A SEMINAR REPORT ON

Semi-Automatic VRT-Based Fertilization System Utilizing GPS

Presented By Mr. Hemchandra R. Pawar T. E. - (AGRIL. ENGG. )

Under the Guidance of Mr.: A. J. Deokar

Department of Agricultural Engg.

S.V.E.R.IS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING PANDHARPUR. (2006-2007)

E-mail Pawar.hemchandra@rediffmail.com

This is to certify that, the seminar report entitled,

Semi-Automatic VRT-Based Fertilization System Utilizing GPS

has been duly completed by Mr. HEMCHANDRA R. PAWAR of third year Agricultural Engg. During the academic session 2006-2007 in satisfactory manner in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING SOLAPUR UNIVERSITY, SOLAPUR.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, PANDHARPUR. (Mr.: A. J. DEOKAR) (Prof. A. V. Zambare)

Guide H.O.D. (Prof. B. P. Ronge) PRINCIPAL

I feel happy in forwarding this seminar report as an image of sincere efforts. The successful seminar reflects my work, effort of my guide in giving me good information. My sincere thanks to my guide respected Mr. A.J. DEOKAR who has been a constant source of inspiration and guiding star in achieving my goal. I give my special thanks to respected H.O.D. Prof. Mr. A.V. Zambare for their constant interest and encouragement throughout the completion of my seminar. I express my deep gratitude to all staff members who lend me their valuable support and co-operation to enable me to complete my seminar successfully.

I am also equally indebted to our principal PROF. B.P. RONGE for his valuable help whenever needed.

Mr.HEMCHANDRA R.PAWAR T.E. (AGRICULTURAL ENGG.)

INDEX

1. 2. 3. 4.

Abstract 4 Introduction .. 5 VRT (Variable Rate Treatment) 5 Materials and methods 7 i. GPS Technology... 7 ii. VRT controller ... 8 iii. Sprayers and Spreaders . 9 iv. Hydraulic system. 9 v. Grid soil sampling . 10 vi. Developing GPS guided VRT system 10 vii. Using DGPS and RTK technology .. 11 viii. VRT based system. 12

5. Case study 15 6. Conclusion 18 7. References. 19

ABRACT
. Variable Rate Treatment (VRT) is one of the most growing arenas in the agricultural engineering field. Employing real-time GPS positioning methods, made it easy to build accurately guided machines. On the other hand, environmental concerns made it necessary to apply Variable Rate Treatment (VRT) concept in fertilization. Precise fertilizer application is used widely where fully automatic systems are extensively presented commercially. In this research, a new semi-automatic system is designed and developed locally. The proposed system employs a real time GPS positioni.ng system to guide a tractor mounted rotary spreader to apply phosphate to the field. In order to estimate soil requirements, the field was divided into a 50-meter mesh grid and soil samples were collected from eight GPS defined locations. Soil analysis results were mapped and studied to determine the needed amount of Calcium Super Phosphate to be added per hectare and a prescription map was developed. In order to evaluate system performance and its feasibility, soil chemical analyses of the same GPS defined locations were made after applying the fertilizers using the designed system. It was noticed that assessment of VRT-based systems is clearly stated anywhere in the literature. Different methods of performance assessment are presented in this research. The developed system was tested and evaluated in AI-Oha experimental farm, UAE University.

INTRODUCTION
VRT (Variable Rate Treatment): VRT is the implementation of gathered information and decisions for site specific agriculture. VRT consists of the machines and systems for applying a desired rate of crop production materials at a specific time (and, by implication, a specific location). Materials: Seed Fertilizer Pesticides

By definition, VRT implies that the rate varies, although sometimes simply maintaining a constant rate is challenge. By rate, we generally mean:

And is usually expressed as (lb/acre, gal/acre, kg/ha, l/ha) and typically we consider this as: Application rate =flow rate of material/ rate of land coverage = material discharge rate/ land rate. area/tLand rate is the product of implements width and ground speed Land rate = width (length)*speed (length/ time)

