Fusion of multi-source and multi-sensor information on soil and crop for optimised crop production system
Final report
Fusion of multi-source and multi-sensor information on soil and crop for optimised crop production systemCall: ICT and Automation for a Greener Agriculture
Id: 14303
Acronym: FarmFUSE
Duration:
Tuesday, 9 May, 2017
Consortium:
| No | Partner | Contact | Country | Total 1000€ | Funded 1000€ | Funder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Coord. | Faculty of bioscience engineering, Ghent University | Abdul Mouazen | Belgium | 172.0 | 154.8 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| 2 | Agricultural Engineering Laboratory Department of Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering School of Agriculture Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Environment Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | Dimitrios Moshou | Greece | 166.2 | 142.2 | Managing Authority of the Rural Development Plan Ministry of Rural Development & Food |
| 3 | Professorship for Geodesy and Geoinformatics Chair of Geodesy and Geoinformatics Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Rostock University | Ralf Bill | Germany | 163.3 | 139.3 | Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture |
| 4 | Vocational School of Technical Science Uludag University | Yucel Tekin | Turkey | 92.5 | 92.5 | Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey |
| 5 | tec5 AG | Steffen Piecha | Germany | 46.3 | 34.7 | Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture |
| 6 | Professorship for Geodesy and Geoinformatics Chair of Geodesy and Geoinformatics Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Rostock University | Jens Wiebensohn | Germany |
Links:
Main results:
Results showed that the on-line multi-sensor platform to provide accurate measurement of key soil properties. The largest accuracy was reported for moisture content, organic carbon and total nitrogen. Moderate accuracy was reported for phosphorous, calcium, sodium, pH and cation exchange capacity. A new hybrid self-organizing map (SOM) and k-means algorithm for delineation of management zones maps showed better separation of clusters when compared with the standard k-means algorithm. The architecture of a FMIS was defined and a prototype is running. The cost-benefit analysis revealed FarmFUSE concept to be profitable to the partner farmers across the three experimental farms in Europe. Farmers’ feedback was positive about the project findings and supportive to become early adopters.
Exploitation:
A FarmingTruth Ltd was established in the UK to provide services to the farmers at annually paid fees. However, this still needs further development to go through a demonstration phase before it becomes operational. A first generation of a tec5 partner’s embedded spectrometer platform was developed, and designated as tecSaaS platform, which was further developed under the CasiNIR R&D project. The final product is now commercially available since the end of 2016, and can be utilized not only in agriculture e.g., measurement of manure and soil but in other industrial applications outside FarmFUSE remit e.g., in the galvanic industry. In Turkey, Kayseri Sugar Factory, a big cooperative having about 10000 farmers is interested in establishing a precision agriculture service provider in Turkey.
Publications:
Dissemination:
The results of the FarmFUSE project were disseminated through publication in national and international journals and by presenting findings in national and international workshops and conferences. In Turkey, Prof. Dr. Yucel Tekin presented the project findings in a Precision Agriculture workshop in Tokat in 2016, where a member of parliaments, city Mayor and companies attended. Another important meeting was held with the general directorate of agricultural research and policy in Turkey, who expressed large interest in soil mapping and on-line vis-NIR sensor. FarmFUSE results were also presented by the project coordinator in key invited seminars attended by policy makers, farmers and industry in the EU. Part of the project results were communicated on the project website (http://www.farmfuse.eu). This also included a username and password enabled access to the FMIS, which was tested by project farmers and partners. Selected datasets from each farm can be found in the Farm Information section on the project website, which is hosted by partner Rostock University and is open for further data sets and developments. The implemented software prototype was discussed with partners, enterprises and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). Components will be re-used in the GeoWebAgri-II project funded by EU ICT.
Illustrations:
Approved:
1
Proposal summary:
Ignoring the inherited spatial variation in soil properties with traditional sampling methods leads to poor crop management, yield loss and excess use of input. The proposed system of FarmFUSE addresses these issues in 2 ways: (a) utilising a new and innovative on-line multi-sensor platform for measuring key soil properties at high sampling resolution. (b) Integrating this improved soil data with other information such as vehicle-borne sensing of crop growth, weather data, soil conductivity and yield maps, to develop algorithms to determine rules for variable rate application. These information are then integrated into a FMIS. The final integrated system is a server that allows end users to access and upload data including maps of soil, crop, yield and variable rate recommendations.
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