INTENSIVE VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH APPRECIABLE NO3- CONTAMINATION OF WATER BODIES, AS OCCURS WITH THE GREENHOUSE-BASED SYSTEM OF SOUTH-EASTERN SPAIN. ESSENTIAL TO REDUCING NO3- LEACHING LOSS FROM VEGETABLE PRODUCTION IS IMPROVING N USE EFFICIENCY. THE COMBINED FERTIGATION AND DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS USED IN ALMERIA AND ELSEWHERE HAVE THE TECHNICAL CAPACITY FOR SPOON-FEEDING N TO CROPS AS REQUIRED, BECAUSE OF VERY FREQUENT SMALL APPLICATIONS OF N. CURRENTLY, GROWERS MANAGE N BY EXPERIENCE USING STANDARD RECIPES.

diagnosis in field - big data driven reason clarification of satellite captured differences in field location The main objective of the project 'BigPicture - Diagnosis in the field: Big-Data-based determination of causes for satellite-image-derived and site-specific variations.” which is to be conducted from August 2016 until January 2019, is to use the characteristics or symptoms of plants detected by satellite sensors to derive distinct diagnoses to their causes. The goal is to make appropriate crop treatment decisions based on this information.

Methods for feasible detection of scoring data and usage for varible plant protection in arable farming The spare use of pesticides is essential not only for economic reasons but also for reasons of nature and environmental protection. Our aim is to develop a method by which farmers and contractors easily and with the aid of software tools can rate crops. These data can be used to create a map for site-specific application of pesticides and then send to the existing technology (sprayer with GPS section control).

Development of an extreme weather monotoring to assess the risks and for provision of decision support in extreme weather management for agriculture The project aims to develop and implement an extreme weather monitoring und risk assessment system (EMRA) which quantifies the acute, chronic and future risk potential of extreme weather events for agricultural production as well as to provide practical decision support tools for the agricultural extreme weather management.

Generation of agricultural maps for yield potential by fusion of yield mapping, remote sensing, digital relief maps and cultivation data One of the most important parameter for agricultural crop production is the expected yield potential of a specific crop species at each location. Based on the yield potential an optimization of the cultivation method and the specific production intensity can be performed.

Development of a electronic SmartHarvest-System for damage-free sugarbeet harvest# In 2017, the current sugar market regime will cut-off, and the acreage of the German sugar beet crop will substantially increase, thereby enabling a longer processing campaign and cost reduction per unit of sugar. As a consequence, the amount of beets stored in field piles for up to 3 month will increase. Under such conditions, long-term storage assuring low sugar losses is paramount. Storage losses and invert sugar formation are known to increase if the beets were damaged at harvest.

development of a robotic solution for slugs and mice control Slugs can cause substantial damages in agricultural plant production. Existing methods to fight those slugs do not deliver satisfying results. Therefore the MSR-bot-Project aims to develop a robot that detects slugs and fights them using a manipulator. The planed robot navigates autonomously across agricultural land. It detects slugs using digital image processing. The robot is provided with a control that enables the device to anticipate the development of the slug population.