Historically, VRT methods were introduced by industry during the mid-1980s. Dry nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer application rates were simultaneously varied on commercial spreader applicators based on a predetermined map strategy (developed from earlier data collection such as photographically derived soil maps or grid sampling). Farmer-owned machinery has been equipped with VRT for fertilizer applications requiring a standard liquid blend. Variable rate treatment is one of the most promising technologies in the agricultural systems arena for the surrounding environment, in addition to its economical feasibility. The concept itself is based on the belief that the field cannot be treated as one unit because of the variation among its finite areas. Fully automatic granular fertilizer broadcasting systems are widely available in most of the developed countries. In this research, a semi-automatic GPS-guided system is designed, built and tested. Many mechanized crop producers and agribusinesses are fascinated with precision agriculture technology, but adoption has lagged behind the expectations. Among the reasons for slow adoption of precision agriculture technology is that initial users focused excessively on infield benefits from variable-rate fertilizer application using Global Positioning Systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GHS), yield monitoring sensors, and computer controlled within field variable rate application (VRA) equipment. ASAE standard (1999) was used to evaluate uniformity distribution of granular broadcast spreaders in one direction. The evaluation process had two considerable bases. It evaluated the uniformity distribution compared to machine path and compared readings to its average. It is crucial to evaluate the whole GPS-guided Variable rate fertilizer applicator to judge the feasibility of using it. In this research, two evaluation indexes were presented to assess performance of the VRA system as a function of distribution uniformity. The resulted indices would not be possible without refereeing to geostatistics studies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: GPS technology: Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers provide a method for determining location anywhere on the earth. Accurate, automated position tracking with GPS receivers allows farmers and agricultural service providers to automatically record data and apply variable rates of inputs to smaller areas within larger fields.

A GPS receiver can be compared with a simple AM or FM radio. A GPS receiver listens for the signals that are broadcast from the satellites of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) Global Positioning System. Orbiting around the earth at an altitude of 12,550 miles, these satellites are in predictable locations; hence, we refer to the system of satellites as the GPS constellation. Each satellite broadcasts almanac information containing the position of all satellites in the constellation. GPS receivers use the almanac to determine the position of the satellites. Minor variations in the orbits of the satellites occur due to gravitational forces from the sun and the moon. The DOD continuously monitors. The satellites and adjusts the almanac information to represent the actual orbits of the satellites. The broadcast signals also contain a precisely timed predictable code that a GPS receiver can use to determine how long the signal required to reach the receiver. A microprocessor within a GPS receiver uses these delays and the position of the satellite to calculate the distance to each satellite, and then uses this information to determine location through triangulation. Triangulation is a mathematical method for locating points on a plane in threedimensional space. If the distances to each of three satellites and your approximate Installation GPS antennas should be mounted on the centerline of a combine, tractor or truck and above any part of the machinery that might obstruct a line of sight to a satellite. If the cab is centered and the top of the cab is above important for most agricultural applications and especially, for guidance with applicators and aircraft. New technology in GPS receivers has shortened reacquisition time. Receivers that can track 8-12 satellites are less susceptible to acquisition loss. Width is usually fixed by the m/c or vehicle but ground speed is highly variabl VRT controller: The core of the VRT system is the flow rate controller. The heart of variable rate application lies in the controller, which is a microprocessor or PC-type computer that ties in with the machinery and controls and monitors application rates. A controller may be built specifically for a system, or may be an entirely separate unit that can operate on many different types of machinery. A controller may specifically control only one type of application (ie. sprayers), or may control six channels through which different seeds, herbicides and fertilizers may be applied simultaneously. Most controllers contain a ten year non-volatile memory.

Many controllers are used simultaneously with a laptop PC in the cab of the tractor, with this system and DGPS an operator may see his/her position on the display as they move through the field as well as the application rates, speeds, etc. Controllers that do not work directly with a PC have some type of LCD display that shows application rates, travel speed, amount applied, area covered etc. for most units described below this will be referred to as travel and application information. Essentially, the flow control system receives the set point flow rate from the application system (likely a GPS / GIS system on-board the vehicle and then manipulates a number of actuators in an attempt to adjust the actual flow rate to match the set point. At this point the error would be zero. There are two general types of control systems, open-loop and closed-loop. The open-loop system does not use any sensors to determine feedback information. The actual rate is inferred from actuator settings. This is roughly equivalent to driving a car with no speedometer and attempting to control speed by your foot position on the throttle. You have no speed feedback (the speedometer) and you don't know how to compensate for wind, vehicle loading or slope. This approach is cheap but not adequate for the control. With closed-loop control, the feedback is used to correct actual rate. In the case of liquid application, flowmeter is generally used for feedback.
Sprayer and Spreader Technology:

