Crop-specific automated irrigation and nutrient management

• US 10,512,226 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Earthtec Solutions, LLC
• Original Assignee: Earthtec Solutions, LLC
• Inventors: Lankford, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Tien Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans, Ebony E
• Application Number:
  US14/232,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20150040473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,717 Days
• Field of Search: 700283, 700284, 700281, 700282, 700275, 47 581 SC, 137 782, 137 783
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/092 movable around a pivot centre
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/16 Control of watering
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/10 in agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/22 Improving land use; Improving water use or availability; Controlling erosion

Abstract

Crop-specific automated irrigation include environmental medium and management of nutrients. Operation of an irrigation apparatus can be regulated according to specific water demand of a crop. The water demand can be assessed by evaluating water content conditions of the environmental medium comprising the crop, medium characteristics, and/or nutrient delivery and transport characteristics at the medium. Regulation of operation of the irrigation apparatus can comprise control of one or more of water supply to the apparatus, positioning and/or movement of the irrigation apparatus, or configuration of sensing devices for collection of information suitable for such regulation.

Claims

1. A method for field irrigation, comprising:

accessing information indicative of a plurality of soil types in a field, wherein each soil type of the plurality of soil types has an associated irrigation requirement;

generating information indicative of a partitioning of the field into a plurality of zones, wherein at least one zone of the plurality of zones is associated with one or more soil types of the plurality of soil types;

determining a net change in moisture percentage for each zone of the plurality of zones, wherein the net change in the moisture percentage is determined for each zone of the plurality of zones by determining a difference between a current soil moisture percentage, based on a measurement at an active root zone, and a field capacity soil moisture percentage based on a measurement in each zone of the plurality of zones;

determining an irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones based at least on the associated irrigation requirement of each soil type of the plurality of soil types; and

determining an irrigation sequence order for each zone of the plurality of zones based on the net change in moisture percentage, the irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones, and an irrigation demand ratio for each zone of the plurality of zones, wherein the irrigation demand ratio for a respective zone of the plurality of zones is a difference between the field capacity soil moisture percentage and a trigger soil moisture percentage for each soil type of the plurality of soil types within the respective zone divided by the net change in moisture percentage for the respective zone.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring irrigation of the field based on a plurality of irrigation factors resulting from determining the irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising irrigating the field according to an irrigation configuration resulting from configuring the irrigation of the field.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein irrigating the field according to the irrigation configuration comprises moving an irrigation apparatus while releasing water.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein irrigating the field according to the irrigation configuration further comprises moving the irrigation apparatus without releasing water.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein moving the irrigation apparatus without releasing water comprises moving the irrigation apparatus to a zone of the plurality of zones prior to the zone reaching a moisture trigger point for irrigation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the irrigation apparatus is a center pivot.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the information indicative of the partitioning of the field comprises determining, for each zone of the plurality of zones, a length of an arc on a circumference determined by the center pivot, and wherein the arc demarcates an initial boundary of a zone of the plurality of zones and a terminal boundary of the zone.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones comprises generating a schedule for irrigation of at least one soil type of the plurality of soil types.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the schedule for irrigation of at least one of the plurality of soil types comprises determining a spatio-temporal pattern of irrigation for the plurality of zones.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the schedule for irrigation of the at least one soil type of the plurality of soil types comprises determining an initial irrigation event and an irrigation duration.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the irrigation sequence order comprises determining a trigger soil moisture percentage for each soil type of the plurality of soil types.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the irrigation sequence order further comprises determining the field capacity soil moisture percentage for each soil type of the plurality of soil types.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the net change in moisture percentage for each zone comprises measuring soil moisture level for at least one soil type of the plurality of soil types.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the irrigation sequence order further comprises assigning an irrigation priority to each zone according to the irrigation demand ratio, wherein a higher irrigation priority is assigned to a higher irrigation demand ratio.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the information indicative of the partitioning of the field comprises computing an area of the at least one zone of the plurality of zones.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the information indicative of the partitioning of the field comprises computing an area for each zone of the plurality of zones.

18. A system, comprising:

a memory comprising computer-executable instructions; and

a processor functionally coupled to the memory and configured, by the computer-executable instructions, to perform at least the following actions;

access information indicative of a plurality of soil types in a field, wherein each soil type of the plurality soil types has an associated irrigation requirement;

generate information indicative of a partitioning of the field into a plurality of zones, wherein at least one zone of the plurality of zones is associated with one or more soil types of the plurality of soil types;

determine a net change in moisture percentage for each zone of the plurality of zones, wherein the net change in the moisture percentage is determined for each zone of the plurality of zones by determining a difference between a current soil moisture percentage based on a measurement at an active root zone, and a field capacity soil moisture percentage, based on a measurement in each zone, of the plurality of zones;

determine an irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones based at least on the associated irrigation requirement of each soil type of the plurality of soil types; and

determine an irrigation sequence order for each zone of the plurality of zones based on the net change in moisture percentage, the irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones, and an irrigation demand ratio for each zone of the plurality of zones, wherein the irrigation demand ratio for a respective zone of the plurality of zones is a difference between the field capacity soil moisture percentage and a trigger soil moisture percentage for each soil type of the plurality of soil types within the respective zone divided by the net change in moisture percentage for the respective zone.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to configure irrigation of the field based on a plurality of irrigation factors resulting from determining the irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the field to be irrigated according to an irrigation configuration resulting from configuring the irrigation of the field.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein irrigating the field according to the irrigation configuration comprises moving an irrigation apparatus while releasing water.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein irrigating the field according to the irrigation configuration further comprises moving the irrigation apparatus without releasing water.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein moving the irrigation apparatus without releasing water comprises moving the irrigation apparatus to a zone of the plurality of zones prior to the zone reaching a moisture trigger point for irrigation.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the irrigation apparatus is a center pivot.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the computer-executable instructions that cause the processor to generate the information indicative of the partitioning of the field further cause the processor to determine, for each zone of the plurality of zones, a length of an arc on a circumference determined by the center pivot, and wherein the arc demarcates an initial boundary of a zone of the plurality of zones and a terminal boundary of the zone.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer-executable instructions that cause the processor to determine the irrigation factor for each zone of the plurality of zones further cause the processor to generate a schedule for irrigation of at least one soil type of the plurality of soil types.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the computer-executable instructions that cause the processor to generate the schedule for irrigation of the at least one of the plurality of soil types further cause the processor to determine a spatio-temporal pattern of irrigation of the plurality of zones.