1. Precision farming Dr. ir. Sander H. van Delden (DeS) Lecturer HAS den Bosch Soil and fertilisation Soil, Nutrition & Water

2. What is precision agriculture ? Precision agriculture: ◦ Farm management with the goal of optimizing returns on inputs while preserving resources ◦ Crop science: match farming practices to crop needs Crop science  (e.g. fertilizer inputs) ◦ Environmental protection: reducing environmental risks and footprint of farming Environmental protection  (e.g. limiting leaching of nitrogen) ◦ Economics: more competitiveness, causes efficient (short term) practices Economics  (e.g. improved management of fertilizer usage and other inputs).

3. Productivity: Amount of product produced per unit resource input e.g. labour productivity system Input of resources Output of products Efficiency: [ Output / Input ] ratio of particular resource, e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, energy [Product output / Resource input] [Resource output / Resource input] Measures of productivity and efficiency ? 3

4. Precision farming is timing ! (Crop) science ◦ What are the needs of my crop ? (dose – response) ◦ What are the needs of my soil ? ◦ Dose variation in spatial (in space) distribution, but also temporal (over time).

5. Water A yield limiting factor in many places in the world Increasing water demands with increasing human population Climate change: extremes in water availability ◦ To little ◦ To much ◦ Poor quality Regulations (law Goverments and Markets)

6. Recap: Field water balance

8. Measuring the soil water content is useless……? P.W.P.

10. Field capacity

11. Permanent wilting point P.W.P.

12. Making a model:

13. Input of resources Output of products Measures of productivity and efficiency ? 13 System Risks investment returns Yield (ton/ha) Input (kg/ha)

14. Plant physiological variation in water demand availability There are some critical crop stages which have big impact on yield potential e.g. : Root formation Kernel setting Tuber setting

16. Position the sensor

17. Do not spend all your money on one high tech sensor

18. Organic matter and Moisture

19. Geonics EM38 unit Hossian 2008

20. The Mole The Soil Company

21. The cross section of a soil showing the three-phase electrical conductance pathways for the EC measurement (Corwin & Lesch 2005a)

23. Calibration lines Secondary indicator Primary indicator

24. Spatial variation water availability

26. Effect of conservation techniques on root zone soil moisture. Narayanan Kannan, T. Senthivel, A.J. Rayar, Mutesa Frank Investigating water availability for introducing an additional crop yield in dry season on hill land at Rubirizi, Rwanda Agricultural Water Management Volume 97, Issue 5 2010 623 - 634 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2009.11.011 Temporal variation water availability

27. Plant physiological variation in water demand availability There are some critical crop stages which have big impact on yield potential e.g. : Root formation Kernel setting Tuber setting

28. Winter wheat Daily water use throughout the life cycle of wheat. Adapted from: Wheat Prod. Handbook. Kansas State Univ. Ext. Pub. C-529. May, 1997.

29. Calibration lines Secondary indicator Primary indicator

30. Example: Potato field Cause of stains drought soil structure flooding nematodes N deficiency fertilization Errors diseases....?

31. Water Movement Ca 2+, Mg 2+, NO 3 -, SO 4 2-, Cl - Root Transpiration Root pressure exudates Mass flow Interception Mobilisation Diffusion Mobilisation N, P, K pH Mycorrhiza Lubricant How do nutrients get to the roots?

32. Time (days) Yield (ton / ha) Theoretical yield Actual yield

33. What is limiting ? Cause of stains drought soil structure flooding nematodes N deficiency fertilization Errors diseases....?

34. Linking all the info Justus von Liebig “Yield is proportional to the amount of the most limiting nutrient” “Yield is proportional to the most limiting growth factor” Ask yourself: Do I get paid for a more homogeneous product ? What is the potential gain of precision farming and is this worth the investment……in time and equipment ?

35. From gamma to soil properties