Variable Rate Applications Flashcards
6 aspects of VRT
Variable rate technologies
1. Fertilization
2. leaf removal
3. Irrigation
4. Chemical weed control
5. Fungicide application
6. Harvest
What is the relative important of soil parameters to block yield variability?
70% of block yield variability was explained by water availability in the soil
3 precision fertilization strategies
- Quantify the crop mineral removal by using yield maps from previous years
- Use of rapid methods for soil mapping based on different fertility components
- Monitoring the crop mineral status by remote or proximal sensing (suggested for N)
Crop response to fertilizers application graph, what is the important take away
That the optimal dose of fertilizers vary
The “On the go approach” Pros and cons
On the Go can be challenging because everything is calculated in real time, while a prescription map allows you to do the calculations for each zone prior. It is best for canopy sprays
4 steps for the input calculation and what is Qc
- Dose
- Output
- Loses
- Exogenous
Qc is the corrective dose to be added or subtracted for compensating unbalanced situations
2-points Calibration for Fertilizer dose vs Vegetation Index
There is a positive linear relationship between vigor and fetilizer dose when the biomass cutoff is low and
A Negative linear relationship between vigor and fetilizer dose when the biomass cutoff is high
5 aspects of drip irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation
- Maintaining high water availability in the soil (lower than field capacity)
- Frequent low-volume irrigations
- At planting, the system need to be set up with
specific sectors according to soil texture - Flow rate and distance between drippers can vary according to soil properties (denser and lower flow in shallow soil)
- Easier management in case of limited within- row variability
What is VRDI
VRDI is Variable Rate Drip Irrigation. When used in California for Cab Sauv it increased yield and water use efficiency
4 Conclusions of using VRDI
- Yield was increased by 17%
- It saved 20% of water
- It reduced variability in Yield and quality
- When not used the variability in the vineyard came back
3 types of CASA Sprayers
- CIS (Crop Identification System)
- CHS (Crop Health Sensor)
- EDAS (Environmentally Dependent Application System)
7 important considerations for Innovative and future applications for grape harvesting
- Maintaining berry integrity, quality
- Limitation of fruit loss
- Minimization of MOG percentage
- Berry selection
- Yield mapping
- Selective harvesting
- Non-destructive monitoring of fruit composition (NIRS)
5 considerations for Yield Mapping
- Maintaining berry integrity, quality
- Limitation of fruit loss
- Minimization of MOG percentage
- Berry selection
- Yield mapping
- Selective harvesting
- Non-destructive monitoring of fruit composition (NIRS)
What is selective harvesting? Think big blue machine
Split picking of fruit at harvest according to different yield / quality criteria, in order to exploit the observed variation. Think of the big blue machine we got a tour of on the day we almost died in the snow storm