The environmental and resource problems caused by fertilization and irrigation in traditional agriculture have become increasingly severe. In the current greenhouse production process, excessive consumption of pesticides, fertilizers, and irrigation water leads to a low utilization rate of resources and a high content of liquid nitrate discharged from irrigation, resulting in the pollution of groundwater resources. Fertilizers with low efficiency are used heavily in many areas to increase crop yields. Although yields are relatively high, crop quality and income are sometimes low, and excessive fertilization causes a large amount of wastewater and pollution.
Precision agriculture technologies can improve resource management by precisely applying inputs, such as water, fertilizer, and feed, leading to more efficient agricultural production. Precision agriculture services in the USA can be implemented through a range of technologies that can be used in isolation or conjunction with other technologies.
Precision Fertilization:
The quest for farming procedures that are both sustainable and efficient lead to the concept of precision fertilization. Precision fertilization is a newer farming approach that involves accurately delivering fertilizer to crops where and when they are needed most.
At its core lies the 4R principle: right place, right rate, at the right time, and right source. This path recognizes the complex linkages between soil, plants, and ecosystems, therefore seeking to maximize nutrient utilization and minimize loss and pollution.
Benefits of Precision Fertilization:
The multipurpose advantage of precision farming, both from the land productivity, environmental preservation, and profitability points of consideration, is that it minimizes nitrogen and phosphorus inputs and maximizes their yields.
Source: Freepik
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Increased Crop Yields and Improved Crop Quality:
The system will utilize the results of various sensor types, including soil moisture, air humidity, water level, conductivity, temperature, and light, to evaluate the fertilization formulation appropriate for the soil conditions and crops in question. It will also offer an advanced crop management software solution.
This approach ensures maximal nutrient intake by directing critical nutrients to the root zone at required rates and quantities, supporting continuous plant growth and development.
In this way, crops enjoy higher yield productivity and benefit from improved qualities, including increased size, colour, and nutrient content.
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Environmental Benefits:
- Reduced Fertilizer Runoff and Leaching: Precision fertilization helps prevent water pollutants caused by minerals from washing off from the fields. Offering the ability to apply nutrients precisely reduces pollution, of which nutrients running are the primary culprits. It ensures that healthy water ecosystems and high-quality water are directly engaged.
- Decreased Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Innovation in nutrition uptake and precise fertilization at application lower gas emissions since nitrous oxide is released into the atmosphere. This reduces greenhouse gas emissions and allows for the development of an environmentally friendly basis for sustainable agriculture.
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Economic and Sustainability Benefits:
- Reduced Fertilizer Costs: To reduce the amount of fertilizers used, farmers can use precision fertilization to apply them refinedly only in areas of high need. Hence, it means a decrease in nitrogen fertilizer use and production and service inputs over time. With the proper resource allocation, farmers can make impressive savings, although they might increase or maintain yields.
- Promotion of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Successful implementation of precision fertilization is a critical element of eco-oriented agriculture, which allows for a decrease in environmental load and resource savings. The approach helps to avoid the deterioration of environmental conditions, both at the soil level and for general ecosystems, by minimizing nutrient wasting, conserving soil health, and cutting down environmental pollution.
Precision Application Systems and Technology:
You can alter existing machinery to improve spreading accuracy.
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Fertilizer Spreader Calibration:
Check your fertilizer spreader at least once a year, and ideally before you use a new type of fertilizer. Use a qualified tester or your calibration equipment.
There are two types of spreader calibration:
- application rate
- spread pattern
Application rate calibration guarantees the correct amount of fertilizer for an area. It would help if you calibrated the spread pattern each time you use a new fertilizer type in the spreader to:
- make sure you spread the fertilizer evenly, with no overlaps or gaps
- keep the spread pattern the same, even if you use different application rates for the same product
Spread pattern calibration is best done with a tray test to measure any variations in the spread pattern. A ‘coefficient of variation’ (CV) below 10% means the spreading is even.
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Manure Spreader Calibration:
Calibrate manure spreading to determine the application rate and how evenly you apply slurry and solid manure. The application rate depends on:
- discharge rate
- spread (bout) width
- forward speed
Once you know the available nutrients in the manure, you can alter the forward speed to achieve the correct application rate for each crop. Find out more about spread width.
Variable Rate Application:
You can vary the application rate for different parts of a field to apply the correct amounts of nutrients. You can either pre-program the application rates or make adjustments while working. You can retrofit variable rate controls to many slurries, solid manure, or solid and liquid fertilizer spreaders. Check with your equipment manufacturer or dealer.
Fertilizer Placement:
Fertilizer placement is typically used on high-value crops such as vegetables but has seen a recent increase in uptake across broad acre crops as well, as it helps to:
- increase fertilizer efficiency by putting nutrients close to germinating or established crops
- reduce surface exposure of fertilizer and potential losses by runoff
The fertilizer placement, to be as precise as possible, must be determined using high resolution reference data. For instance, high density soil mapping provides an in-depth look at the characteristics of the soil, which would direct the agronomist or operator on how to build the most accurate application maps.
In Conclusion:
Precision fertilization is a disruptive idea that can transform agribusiness by providing farmers with the tools and techniques to optimize nutrient management and maximize yields. At the same time, minimize the impact on the environment. One impactful way to minimize environmental effects is to improve the precision in the usage of fertilizers based on the needs of the crop and the exact conditions of the soil. Therefore, more farmers can have higher yields, protect their resources, and improve sustainability through advanced crop management software solutions.
If you need help analyzing the nutrient deficiency in your plot of land, or to learn how to access high resolution soil information to base your precision agriculture management decisions on, contact us at https://soiloptix.com/today!
