AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT AND PROCEDURE FOR ON-THE-GO SOIL NITRATE TESTING

• US 20180310464A1
• Filed: 04/27/2017
• Published: 11/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Zemenchik, Robert A., Huenemann, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 10,820,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 63/111 regulating working depth of implements
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 63/16 with wheels adjustable relatively to the frame
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 76/00 Parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, not provided for in groups A01B51/00 - A01B75/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/007 Determining fertilization requirements
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/062 Devices for making drills or furrows
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2033/245 for agricultural purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3563 for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/24 Earth materials G01N33/42 takes precedence

Abstract

An agricultural implement includes a chassis and a shank or shanks carried by the chassis. The shank or shanks include an on-the-go nitrate-N sensor or sensors. Nitrate-N conditions are determined for at least first and second zones at different soil depths, either by multiple sensors carried on one or multiple shanks during a single pass of the agricultural implement, a single sensor carried first at the first depth and thereafter at the second depth during multiple passes of the agricultural implement, or a sensor moved between the first and second zones during a single pass of the agricultural implement. Rates for applying additional nitrogen can be calculated from the determined conditions, and the application rates and determined conditions can be mapped.

Claims

1. An agricultural implement for soil testing procedures, comprising:

a chassis;

at least one shank carried by said chassis, said shank including a shank body configured to penetrate a soil surface, and at least one on-the-go sensor operatively deployed on the shank body; and

a depth control mechanism configured for deploying the at least one sensor at different selected operating depths in the soil, including at least at a first depth within a first depth zone and at a second depth within a second depth zone.

2. The implement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one on-the-go sensor includes first and second on-the-go sensors operatively deployed on a single shank body.

3. The implement according to claim 2, wherein said first and second on-the-go sensors are nitrate-N sensors.

4. The implement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one shank includes first and second shanks having first and second shank bodies, respectively;

and said at least one on-the-go sensor includes first and second on-the-go sensors operatively deployed on said first and second shanks, respectively and deployed at said first and second depths, respectively.

5. The implement according to claim 4, wherein said first and second on-the-go sensors are nitrate-N sensors.

6. The implement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one shank is a single shank, said at least one on-the-go sensor is a single on-the-go sensor carried on said single shank, and said a depth control mechanism is configured to place said single sensor selectively within said first zone or within said second zone.

7. The implement according to claim 6, wherein said single on-the-go sensor is a nitrate-N sensor.

8. The implement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one on-the-go sensor is a nitrate-N sensor.

9. The implement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one on-the-go sensor is an optical sensor.

10. The implement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one on-the-go sensor is configured for transient infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

11. A soil testing procedure for field testing nitrate-N in the soil, comprising steps of:

providing an agricultural implement with a chassis, at least one shank carried by said chassis and configured to penetrate a soil surface, and at least one on-the-go nitrate-N sensor operatively deployed on the shank;

deploying and operating the at least one nitrate-N sensor at a first depth in the soil;

determining a nitrate-N condition in a first depth zone of the soil;

deploying and operating the at least one nitrate-N sensor at a second depth in the soil; and

determining a nitrate-N condition in a second depth zone of the soil.

12. The soil testing procedure of claim 11, further comprising providing first and second on-the-go nitrate-N sensors on one shank and simultaneously deploying and operating said first and second nitrate-N sensors in said first and second zones, respectively.

13. The soil testing procedure of claim 11, further comprising providing the at least one shank as first and second shanks including first and second on-the-go nitrate-N sensors on the first and second shanks, respectively;

and simultaneously deploying and operating one of said first and second on-the-go nitrate-N sensors in said first zone and the other of said first and second on-the-go nitrate-N sensors in the said second zone.

14. The soil testing procedure of claim 11, wherein said steps of deploying and operating include deploying and operating a single on-the-go nitrate-N sensor at said first depth in said first zone and at said second depth in said second zone in successive deployments and operations one after the other.

15. The soil testing procedure of claim 11, wherein said at least one on the-the-go sensor is configured for transient infrared reflectance spectroscopy.

16. The soil testing procedure of claim 11, further comprising at least one of the additional steps of:

calculating a rate for the application of nitrogen based on the determined nitrate-N conditions in the first and second depth zones;

mapping an area to display the existing nitrate-N conditions; and

mapping an area to display the rates of nitrogen to be applied based on the determined nitrate-N conditions.