Precision in Crop Farming (eBook)

The editor and main author – Hermann J. Heege – is Professor Emeritus of the University of Kiel and was formerly head of its Department of Agricultural Systems Engineering. He conceived and initiated the worldwide known concept of the “N Sensor”. The chapter about weed control is from Roland Gerhards, Professor of the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim. Contributions about the use of plant-fluorescence are from Eiko Thiessen, Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Agricultural Systems Engineering of the University of Kiel. Markus Demmel from the Bavarian State Research Center for Agriculture in Freising-Weihenstephan and its section head for System Engineering in Crop Farming is author of the chapter about yield sensing.

1 Introduction; Hermann Heege2 Heterogeneity in Fields: Basics of Analyses; Hermann Heege2.1 Variation and Resolution2.2 Semivariance and Semivariogram2.3 Cell Sizes2.4 Processing and Adjusting the Resolution2.5 References3 Sensing by Electromagnetic Radiation; Hermann Heege3.1 Basics in Sensing by Electromagnetic Radiation3.2 Emitted, Absorbed, Reflected and Transmitted Radiation3.3 Atmospheric Windows and Clouds3.4 Sensing from Satellites, Aerial Platforms and Field Machines3.5 Microwaves or Radar instead of Visible or Infrared Waves3.6 Using Maps or On-The-Go Control in Real-Time3.7 Georeferencing by Positioning Systems3.8 References4 Precision in Guidance of Farm Machinery; Hermann Heege4.1 Principles of Guidance4.2 Techniques of GNSS Based Guidance4.3 Economics of GNSS Based Guidance4.4 Problems and Solutions on Slopes4.5 Precision in Section Control of Farm Machines4.6 References5 Sensing of Natural Soil Properties; Hermann Heege5.1 Sensing of Topography5.2 Sensing of Soil Properties on a Volume Basis5.3 Sensing of Soil Properties on a Surface Basis by Reflectance5.4 Summary5.5 References6 Sensing of Crop Properties; Hermann Heege and Eiko Thiessen6.1 Basics of Sensing by Visible and Infrared Reflectance6.2 Defining the Reflectance by Indices6.3 Sensing Yield Potential of Crops by Reflectance6.4 Fluorescence Sensing6.5 Sensing the Water Supply of Crops by Infrared Radiation6.6 Sensing Properties of Crops by Microwaves6.7 References7 Site-Specific Soil Cultivation; Hermann Heege7.1 Basic Needs7.2 Primary Cultivation7.3 Secondary Cultivation7.4 Stubble- and Fallow Cultivation7.5 No-tillage: Prerequisites, Consequences and Prospects7.6 References8 Site-Specific Sowing; Hermann Heege8.1 Seed-Rate or Seed-Density8.2 Seed Distribution over the Area8.3 Seeding Depth8.4 Less Tillage, Crop Residues and Sowing Methods8.5 References9 Site-Specific Fertilizing; Hermann Heege9.1 Fertilizing based on Nutrient Removal by Previous Crops9.2 Fertilizing based on Soil Sensing by Ion-Selective Electrodes9.3 Fertilizing based on Reflectance of Soils9.4 Fertilizing Nitrogen based on In-Season Crop Properties9.5 Summary9.6 References10 Site-Specific Weed Control; Roland Gerhards10.1 Introduction10.2 Weed Mapping10.3 Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Weed Population10.4 Site-specific Weed Control10.5 Outlook and Perspectives10.6 References11 Site-Specific Sensing for Fungicide Spraying; Eiko Thiessen and Hermann Heege11.1 The Situation for Site-Specific Fungicide Applications11.2 The Full-Area Preventive Concept based on Biomass11.3 The Discrete-Spot Sensing Concept based on Reflectance11.4 The Discrete-Spot Sensing Concept based on Fluorescence11.5 Differentiation between N Deficiency and Effects of Fungi11.6 Summary and Prospects11.7 References12 Site-Specific Recording of Yields; Markus Demmel12.1 Introduction12.2 Principle of Site-Specific Yield Recording12.3 Yield Measurement for Combinable Crops12.4 Yield Measurement for Forage Crops12.5 Yield Sensing for Root Crops12.6 Yield Measurement for Other Crops12.7 Quality Sensing of Harvested Material12.8 Processing and Mapping of Yield Data12.9 References13 Fusions, Overlays and Management Zones; Hermann Heege13.1 Crop Growth Factors, Sensing and Information Use13.2 Sensor Fusion – Solutions and Approaches13.3 From Properties to Treatment – Map Overlay13.4 From Properties to Treatment – Management Zones13.5 References14 Summary and Perspectives; Hermann HeegeIndex