3/3/2020

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LECTURE 011:
VARIABLE RATE
TECHNOLOGY

3/3/2020
A man must learn to understand the motives of human beings, 1
their illusions, and their sufferings. Albert Einstein

WHAT WE HAVE GOT SO FAR

1. Precision agriculture:
 It is a system approach which attempts to reduce decision
uncertainty through incorporating information about spatial and
temporal variability into the decision making process.
2. Variabilty:
 Precision agriculture is the use of technology to manage farm
and field variability to improve outcomes such as yield, grain
quality, and fertilizer use efficiency.
3. GPS:
 is a satellite-based system that uses a constellation
of 24 or more satellites to give a user an accurate
position on Earth.
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WHAT WE HAVE GOT SO FAR

4. Geostatistics:
 Geostatistics is a technique for estimating the values of
properties (at unsampled places) that vary in space from more or
less sparse sample data

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VOCABULARY
1. Enable
2. Such as
3. Scan
4. Scene
5. Shortage
6. Accomplish
7. Eliminate
8. Vast
9. Highlight
10. Deal with

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LECTURE OUTCOMES
After the completion of this lecture and mastering the
lecture materials, students should be able to
1. to explain variable rate technology (VRT) including
artificial intelligent and VRT benefit.
2. to explain map-based VRT.
3. to explain sensors-based VRT.

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LECTURE OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION
- Definition
- Artificial Intelligent
- Benefit

2. VRT APPLICATION
- VRT Inputs
- VRT Types
 Map-Based Control
 Sensors-Based Control

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1. INTRODUCTION
1. Definition
 Variable Rate Technology (VRT) refers to a
technology that is used to enable the Variable Rate
Application (VRA) of materials in Precision
agriculture.
 VRT describes any technology which enables
producers to vary the rate of crop inputs.
 Variable rate application (VRA) in precision
agriculture is an area of technology that focuses on
the automated application of materials to a given
landscape.
 The way in which the materials are applied is based
on data that is collected by sensors, GPS and maps.
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- The materials include things like fertilizers, chemicals, and

seeds, and these all help optimize one’s crop production.
- The basic principle of VRT application is that crop production
input rate is changed within fields in response to spatially
variable factors that affect the optimum application rate.

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 There are many forms of technology that are used in

variable rate application for precision agriculture such
as:
- drones and satellites
- artificial intelligence (AI) and hyperspectral imaging.

High technology in agriculture Rescue is coming out of the air. The

service-drone is programmed to automatically scan a corn field.
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Management: Sparyer

20L high power agriculture drone price uav agriculture

drone sprayer for farmer. US $6,813/piece = Rp. 98.788.500
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Hyperspectral imaging camera

Hyperspectral imaging,
like other spectral
imaging, collects and
processes information
from across the
electromagnetic
spectrum.

The goal of hyperspectral imaging is to obtain the

spectrum for each pixel in the image of a scene, with the
purpose of finding objects, identifying materials, or
detecting processes.
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2. Artificial Intelligent (AI)

 Precision agriculture uses AI technology to aid in
detecting diseases in plants, pests, and poor plant
nutrition on farms.
 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the development of
computer systems that are able to execute tasks that
would require human intelligence.
 AI helping analyze farm data
- Farms produce hundreds of thousands of data points on the ground
daily. With the help of AI, farmers can now analyze a variety of things
in real time such as weather conditions, temperature, water usage or
soil conditions collected from their farm to better inform their
decisions.
- AI systems are also helping to improve harvest quality and accuracy--
what is known as precision agriculture.
- AI tackles the labor challenge due to less people entering the farming
profession that makes most farms face the challenge of a workforce
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 Examples of AI technology include:

- Machine learning (ML) is an application of artificial
intelligence based on the idea that a machine (e.g.,
computer, microcontroller) can learn from data and identify
patterns in them.
- Machine learning is the process in which a computer can
“learn” from data without being programmed and adjust to
new inputs to accomplish specific tasks (e.g., self-driving
cars).
- AI and ML are two promising areas in computer science,
automation, and robotics. That process can eliminate
human intervention and errors.
- This process can require a vast amount of data (e.g.,
images) to “train” the AI technology or system.
- AI and ML can be applied and change modern agriculture
(Ampatzidis, Bellis, and Luvisi 2017; Luvisi, Ampatzidis, and
Bellis 2016).
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 One example is the smart (precision) sprayer

developed by Blue River Technology
(http://www.bluerivertechnology.com).
 The smart sprayer utilizes a vision-based system and
artificial intelligence to detect and identify individual
plants (such as cotton or wheat) and weeds, and
spray only on the weeds (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Plant and weed detection

using computer vision and AI.
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Fig. 6. Real-time citrus detection using YOLO (a real-time AI object

detection algorithm) on an NVidia Jetson TX2 board (Graphics Processing
Unit, GPU). These results are achieved by using just 150 pictures to train
the AI-based system.

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3. Benefit
 Overall, VRA technology is primarily used to both
detect information about a given landscape and to
have a system make decisions based on that
information.
 The decisions that are made by the variable rate
application technology systems determine which
materials should be applied to the land.
 The benefits of having a VRA system is that it can
help automate parts of the agricultural process.
 The more automation and precision that a company
introduces to their operations, the more money they
can save through higher production and efficiency.
 Multiple sources present various economic benefits
of VRA highlighted below.
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1. VRT combines a variable-rate (VR) control system

with application equipment to apply inputs at a
precise time and/or location to achieve site-specific
application rates of inputs.
2. Variable Rate Technology (VRT) offers an opportunity
to improve production efficiency by allowing input
applications to fluctuate in response to spatial
variations in soil characteristics and nutrient levels.
3. Society may also benefit from reduced negative
externalities, such as surface and groundwater
contamination, from input applications.
4. Variable rate application of N has been shown to
reduce overall N application, as compared to
recommended application rates, in corn.

