Precision Management of Crop Nutrition
摘要
Precision farming has the potential to improve nutrient use efficiency by using information on soil and crop variability to better target nutrient inputs. This chapter outlines the use of precision horticulture technologies that can be used to map soil or crop properties and used as a basis for variable rate fertiliser application. Precision soil sampling can be used to map soil phosphorus and potassium levels. Typically, one sample per hectare is taken using a grid or zone-based sampling approach. Soil phosphorus and potassium maps can be converted into prescription maps for variable rate phosphorus and potassium fertiliser application. Soil pH can be mapped with a greater level of detail using commercially available in field on-the-go sensors which measure the soil pH from direct soil contact with ion selective antimony electrodes. These soil pH maps can be converted into prescription maps for variable rate lime application. In contrast to pH, phosphorus and potassium, precision management of nitrogen is based on measuring the crop rather than the soil. Crop sensing can provide valuable information on the performance of the crop across the entire planted area (spatial) and throughout the growing season (temporal) and can be used as the basis for variable rate nitrogen management. Potential benefits include increased crop yields and quality from applying the correct amount of fertiliser or lime to areas which would otherwise have been under fertilised, savings in fertiliser or lime from not overapplying to areas with high soil nutrient/pH levels, and the potential environmental benefits associated with this. Whilst the technology is well developed and commercially available, uptake has been limited by the lack of evidence to demonstrate clear and consistent yield and economic benefits.