In order for VRT electronic controllers to properly function, the mechanical technology must exist that can change rates accurately in response to the control units. Traditionally sprayer and spreader systems have been PTO driven, with rate control from the engine rotor; however, this was for constant rates, and some uncontrolled rate variability remained. This problem has been solved primarily through the use of hydraulic drive motors for chemical injection control and granular metering. Systems that have remained PTO driven have been controlled via maintaining a very high chemical/carrier pressure, with a pressure relief valve to maintain the desired nozzle pressure. Solenoid valves are increasing in use due to the direct and accurate electronic control allowed; a solenoid valve may be connected to a nozzle and be opened for a fraction of a second in order to release a precise amount of chemical at a desired pressure and droplet size. Droplet atomizers or micronizers are available to decrease the size of fluid droplets, thus increasing the surface area of the applied chemical.

Hydraulic System A simple hydraulic system was designed and installed on the tractor using the available hydraulic resources in the tractor. As shown in Fig. 2, the system consisted of flow and pressure meters, flow control valve and low speed hydraulic motor. Due to temperature concerns in this part of the world where ambient temperature exceeds 50C, oil temperature before and after flow control valve was monitored using two thermometers. A Praker Haniffen M030 gerotor drives the calibrated rotary broadcasting spreader. The angle between motor shaft and the spreader drive shaft exceeded 20 when spreader was lifted to the upper level of the hydraulic hitching mechanism. A 2-universal joint shaft was used to connect the two shafts together.
GRID SOIL SAMPLING

Grid soil sampling is a commonly used method for assessing variability in soil fertility and provides the basis for variable rate fertilizer recommendations. In order to estimate soil requirements, the field was gridded in 50-meter mesh and soil samples were collected from eight

Fig.1. GPS identified locations for soil sampling.

GPS defined locations. Soil analysis results were mapped and studied to find out the needed amount of Calcium Super Phosphate to be added per hectare. In order to evaluate system performance and its feasibility, soil chemical analysis of the same GPS defined locations, were carried out no later than two ours after applying the fertilizers using the designed system under.

Developing the GPS-Guided VRT System: A semi-automatic real time GPS guided, VRT-based system was developed locally. A 75 HP Fiat tractor was used to vehicle and energize system components where traditional hydraulic resources of the tractor were used as a power source to power a rotary spreader. System operation depended on using GPS sensors to precisely locate the vehicle's coordinate in the field and using a specially developed prescription table to add the prescribed amount of fertilizer in the associated location. To map P205 level in an experimental field with 50-meter mesh grid, eight soil samples were collected from GPS-identified sites in the field. The prescription table was developed as a result of knowing nutrient level in the field's different plots and next crop requirements. Rhodes was the regular forage crop on the farm. A laptop received coordinates information from a GPS unit where it was displayed and recorded. The driver followed the instructions on the laptop to change hydraulic valve settings to change hydraulic motor RPM accordingly. The spreader was calibrated according to ASAE Standard 341.3 (1999) and the overall system was calibrated. The calibration of the overall system was performed to develop the relationship between control valve setting and the broadcasting rate. A color code of the valve settings was developed as a result of both system calibration and prescription table for the three presumably homogenous zones. The developed color code is a simple control guide to fit to the driver's educational profile. According to soil sample analysis, the field was divided into three, presumably, homogenous areas. Corresponding fertilizer application rates were calculated according to technical recommendations and soil analysis results. The Green, Red, Blue (G, R, and B) code was shown in the control valve area in front of the driver. As shown in Fig., coordinate information flowed from the GPS receiver to the laptop, which displayed it in front of the driver. According to the prescription table and the color code of valve settings, the software advised the driver of what valve setting was needed in this specific location

