer et al., 2002

A Montana study identified no-till fields with RS imagery with 95% accuracy.

Selected till treatments (bold white lines) and no-till fields (dashed).

Yield Monitoring and Mapping

• Sensors mounted on the combine measuring yield as the crop is harvested.

• Coupled with a GPS logging location, data can be mapped.

• Identifies in-field variations in yield.

• Allows fine tuning of next year’s seeding and fertilizer applications.

• Overall yield monitor accuracy is improving with use and research, while in-field accuracy is improved with calibration.

Yield monitors are attached to conveyors or combines to measure grain yield and moisture content.

Comparison between Conventional and Precision agriculture

Operation Tools implements and equipments

Conventional Precised

Land Development and Levelling

Bullock or tractor operated scrappers and levelers

Lasers guided precession land leveler.

Tillage Mould board plough disc harrow, tyne cultivators, bakhars etc.

Pneumatic plants inclined plate planter, vegetable and rice transplanter, Potato Planter, sugarcane planter etc.

Irrigation Centrifugal and submersible pump, lift irrigation etc.

Sprinkler and drip irrigation systems

Plant Protection Manual, animal operated or engine operated sprayer, duster

Self propelled, Power tiller sprayer electro static and air assisted spraying

Harvesting and threshing

Sickles and reaper Grain combines sugarcane harvester, high capacity multicrop threshers, potato and ground nut digger etc.

Why is Precision Nutrient Management Important?

• Nutrient variability within a field can be very high

(graphs to follow), affecting optimum fertilizer rates.

• Yield potential and grain protein can also vary

greatly even within one field, affecting fertilizer

requirements.

• Increasing fertilizer use efficiency will become more

important with increasing fertilizer costs and

environmental concerns

Source: Keith Jones, 2008Source: Keith Jones, 2008

Govern by 4 R’sGovern by 4 R’s

Nutrient Mangement in Precision Agriculture

SITE SPECIFIC NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT

‘Feeding of crop with nutrients as and when needed’

Fertilizers have played a key role in increasing crop production.

Cost of fertilizer is increasing.

The current fertilizer practice results in high loss of applied fertilizers. Recently, scientists have developed a new technique of nutrient management known as site specific nutrient management- based on site, climate and actual plant needs.

Source: P. C. Robert (2002), Plant & Soil 247

Grid Soil Sampling• Field is divided into equal areas (grid cell).

• 10 cores (min.) composited within each grid cell,

either a random or systematic pattern.

• Collected composite sample represented each area

appropriately.

• Fertility Map produce, provide accurate information

about soil reaction, nutrient status.

Advantage:

• Provides a good assessment of variability.

Disadvantage:

• Expensive.

Whole Field vs. Site Specific Management

Whole-fieldWhole-field assumes the “average” conditions are the assumes the “average” conditions are the same everywhere within the field (uniform/homogenous)same everywhere within the field (uniform/homogenous)

Management action is the Management action is the same throughoutsame throughout the field the field

Z1

Z3

Z2

Z1

Z2

DiscreteDiscrete Management Zones Management Zones break the field into areas of break the field into areas of similar conditions similar conditions (zones)(zones)

Management action is the Management action is the same withinsame within each zone each zone

ContinuousContinuous SurfacesSurfaces break the field into small break the field into small consistent pieces consistent pieces (cells(cells)) that track specific that track specific

conditions at each location conditions at each location

Management action Management action varies throughoutvaries throughout the field the field

((BerryBerry))

The bulk of agricultural The bulk of agricultural research has been research has been

““non-spatialnon-spatial” ”

……but PA is all about but PA is all about spatial relationships/patternsspatial relationships/patterns

Research OpportunityResearch Opportunity Is Smart Sampling really dumb?Is Smart Sampling really dumb?

Recognize Field Nutrient VariabilityRecognize Field Nutrient Variability

Nitrate - Nitrogenlbs/acre

0-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-80

>80

SourceSource: : Hailin Zhang and Gordon Johnson, 1997

Soil test nitrate N – variability in 25′×′25 area in Garfield County Oklahoma

Visualizing Spatial Relationships

What spatial relationships What spatial relationships do you see?do you see?

Interpolated Spatial DistributionInterpolated Spatial Distribution

Phosphorous (P)

……do relatively high levels do relatively high levels of P often occur with high of P often occur with high levels of K and N?levels of K and N?

… …how often? …where?how often? …where?

HUMANSHUMANS can “see” broad can “see” broad generalized patternsgeneralized patterns

in a in a singlesingle map variable map variable

Source: Joseph K. Berry 9th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, 2008 — Denver, ColoradoSource: Joseph K. Berry 9th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, 2008 — Denver, Colorado

Variable Rate Technology

• Varying the application rates of seed, fertilizer or pesticides to adjust for in-field differences

• Historically, intensive soil sampling had been necessary to measure and adjust for this variation.

