• WHY

– Field variability exists

Why?

How? • HOW
– Assess spatial variability
What?

• WHAT
– Variable rate applications
 Field Variability

Why?

How?

What?
 Field Variability

Why?

How?

What?
 Field Variability

Why?

How?

What?
 Field Variability

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 Field Variability

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 Field Variability

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 Economic Benefit

Why?

How?

What?
 Environmental Benefit

Why?

How?

What?
 Environmental Benefit

Why?

How?

What?
 Assessing Field Variability

Why?
• Soil Sampling

• Normalized Yield Data

How?
• Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)
What?
• Topography

• Soil Maps
 Soil Sampling

Why?

How?

What?
 Soil Sampling
Grid

Why? Grid-Point Sampling Grid-Cell Sampling

How?
G
What?
Grid-Point – fields with little variability

Grid-Cell – fields with variability

10 – 15 soil cores
 Soil Sampling

Why?

How?

What? 10
5
2.5

2.5
 Soil Sampling
Grid Resolution
Why?

How?

What?
 Soil Sampling
Grid Resolution – P2O5
Why? 150 bu corn

How?

What?

2.5 acre grid 5 acre grid

 Soil Sampling
Grid Resolution – P2O5
Why? 2.5 acre grid 5 acre grid

P2O5 Area DAP Area DAP

How? (lbs/A) (A) (lbs) (A) (lbs)

Low 120 4.7 1226 8.1 2113

What?
Medium 60 12.7 1657 13.9 1813

High 0 21.6 0 17 0

Total 2883 3926

 Soil Sampling
Grid Resolution – P2O5
Using 2.5 acre2.5grid
Why? acre gridvs. 5gridacre
5 acre

How? grid saved

PO
this
Area
2
(lbs/A) (A)
5
producer
DAP
(lbs)
Area
(A)
DAP
(lbs)

What? $8.56/ac and

Low 120 4.7 1226 8.1 2113

Medium 60 12.7 1657 13.9 1813

480 lbs P2O5

High 0 21.6 0 17 0

Total 2883 3926

 Soil Sampling
Grid Resolution – K2O
Why? 150 bu corn

How?

What?

2.5 acre grid 5 acre grid

 Soil Sampling
Grid Resolution – K2O
Why? 2.5 acre grid 5 acre grid

K2O Area Potash Area Potash

How? (lbs/A) (A) (lbs) (A) (lbs)

Low 120 11.1 2220 14.2 2840

What?
Medium 60 23.1 2310 20.2 2020

High 0 4.6 0 4.5 0

Total 4530 4860

 Soil Sampling
Grid Resolution – K2O
Why? 2.5 acre grid 5 acre grid

Using 2.5 acre

PO Areagrid
2 5DAP vs.
Area 5
DAPacre
How? (lbs/A) (A) (lbs) (A) (lbs)
grid saved
Low 120
this
11.1
producer
2220 14.2 2840
What?

$2.52/ac
Medium

High
60

0
23.1

4.6
2310

0
20.2

4.5
2020

Total 4530 4860

 Zone Management

Why? Defined Management Zones

• Normalized Yield Data

How?
• Soil Electrical
What? Conductivity (EC)

• Topography

• Soil Maps
 Yield Maps

Why?

How?

What?

You Need Multiple Years of Yield Data

 Yield Maps

Why?
𝒙𝒙
𝑵𝑵 = ∗ 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
�
𝒙𝒙
How?

What?
𝒙𝒙 = 𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚 𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑𝒑
� = 𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂 𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚𝒚
𝒙𝒙
 Yield Maps
Field Average 174 bu/ac
Why?

How? 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃/𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂

= 𝟏𝟏. 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃/𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂
What?

𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃/𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂
= 𝟎𝟎. 𝟖𝟖𝟖𝟖
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝒃𝒃𝒃𝒃/𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂
 Yield Maps

Why? Average yield by zone

% of Field Corn Beans Cotton
How? Low 18 91 45 617
Medium 59 132 63 910
High 23 144 70 1025
What?
 Soil EC
6 – 23 mSiem/m

Why?
5 – 224 mSiem/m
How?

What?
 Soil EC

Why?

How?

What?
 Topography

Why?

How?

What?
 Topography

Why?

How?

What?
 Soil Type

Why?

How?

What?
 Data-Driven Decisions

Why?

How?