as a color message. When the driver changed a valve setting to the recommended one, hydraulic motor speed changed along with spreader RPM and broadcasting rate. Using DGPS and RTK Techniques: The DGPS approach used corrections of the code measurements computed at the base (reference station) to eliminate similar correlated measurement errors at the rover. This included satellite clock biases and orbital errors as well as atmospheric (ionosphere and troposphere) errors. The corrections are combined and formulated as range corrections, which are estimated as the difference between the measured and the true satellite-to-receiver ranges, where the latter are computed from the known coordinates of the base station and the observed satellites. The base corrections are transmitted to the rover through data links. On the other hand, the RTK positioning technique uses either phase measurements or their corrections sent from the base to determine rover positions accurate to the cm level. Due to data latency, which is the time taken to gather and send the data from the reference to the rover; the corrections are sent instead of the raw measurements of the base. This is because of the fact that the corrections change slowly with time while the raw measurements change rapidly. In addition, due to latency, a method of predicting the phase corrections at the exact instant of measurement of collection at the rover should be employed, which should take into consideration the expected type of rover dynamics. From the known position of the base station, its phase measurements can be constructed, and after solving for the carrier phase ambiguities On-The-Fly (OTF), a model similar to that of code measurements, can be used to determine the coordinates of the rover receiver. VRT-Based Systems: Present commercial VRT systems are either: 1. Map-based, requiring a GPS/DGPS georeferenced location system and a command unit that stores an application plan of the desired application rate for each location within the field 2. Sensor-based, which does not require a georeferenced location system, but includes a dynamic command unit that specifies application through real-time analysis of soil and/or crop sensor measurements, for each location within the field as it is encountered. Lida et al (200 I) constructed a prototype of variable rate granular applicator for paddy field to apply Nitrogen fertilizer. They mentioned that over fertilization is a potential source of pollution in

the form of Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite, which may pose a hazard to human health. Therefore, a contemporary issue is how to give an effective dose at the accurate position and right time for optimum growth of crops while preserving the environment without causing economic losses. They added that, during the top-dressing operation.

Fig2. System Diagram The field with Variable rate application consumed 12.8 % less of NK fertilizer than that of the uniform rate application. United States Environmental Protection Agency identified the agricultural sector as one of the major contributors to soil and water pollution. They concluded that a better understanding of yield variability across the field improve management practices by including spatial information about the availability of soil water and nutrient status of the various field unit. The standard deviation refers to the mean as a reference value; therefore, it may be used to quantify the variability of soil fertility as stated by Jin and Jiang (2002). On the other hand, using it to assess VRT based system performance would not be realistic. System assessment requires the referred value to be the targeted nutrient level. One of the means to measure and characterize application accuracy is computing the coefficient of variance (CY). The coefficient of variance provides a quantification of spread variation and accuracy. Low CYs indicate a more uniform spread distribution with 5 % to 10 % being a desired range for spinner disc spreader. They added that, many factors affect fertilizer distribution and application accuracy, such as systematic errors associated with machine calibration and metering efficiency. However, Sogaard reported that CY's could be more in the range of 15 % to 20 % under

field-testing. These higher CY's are probably due to rougher surfaces experienced under field conditions. Parish (1991) reported CYs in the upper 20's to the lower 30's in some test cases with these high variations resulting from terrain irregularities. They added that, ASAE standard Procedure for Measuring Distribution Uniformity and Calibrating Granular Broadcast Spreaders (ASAE S431.2, 1997) provides a uniform procedure for testing, assessing the performance, and reporting the results of broadcast spreaders. It specifies test setup, c devices, test procedures, effective swath width, and determination of the proper testing application rates. When using the outlined procedure, the results provide a quantification of application accuracy and possible spread pattern deviations. However, this standard does not cover the testing of broadcast spreaders with VRT. Guiding the tractor along a predefined path for tasks such as parallel swathing and to prevent it from either leaving areas uncovered or over-fertilizing some areas was also possible since positions were determined in real time. The software compared the current and target locations, and the difference in distance (off-course distance) could be displayed to the driver, as well as the direction to follow to reach the correct location. This feature was performed based on computation of the azimuth between the two positions from their coordinates. Thus, on-line guidance by GPS guarantees proper fertilization of all needed spots according to their actual needs. In addition, if the fertilization process had to be continued for a second day, the stored GPS positions when drawn on the field map would show the driver the exact area still to be fertilized. Similar arguments are also valid for the herbicide and pesticide process.