Refers to any equipment designed to allow Refers to any equipment designed to allow the rate of farm inputs to be precisely the rate of farm inputs to be precisely controlled and varied while the machine is in controlled and varied while the machine is in operationoperation

Variable Rate Technology

Precision agriculture technologies such as variable-rate fertilizer applicators can increase cotton profitability by improving nutrient use efficiency.

Source: Phillips et al.(2008) Better Crops, 92 ( No. 3)

Integrated Sensing & Application

Individual SensorsIndividual Sensors

Six individual sensor readings are used to calculate Six individual sensor readings are used to calculate the crops mean NDVI for the width of the applicator the crops mean NDVI for the width of the applicator and the N rate is automatically adjustedand the N rate is automatically adjusted

RT200 Variable Rate Applicator with GreenSeeker

Crop appearance – high tech (before yield loss)

Lafond, 2005

TOOLS MONITORED EFFECTIVE OPTION FOR SCHEDULING FIELD SPECIFIC APPLICATION OF

FERTILIZER

Source: Misha and Shukla, 2007

For Nitrogen during the growing season, based on plant leaf N- status which is monitored by leaf colour Chart (LCC)

Gains in irrigated rice yield and the agronomic efficiency of fertilizer-N (kg

grain yield increase per kg fertilizer-N applied) through site-specific nutrient

management in Nueva Ecija province, Philippines.

Source: Dobermann et al., 2004

Table – : Productivity of rice and wheat as influenced by SSNM at Pant agar

Tr. No.

Rice Wheat

Major Nutrients (kg /ha)

Yield (kg/ha)

Rice Wheat

Major Nutrients(kg /ha)

Micro-nutrient (kg/ha)

N P2O5 K Borax N P2O5 K Grain Straw

Grain Straw

T1 170

60 120

5 170

60 120

7950

8850 5625 11093

T2 170

30 120

5 170

30 120

7850 8600 5468 9250

T3 170

0 120

5 170

0 120

7600 8050 5343 10593

T4 170

30 80 5 170

30 80 7800 8160 5094 9281

T5 170

30 40 5 170

30 40 7400 7930 6218 10968

T6 170

30 0 5 170

30 0 7100 7820 5281 8937

T7 170

30 120

5 170

30 120

7305 8010 5156 10718

T8 170

30 120

0 170

30 120

7500 8090 5687 10406

T9 State Recommended doses of Nutrients 7200 7935 5750 9718

T10 Farmer’s Practice 6800

7440 5000 9375

CD (P<0.05) 486 570 603

Source : Annual Report : 2005 – 06 AICRP – CS

Table –Yield of rice and wheat (2003-04) as influenced by SSNM at Modipuram

Tr. Rice (kg/ha) Wheat (kg/ha)

Yield (kg/ha)

Rice Wheat

N P2O5 K2O S ZnSO4

MnSO4

Borax

N P2O5 K2O Grain Grain

T1 170

0 120

20

30 17 5 150

0 120

9060 5120

T2 170

30 120

20

30 17 5 150

30 120

10480

6090

T3 170

30 80 20

30 17 5 150

30 80 10220

5970

T4 170

30 40 20

30 17 5 150

30 40 9290 5430

T5 170

30 0 20

30 17 5 150

30 0 7840 5010

T6 170

30 120

20

30 17 5 150

30 120

9240 5520

T7 170

30 120

20

30 17 5 150

30 120

8840 5810

T8 170

30 120

20

0 17 5 150

30 120

8420 5740

T9 170

30 120

0 30 17 5 150

30 120

7730 5180

T10 170

75 75 - 25 17 5 150

60 60 7040 4920

STLR

170

65 55 - 25 17 5 180

45 45 6940 6070

FP 170

60 - - 25 17 5 180

60 - 6700 4360

CD (P<0.05) 421 326

Table : Productivity of rice and wheat as influence by SSNM at Kanpur

Tr. No

Rice (kg /ha) Wheat (kg /ha) Yield (kg/ha)

Rice Wheat

N P20

5

K2O S ZnSO4

N P205 K2O Grain

Straw

Grain

Straw

T1150 30 120 40 25 150 30 120 9351 1018

05733 6022

T2150 0 120 40 25 150 0 120 8413 9375 5409 5769

T3150 60 120 40 25 150 60 120 9471 1029

05817 6022

T4150 30 80 40 25 150 30 80 8690 9579 5657 5841

T5150 30 40 40 25 150 30 40 8413 9254 5553 5865

T6150 30 0 40 25 150 30 0 8329 9099 5481 5793

T7150 30 120 40 50 150 30 120 9796 1099

86406 6875

T8150 30 120 0 25 150 30 120 8065 9122 5613 6106

T9150 30 120 40 0 150 30 120 8546 1008

45433 5745

T10150 30 120 0 0 150 30 120 8029 9512 5457 6022

T11State Recommended doses of Nutrients (N-150, P-75, K-60, Zn- 25kg/ha)

8462 9928 5661 5938

T12Farmer’s Practice (n30, P30, K0) 7260 7885 4964 5673

CD (p<0.05) 732 609 293 709

Source : Annual Report : 2005 – 06, AICRP – CS

Laser Land Leveling Laser Land Leveling is a process of smoothing the land surface from its average elevation using laser equipped with drag buckets. This practice uses tractor & soil movers that are equipped with GPS/laser guided instrumentation so that soil can moved either by cutting or filling to create desired level.

