Project Information

Objectives
The following are the objectives of FarmFUSE:

• To measure key soil properties with the on-line multi-sensor platform in selected fields.
• To measure crop cover characteristics and crop stresses (including pest, and diseases) using relevant multi-sensor platform.
• To develop data fusion algorithms to support the delineation of management zones.
• To implement relevant advanced geostatistical methods to produce management zones and recommendation maps of VR N, P and K fertilisation and spraying.
• To integrate different layers of data, and recommendation maps into a FMIS, which is accessible by the end users.
• To implement the recommendation maps developed in the selected demonstration fields.
• To carry out cost/benefit analysis to evaluate the profitability/loss of the system proposed.

Proposed system

The proposed system solution will be based on the following two points:
(a) utilising an innovative on-line vis-NIR multi-sensor platform that collects geo-located soil measurements at an appropriate resolution for PA decision support.
(b) Integrating this improved soil data with other information such as vehicle-borne sensing of crop growth and development, weather data, soil conductivity and yield maps, to develop algorithms to determine rules for VR application. These can then be implemented from within the soil and crop information system or FMIS.
The vision for the final integrated system would be a server that would allow end users to access and download data including maps of soil, crop and yield in addition to recommendations about site specific applications. The resultant treatment maps would then be uploaded to PA compatible implements for site specific application of inputs. Near real-time crop growth and development monitoring following treatment will be fed back into the soil-crop information system to refine the algorithms used.