What?
 Variable Rate Applications
• Fertilizer
Why?
• Seeding
How? • Irrigation
• Other
What?
– Chemical application
– Manure spreading
 VR Fertilizer
If we used blanket rates of…

2500 lb/A 200 lb/A 30 lb/A

(+$6/A) (+$5/A) (+$2/A)
 VR Fertilizer
If we used blanket rates of…

2000 lb/A 200 lb/A 150 lb/A

(+$8/A) (-$2/A) (+$6/A)
 VR Fertilizer
If we used blanket rates of…

2750 lb/A 200 lb/A 30 lb/A

(+$4/A) (+$9/A) (+$4/A)
 VR Seeding

Why?

How?

What?
 VR Seeding

Why?

How?

What?
 2013
VR Seeding

Why?
Average
How? Soybean Yield
2014
by Seeding
What? Rate

*No statistical differences were

observed between seeding
rates
 VR Seeding

Why?

How?

What?
 VR Seeding
Inside versus Outside of Center Pivot

Why?

How?

What?
 VR Irrigation
• Basically it is being precise with our irrigation
Why? applications by knowing:
– When to Irrigate
How? – How often to Irrigate (frequency)
– How much to irrigate
What? – Where (spatially) to irrigate

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation

Why? • Cannot realize benefits from variable rate

fertilization, lime, seed, etc. if we do not first
properly manage water.
How?
• Water conservation and water use efficiency are
critical issues.
What? • Already regulatory actions restrict agricultural
water use.
• It is EXPENSIVE to irrigate.

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation
• Variable rate irrigation is the controlled rate and
Why? placement of water based on measured conditions.
• In many cases water is wasted throughout a field
How? due to:
– Overlap
– Field variability
What? – Wet or low area
– Poorly drained soils/Well drained soils
– Water being applied to a non-crop area
• Management control zones are developed based
on field conditions, crop needs, and feasible control
size.
Information provided by:
Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Zone Development
• Implement widths
Why? • Soil EC
• Soil Type
How? • Elevation
• Field Size
What?
• Irrigation Tower Length
• Single or Multiple Crops

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Zone Development
• How large do I want my management
zones?
Why?
– What is feasible for my operation?
– What type of field resolution do I want?
How? – How long is my irrigation tower?
– How many nozzles do I have?
What? – How wide do the management zones need to be?
– The higher the resolution the more control equipment
required.
– Two nozzles per zone would be the minimum.
– Keep in mind that smaller zones can be treated uniform
and “merged”, but larger zones cannot be divided once
the control system is implemented.

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Zone Development
• How am I currently
scheduling my irrigation?
Why? – Using VR will require a
more intensive
How? management and
scheduling strategy.
– Moisture sensors in every
What? zone? In similar zones?
– Do I want to work towards
an automated system or
would I be better off
calculating and entering
each zones needed rate
separately?
Information provided by:
Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Zone Development

Why?

How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Zone Development

Soil Electrical
Why? Conductivity, at
planting

How?

What? Aerial
Photography,8
Weeks After
Planting

Seed Cotton
Yield
Information provided by:
Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Zone Development
Yield Data
Why?
• Soil fertility, type, etc.
How? • Disease or insect pressure
• Variety differences
What?
• Poorly drained areas
• Compacted areas
• Does not point out the yield limiting variable, it
only indicates the response to it.

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Zone Development
• Identify and quantify yield variability within fields.
Why? • Use the identified zones to make management zones
and decisions.
• Use the management zones to adjust crop inputs.
How?

What?

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation – Mechanics
• A VR system requires:
Why?
– A control system for each developed zone
• Can consist of electronic or pneumatic valves
How?
– A control software for inputting the developed
zones and supplying a control signal
What? – Differential GPS (for accurate location of the
system)
– Either a variable frequency pump or pressure relief
to account for changes in flow and pressure due to
varying zones.

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 VR Irrigation

Why?
• Total area = 228 ac
How? • Not cropped area = 84 ac (37%)
What? • 84 ac × 12 in irrigation = 1008 ac-in
► $12,096
► 27.3 million gallons / year

Information provided by:

Dr. Wes Porter, UGA
 Recap
• Why?
Why?
– Spatial variability
How? • How?
– Assessing variability
What? • What?
– Variable rate applications
 Take Home Message
• Variability exists in all fields – OPTIMIZE!
Why?
• VR fertilizer application places the right
rate at the right place
How?
• Zone management requires precision ag
What? data
• VR seeding has the potential to
maximize profitability
• VR irrigation conserves water and lowers
irrigation costs
 Lori Duncan Mike Buschermohle
Biosystems Engineering Biosystems Engineering
UT Extension UT Extension
laduncan@utk.edu mbuscher@utk.edu
(865) 974-7111 (865) 974-7142