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2. VRT APLICATION
1. VRT Inputs
 Inputs that can be applied using VRT include:
- Fertilizer
- Lime
- Soil amendments
- Manure
- Pesticides
- Seed
- Granular products
- Liquid products
- Seeding

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2. VRT Types
 Variable rate controls can receive information from
one of three formats that can be used to deal with
spatial variability between paddocks or between
management zones/classes:
- Manual
- Map-based control
- Real time (sensor-based control)

2.1 Map-Based Control

 A map of application rates is produced for the field
prior to the operation.
- The required maps to provide site- or zone-specific input rates
are generally created using Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) software.
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 MARDI has successfully developed variable rate

technology (VRT) for fertilizer application in rice
precision farming.
 The developed system consists of field data
collection, processing and analysing unit, treatment
map and the variable rate applicator (VRA).
 Two types of field data collection have been
established i.e. ground truth data sampling in grid
form of selected location and unmanned aerial
vehicle, UAV-based image capturing for large area.
 Fertilizer calculation software which is based on GAI
(Green Area Index) model has been developed to
calculate the fertilizer NPK (Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus
(P), and Potassium (K)), urea and MOP (Muriate of
Potash). WE HAVE TO DO THIS FIRST
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- Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as GPS is

used to help the applicator interpret the prescription map.
- This method is most popular due to the lack of sufficient
sensors for monitoring the soil conditions.
- Also, laboratory analysis is still the trusted and reliable method
for determining most soil properties.
- However, the cost of the soil testing limits the number of
samples that a farmer can afford to test.
- Thus, the usual practice is to grid sample a field every 2 acres.
(There is currently much discussion on the optimum number of
acres represented by each sample and the location of those
samples).
- Detailed mapping of fields is easily performed using a
computer program (sometimes a GIS, geographical
information system, program).
- Some programs can even use algorithms for "smoothing" or
interpolating the data between sampling points.
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 FALCON (Fertilizer Applicator Local controls

Operating Network)
- Monitor applicator speed and direction
- Measure spreading distances
- Set application rates
- Regulate metering of
multiple products
- Monitor product bin
levels
- Control right and left
boom shut off
- Monitor and inform
operator of application
system status
- Collect as- applied data

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 Benefits of Map-based Systems.

- Lack of sensors for monitoring soil and plant
conditions
- Application amounts can be determined in the office
 No danger of “running out”.
 No danger of mixing excess product.
- Time lag between sampling and application
 Permits processing of sampling data
 Can ensure or improve accuracy
- Potential to use “ look ahead” techniques
 Can improve applicator responsiveness
 When moving from one application rate zone to another
 Can compensate for equipment and lag in the system when
changing application rates

- m

 Drawbacks of Map-based Systems

- Require a positioning system
 DGPS.
- Sampling data must be
 Collected
 Stored
 Processed
- Specialized software needed to produce application
maps
- Application errors can result from
 Recording the locations of sampling sites.
 Estimating the position of an applicator.
 as it moves through the field.

- Errors can be made in estimating conditions

between sample points

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 Application maps are continuous.

 Created from discontinuous sampling data.
 Taken from a limited number of points in the field.

- Not well suited when based on soil characteristics

that change rapidly.
 By the time a map is processed, the soil conditions could
have changed.

2.2 Real-Time Control

 The sensor-based method of VRT is a method that
uses crop sensors in order to make decisions on the
materials to be used in planting and crop
management.
 The sensor based VRT does not require previous
mapping and positioning of the farm and the crops.

- Decisions about what rates to apply in different locations are

made using information gathered during the operation.
- Some technology is becoming available utilizing the method
which can be described as real-time sensing and variable-rate
control.
- One such system is marketed by Crop Technology, Inc.,
Houston, TX.
- Their system, the Soil DoctoR, claims to "examine soil type,
organic matter, cation exchange capacity, soil moisture and
nitrate nitrogen levels" using a "rolling electrode".
- By sensing these properties on-the-go, the need for a
positioning system is eliminated and the data processing is
greatly reduced because no maps are required.
- However, if the operator desires to record the sensor outputs
and use this information for other operations, the system is
capable of interfacing with a GPS and generating site-specific
maps.

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- This requires sensors to detect necessary information ‘on-the-

go’ and is usually designed for a specific job such as herbicide
application.

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Fig. 3. Schematic of a sensor–based, variable rate application system

for liquid products. https://www.cottoninc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Sensor-
Based-App-Oct-2010.pdf
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 Soil and plant sensors

- Soil organic matter content
 Use light reflecting off the soil
 Darker soils tend to have more OM
- Soil moisture content
 Light reflectance.
 Electrical resistance
- Light reflectance of crops and weeds
 Used to detect difference between plants and soil
 Can apply herbicide directly to weed leaves
 Can apply herbicides to unhealthy plants
- Soil nutrient level
 Most important category
 Few real-time sensors???
 On-the-go could be very profitable
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NDVI = Normalized Difference Vegetative Index

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http://leavingbio.net/TheSt
ructureandFunctionsofFlo
wers%5B1%5D.htm

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