Advantages Increases nutrient use efficiency. Improves application and distribution efficiency

of irrigation water. Increases crop productivity. Helps in weed management.

Functioning of laser land leveler

Source: Jat et al. (2006)

Grain yield of rice and wheat under precision and traditional land leveling in western Uttar PradeshStatistical

parametersGrain yield(t/ha)

rice wheat

Leaser leveling Traditional leveling

Leaser leveling Traditional leveling

Number of farmer

71.00 71.00 71.00 71.00

minimum 3.90 3.50 4.60 4.20

maximum 5.70 5.44 6.21 6.12

mean 4.84 4.51 5.53 5.21

kurtosis -0.63 -0.62 -1.09 -0.931

skewness -0.29 -0.07 -0.24 -0.093

SD 0.46 0.462 0.435 0.460

SE 0.055 0.055 0.052 0.054

CV(%) 9.58 10.24 7.86 8.82

Source: Jat and Sharma, 2005

Grain Yield Of Rice And Wheat Under Precision And

Traditional Land Leveling at Modipuram

Traditional Precision

Treatment Agronomic Efficiency of N

(Kg Kg-1)

Agronomic Efficiency of P

(Kg Kg-1)

Agronomic Efficiency of K

(Kg Kg-1)

2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004

Laser Leveling + NPK (120:26:40) Kg ha-1

18.75 20.00 86.54 92.31 56.25 60.00

Traditional Leveling + NPK (120:26:40) Kg ha-1

7.67 9.17 35.38 42.31 23.00 27.50

Source: Pal et al.,2004

Agronomic Efficiency (Kg Kg-1) of N,P and K under different Land Leveling System in Rice at

Modipuram (UP)

Effect of Precision land leveling on uptake

efficiency of N, P and K in rice

Source: Precision Farming Project (NATP)

Source: Jat & Sharma, 2007

Need for Precision Farming in India• Increased Land degradation.

(In India, out of 329 million ha of total geographical area182 million ha of area is affected by land degradation due to water erosion, wind erosion, water logging and chemical deterioration.)

• Depletion of Water resources.

• Socio economic need for enhanced productivity / unit of land, water and time.

• Environment Pollution because of increased and indiscriminate use of fertilizers and chemicals.

• Precision Farming is essential in order to address poverty alleviation, enhance quality of life and food security.

PROBLEMS IN ADOPTION OF PRECISION FARMING TECHNOLOGY:

• Fragmented land holding

• Lack of continuously monitoring the health and availability of

the nature resources.

• Climatic aberrations.

• Operational constraints.

• Uncertainty in getting the various inputs.

• Absence of a long standing and uniform agricultural policy.

• Lack of success stories.

• Lack of local technical expertise.

• Land ownership, Infrastructure and Institutional constraints.

Probable Strategies

• Farmer’s co-operatives.

• Pilot projects.

• Agricultural input suppliers, Extension advisors

and consultant play important role in the spread of

the technology.

• Combined effort of Researchers and Government.

• Public agencies should consider supplying free

data such as remotely sensed imagery to the

universities and research institutes involved in

Precision farming research.

Relevance Of Precision Farming To Indian Condition (Present Scenario)

• Precision farming technologies have been developed and adopted in developed nations such as USA, Europe, Canada and Australia.

• Agriculturally progressive states such as Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan, 20% of agricultural lands have operational holding of 4 ha or more. When contiguous fields with the same crop are considered, those fields are used to initial the implementation of precision farming.

• The concept of precision farming being implements by the Tata Kisan Kendra.

• Some of the research institutes. Such as Space Applications Centre ,ISROM.S. Swamminathan Research Foundation, ChennaiIndian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi;Project Directorate of Cropping System Research, Modipuram………………………had started working in this direction.

Conclusion• Research on Precision Farming is at infancy stage

in our country.

• Tools and techniques for assessing soil and yield variability for application of inputs need to be standardized at a low cost and farmers’ friendly.

• Thus, Precision Farming may help farmers to harvest fruits of frontier technologies without compromising on the quality of land and produce.

• The Precision Farming would trigger a techno-green revolution in India which is the need of the hour.

He Sits over Here for Precision Farming

Thanks for your attention