CASE STUDY The experimental field is a part of AI-Oha farm, a research facility of the UAE University. Testing of the system was carried out in an open area of approximately 8.25 acres (33,000 m2). The test area was rehabilitated sandy land prepared for cultivation and surrounded by a belt of high trees for its four sides. The positions of the eight samples, as well as the test area boundaries, were

determined using a handheld GPS receiver. Vehicle path way was recorded. CV was calculated for both cases before and after treatment as mentioned in (ASAE 1999). Mean = X = (Xi/N), (2) Standard Deviation = SD = {(X-Xi)2/ (N-1)}.5 CV = SD X 100, (4) X Where X is arithmetic mean, Xi is nutrient (P205) level in a GPS-identified location, ppm, and N is number of GPS-identified Locations.

Table1. P2O5 level before and after treatment at GPS identified points

They compared yield under uniform and variable rate treatment. When they studied the effect of variable rate application on yield variability, they concluded that the VRT had the lowest coefficient of variation in 5 of 6 blocks. They collected the spread fertilizer using 13x13 matrix of collection pans to gather material spread by a spinner spreader truck. The result shoved that spread variability existed with spinner spreader.

Fig.3 P2O5 levels in the field before and after treatment Due to its vital importance in arid lands, super phosphate was the focus of this research where Calcium Super Phosphate is the phosphate source. To evaluate P205 level in the field before fertilization, eight soil samples were collected from eight identified locations in an 8.25 acre field as shown in Fig. 2. The field was treated according to Rhodes grass fertilizers recommendations.

Points0f approximately equal P205 levels were given the same mark (G, S, or R), where each group was recognized as a homogenous zone to simplify the control process. The resulted P205 levels were used to produce an interpolation of the whole field mapping of P205 as shown in Fig.

Table2. Targeted and actual P2O5 levels after treatment P2O5 analysis before and after treatment was plotted in fig.3. It is clear that, P205 changed in the field to some extend. In some parts there was an over dosage and in the other not enough fertilizer was applied. Nutrient variability in the field is a major concern when system performance to get evaluated. Other performance parameters should be considered such as accuracy that indicates how successful it was to add the right amount of fertilizer in the corresponding location.

For this specific research, CV values for P205 levels in the field before and after treatment were 86.66 and 51.29 respectively. That means, regardless the targeted level satisfaction, the system improved uniformity of P20S levels in the field by 60 %. A variable rate applicator, with GPS guidance, was designed and built locally. The semi-automatic system depended on the driver to use the software recommendations to take a specific action and change control valve setting to change application rate to suit a specific site. Driver training allowed him to improve his time of response to deal with the prescription table. This human factor could cause a great deterioration of system performance if the driver is not well trained or is tired. This design saves money for the farmers who are not able to invest more money in such a VRT based system. On the other hand, third world technological infrastructure does not help farm machinery designers or manufacturers to use ultimate technology. The performance of the developed system improved the uniformity of P20S presence in the field. Testing procedures of the overall performance should be established in order to quantify system quality and make it easier to compare between different systems working under different conditions.

CONCLUSION According to result, variable rate fertilization was effective on reducing fertilizer without yield decrease and decreasing variations of growth and yield. And quality of grain in VRT plot was improved as compared to uniform rate application. Regional over-application of nutrients or pesticides can be avoided through variable rate technologies which is the need of sustainable agriculture. The rate-limiting steps of developing the appropriate maps and prescriptive treatments are rapidly being eliminated through the innovative use of emerging technologies such as remote sensing. Determined operators now have all the tools at their disposal to make environmental protection through input management a reality. In future VRT will be the only tool to reduce the soil, water, and air pollution caused by agriculture. There is no doubt that legislated regulations would force all farm operators to rapidly adopt such technology. However, the strong ethic common to farmers will result in voluntary adoption and implementation of those technologies that will ensure environmentally responsible agricultural input management.

REFERANCES

Books: 1. AMA (Agril. Mechanization in Asia Africa and Latin America)

2. Applied Engg. in agriculture.

Websites: 1. www.PrecisionAg.Org
2. www.google.com 3. www.snu.ac.kr