Method for prescribing site-specific fertilizer application in agricultural fields
DCFirst Claim
1. A method implemented in a computer program to provide a map of site-specific amounts of a soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to an agricultural field divided into sites, the method comprising:
- calculating for the field, from a map of site-specific field characteristic data for the field, a map for the field of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield, wherein the field characteristic is a measure of biomass produced by the field in one or more growing seasons; and
subtracting from the site-specific soil nutrient amounts for maximum yield for the field, site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field, thereby producing a map of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to the field.
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Litigations
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Accused Products
Abstract
A map of site-specific amounts of a soil nutrient, to be applied in fertilizer to an agricultural field is created using a map of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient needed to produce the maximum possible yield at the particular site. Subtracted from the site-specific amounts of nutrient needed are site-specific amounts of the nutrient currently existing in the field, thus producing the map of site-specific nutrient amounts to be added. The nutrient amounts may be added to the soil using the map and conventional variable-rate fertilizer application methods. In one embodiment, the amounts of the soil nutrient needed to produce the maximum possible yield at each site is created using a map of site-specific measures of biomass produced by the field in a past growing season or seasons, which in turn is created from a remotely sensed biomass image.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method implemented in a computer program to provide a map of site-specific amounts of a soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to an agricultural field divided into sites, the method comprising:
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calculating for the field, from a map of site-specific field characteristic data for the field, a map for the field of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield, wherein the field characteristic is a measure of biomass produced by the field in one or more growing seasons; and
subtracting from the site-specific soil nutrient amounts for maximum yield for the field, site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field, thereby producing a map of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to the field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method implemented in a computer program to provide a map of site-specific amounts of a soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to an agricultural field divided into sites, the method comprising:
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calculating for the field, from a map of site-specific measures of the biomass of one or more past crops grown in the field, a map for the field of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield;
calculating for the field, from a map of site-specific image data taken of the field in a bare soil state, a map of site-specific measures of soil brightness;
calculating site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field from at least the map of site-specific measures of soil brightness;
subtracting, from the site-specific soil nutrient amounts for maximum yield for the field, site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field, thereby producing a map of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to the field. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer program, residing on a computer-readable medium, for providing a map of site-specific amounts of a soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to an agricultural field divided into sites, the computer program comprising instructions for causing a computer to:
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calculate for the field, from a map of sate-specific field characteristic data for the field, a map for the field of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield, wherein the field characteristic is a measure of biomass produced by the field in one or more growing seasons; and
subtract, from the site-specific soil nutrient amounts for maximum yield for the field, site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field, thereby producing a map of site-specific amounts of the soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to the field. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification