Method for prescribing site-specific fertilizer application in agricultural fields

• US 7,171,912 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Farmer's Edge Inc (Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: The Mosaic Company
• Inventors: Su, Haiping, Harroun, Paul Joseph, Lindgren, Timothy A., Fraisse, Clyde
• Primary Examiner(s): BATSON, VICTOR D
• Application Number:
  US11/085,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 687 Days
• Field of Search: 111/200, 111/118, 111/119, 111/120, 111/127, 111/128, 111/129, 111/903, 700/46, 700/283, 700/89, 382/110, 382/191, 701/50, 702/2, 702/5, 702/50, 239/1, 239/61
• US Class Current: 111/118
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 49/06 for sowing or fertilising
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/007 Determining fertilization requirements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/21 Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/90 Methods of planting seeds and miscellaneous compositions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/903 Monitor

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.

Claims

1. A method implemented in at least one 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 site-specific measures for soil nutrient existing in the field;

calculating for the field, by use of a map of site-specific measures of a soil wetness index, a map of site-specific amounts of soil nutrients needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield; and

subtracting, from the site-specific amounts of soil nutrient needed to produce at each site a maximum yield, the site-specific measures for soil nutrient existing in the field, thereby producing a map of site-specific amounts of soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to the field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the soil nutrient is nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the soil nutrient is organic fertilizer or manure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the soil nutrient is a micronutrient.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the micronutrient is Zn or Fe.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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; and

calculating the site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field from at least the map of site-specific measures of soil brightness.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field are calculated from at least a map of a site-specific measure of soil electrical conductivity.

8. 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;

calculate site-specific measures for soil nutrient existing in the field;

calculate, for the field, a map of site-specific measures of a soil wetness index;

calculate for the field, from the map of site-specific measures of a soil wetness index, a map of site-specific amounts of soil nutrient needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield; and

subtract, from the site-specific amounts of soil nutrient needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield, the site-specific measures of soil nutrient existing in the field, thereby producing a map of site-specific amounts of soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to the field.

9. The computer program of claim 8, wherein the soil nutrient is nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium.

10. The computer program of claim 8, wherein the soil nutrient is organic fertilizer or manure.

11. The computer program of claim 8, wherein the soil nutrient is a micronutrient.

12. The computer program of claim 11, wherein the micronutrient is Zn or Fe.

13. The computer program of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the computer to:

calculate 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; and

calculate the site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field from at least the map of site-specific measures of soil brightness.

14. The computer program of claim 8, wherein the instructions cause the site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field to be calculated from at least a map of site-specific measure of soil electrical conductivity.

15. A method implemented in at least one 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 site-specific measures for the soil nutrient existing in the field;

calculating a map for the agricultural field of site-specific soil nutrient amounts needed to produce at each site a maximum possible crop yield by use of a map of site-specific field characteristic data for the agricultural field generated using a satellite image of the agricultural field; and

subtracting, from the site-specific soil nutrient amounts for maximum yield for the field, the site-specific measures for soil nutrient existing in the field, thereby producing a map of site-specific amounts of soil nutrient to be applied in fertilizer to the field.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the field characteristic is a measure of biomass produced by the field in one or more past growing seasons.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating, from a map of site-specific image data taken of the field during one or more past growing seasons, a map of site-specific measures of a leaf area index, the leaf area index serving as a measure of biomass produced by the field.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating, from a map of site-specific image data taken of the field during one or more past growing seasons, a map of site-specific measures of a vegetation index, the vegetation index serving as a measure of biomass produced by the field.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating, from a topographic map for the field, a map of site-specific measures of a soil wetness index, the wetness index serving as the field characteristic.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the soil nutrient is nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the soil nutrient is organic fertilizer or manure.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the soil nutrient is a micronutrient.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the micronutrient is Zn or Fe.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

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; and

calculating the site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field from at least the map of site-specific measures of soil brightness.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the site-specific measures of the soil nutrient existing in the field are calculated from at least a map of site-specific measure of soil electrical conductivity.