A. Rodríguez-Lizana

Development and Evaluation of a Combined Cultivator and Band Sprayer with a Row-Centering RTK-GPS Guidance System

Typically, low-pressure sprayers are used to uniformly apply pre- and post-emergent herbicides to control weeds in crop rows. An innovative machine for weed control in inter-row and intra-row areas, with a unique combination of inter-row cultivation tooling and intra-row band spraying for six rows and an electro-hydraulic side-shift frame controlled by a GPS system, was developed and evaluated. Two weed management strategies were tested in the field trials: broadcast spraying (the conventional method) and band spraying with mechanical weed control using RTK-GPS (the experimental method). This approach enabled the comparison between treatments from the perspective of cost savings and efficacy in weed control for a sugar beet crop. During the 2010–2011 season, the herbicide application rate (112 L ha−1) of the experimental method was approximately 50% of the conventional method, and thus a significant reduction in the operating costs of weed management was achieved. A comparison of the 0.2-trimmed means of weed population post-treatment showed that the treatments achieved similar weed control rates at each weed survey date. Sugar beet yields were similar with both methods (p = 0.92). The use of the experimental equipment is cost-effective on ≥20 ha of crops. These initial results show good potential for reducing herbicide application in the Spanish beet industry.

An Approach to Precise Nitrogen Management Using Hand-Held Crop Sensor Measurements and Winter Wheat Yield Mapping in a Mediterranean Environment

Regardless of the crop production system, nutrients inputs must be controlled at or below a certain economic threshold to achieve an acceptable level of profitability. The use of management zones and variable-rate fertilizer applications is gaining popularity in precision agriculture. Many researchers have evaluated the application of final yield maps and geo-referenced geophysical measurements (e.g., apparent soil electrical conductivity-ECa) as a method of establishing relatively homogeneous management zones within the same plot. Yield estimation models based on crop conditions at certain growth stages, soil nutrient statuses, agronomic factors, moisture statuses, and weed/pest pressures are a primary goal in precision agriculture. This study attempted to achieve the following objectives: (1) to investigate the potential for predicting winter wheat yields using vegetation measurements (the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index—NDVI) at the beginning of the season, thereby allowing for a yield response to nitrogen (N) fertilizer; and (2) evaluate the feasibility of using inexpensive optical sensor measurements in a Mediterranean environment. A field experiment was conducted in two commercial wheat fields near Seville, in southwestern Spain. Yield data were collected at harvest using a yield monitoring system (RDS Ceres II-volumetric meter) installed on a combine. Wheat yield and NDVI values of 3498 ± 481 kg ha−1 and 0.67 ± 0.04 nm nm−1 (field 1) and 3221 ± 531 kg ha−1 and 0.68 ± 0.05 nm nm−1 (field 2) were obtained. In both fields, the yield and NDVI exhibited a strong Pearson correlation, with rxy = 0.64 and p < 10−4 in field 1 and rxy = 0.78 and p < 10−4 in field 2. The preliminary results indicate that hand-held crop sensor-based N management can be applied to wheat production in Spain and has the potential to increase agronomic N-use efficiency on a long-term basis.

Assessing the optimal liquid volume to be sprayed on isolated olive trees according to their canopy volumes

The application of pesticides to traditional and intensive olive orchards in Southern Spain has led to environmental problems. More specifically, the lack of an accurate, useful criterion to regulate the spray volume in relation to canopy characteristics has led to spray drift and runoff, which are threats to local ecosystems. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal relationship between canopy volume and the spray application volume, called specific spray volume, CV, through laboratory and field trials. In the laboratory trial, 6 specific spray volumes (0.05, 0.08, 0.10, 0.12, 0.15, and 0.20Lm(-3)) were tested in a specially designed structure containing small, live olive trees in order to simulate an intensive plantation system. The model aimed to evaluate the coverage of pesticide application on water sensitive paper (WSP) collectors. In the field trial, the three laboratory specific spray volumes that gave the best coverage values were tested on live, intensively managed trees, whose crown volume was manually measured. Food dye E-102 was used to determine the spray deposition on artificial targets (10×10cm absorbent paper pieces), and WSP was used to evaluate spray coverage. The spray penetration and deposit homogeneity inside the canopy were also evaluated. Weather conditions during the field trial were monitored with a weather station. The results of the laboratory trial showed that the three best specific spray volumes were 0.08, 0.10, and 0.12Lm(-3), resulting in mean coverage values of approximately 30%. The ANOVA of the field trial results showed that the 0.12Lm(-3) was the optimal specific spray volume for isolated olive trees. This specific spray volume gave the highest mean deposits, the best efficiency (as measured by the greatest normalized deposit), the most favourable penetration and homogeneity, and the highest coverage values.

Testing Accuracy of Long-Range Ultrasonic Sensors for Olive Tree Canopy Measurements

Ultrasonic sensors are often used to adjust spray volume by allowing the calculation of the crown volume of tree crops. The special conditions of the olive tree require the use of long-range sensors, which are less accurate and faster than the most commonly used sensors. The main objectives of the study were to determine the suitability of the sensor in terms of sound cone determination, angle errors, crosstalk errors and field measurements. Different laboratory tests were performed to check the suitability of a commercial long-range ultrasonic sensor, as were the experimental determination of the sound cone diameter at several distances for several target materials, the determination of the influence of the angle of incidence of the sound wave on the target and distance on the accuracy of measurements for several materials and the determination of the importance of the errors due to interference between sensors for different sensor spacings and distances for two different materials. Furthermore, sensor accuracy was tested under real field conditions. The results show that the studied sensor is appropriate for olive trees because the sound cone is narrower for an olive tree than for the other studied materials, the olive tree canopy does not have a large influence on the sensor accuracy with respect to distance and angle, the interference errors are insignificant for high sensor spacings and the sensors field distance measurements were deemed sufficiently accurate.

Influence of liquid-volume and airflow rates on spray application quality and homogeneity in super-intensive olive tree canopies

Olive is a key crop in Europe, especially in countries around the Mediterranean Basin. Optimising the parameters of a spray is essential for sustainable pesticide use, especially in high-input systems, such as the super-intensive hedgerow system. Parameters may be optimised by adjusting the applied volume and airflow rate of sprays, in addition to the liquid to air proportion and the relationship between air velocity and airflow rate. Two spray experiments using a commercial airblast sprayer were conducted in a super-intensive orchard to study how varying the liquid volume rate (testing volumes of 182, 619, and 1603 l ha(-1)) and volumetric airflow rate (with flow rates of 11.93, 8.90, and 6.15 m(3) s(-1)) influences the coverage parameters and the amount and distribution of deposits in different zones of the canopy.. Our results showed that an increase in the application volume raised the mean deposit and percentage coverage, but decreased the application efficiency, spray penetration, and deposit homogeneity. Furthermore, we found that the volumetric airflow rate had a lower influence on the studied parameters than the liquid volume; however, an increase in the airflow rate improved the application efficiency and homogeneity to a certain threshold, after which the spray quality decreased. This decrease was observed in the high-flow treatment. Our results demonstrate that intermediate liquid volume rates and volumetric airflow rates are required for the optimal spraying of pesticides on super-intensive olive crops, and would reduce current pollution levels.