On Tuesday, May 26, Summit Agro held the Precision Agriculture Seminar, for the “Launch of CROPSCAN technology, for efficient and sustainable agriculture.”
The event was attended by Rodrigo Ortega Blu, Agricultural Engineer, PhD., from Neoag, who spoke about the fundamentals of CROPSCAN technology; María Carolina Orellana Correa, Agricultural Engineer, MS., from Summit Agro Chile, who discussed the different Summit Agro services that involve CROPSCAN technology; and Hugo Poblete Herrera, Agricultural Engineer, MS., Production Manager of Rosa Sofruco, who presented the results and applications of using this technology at a productive level.
At the event, Rodrigo Ortega explained the different methodologies used in precision agriculture to obtain data that will lead to obtaining valuable information for decision-making that will optimize and improve production.
The expert also argued that the implementation of new technologies is key to increasing the productive efficiency of Chilean agriculture, particularly under the climate change scenario.
On the other hand, Carolina Orellana, from Summit Agro, spoke about the different services offered by the company, with advanced CROPSCAN technology, which include detailed soil mapping (SOILSCAN), canopy monitoring, based on maps generated with a large amount of data (CANOPYSCAN), and high-precision yield prediction (YIELDSCAN); in addition to a map and climate information visualization platform (CROPVIEW); valuable tools to increase productivity and reduce environmental impact.
Hugo Poblete, from La Rosa Sofruco, in his presentation showed the excellent productive results achieved with the technology, in different fruit trees, allowing to obtain a large amount of data to make the necessary improvements and achieve measurable results, by using this type of measuring equipment.
CROPSCAN technology includes the following services: SOILSCAN, soil mapping; CANOPYSCAN, canopy monitoring; and YIELDSCAN, yield prediction; which are detailed below:
SOILSCAN It is a detailed soil mapping service, an essential technology to determine and correct (amend) the limiting factors, both prior to planting and in established orchards. It is based on the technology of measuring gamma radiation, naturally emitted by the soil through its most stable isotopes. This radiation represents the mineralogy of the soil, it is measured by a sensor mounted on a vehicle, at a certain distance from the ground, and with the help of a satellite global positioning system (GNSS) and samples taken at strategic locations, it is transformed into maps of 25 soil properties. A great advantage of this technology is that it is not affected by moisture content or vegetation cover (Figure 1).
The measurement density is greater than 700 points/ha, which allows a high degree of detail to identify the limiting factors of the soil.
In production orchards irrigated by drip irrigation, the strip that has been fertilized for years is evaluated to determine potential nutritional problems. Based on the evaluated physicochemical properties, homogeneous management zones are constructed for irrigation design, application of amendments and site-specific fertilization (Figure 2).
CANOPYSCAN
Canopy monitoring is an essential tool for the efficient management of crops and fruit trees. Using the OptRx active multispectral sensor, which measures plant reflectance in the Red, Red Limit and Infrared bands, from the light emission of the sensor itself, it is possible to generate comparable maps between different dates, times and light levels (Figure 3).
Canopy monitoring has multiple applications:
- Differential harvest
- Targeted sampling
- Cadastre
- Differential handling (variable application).
- Treatment evaluation and crop monitoring
In addition, it is used as an auxiliary variable in performance prediction models.
Figure 4. NDVI and NDRE maps obtained from a table grape vine with an OptRx sensor on a ground platform.
YIELDSCAN
This highly professional service is dedicated to predicting yields in crops, fruit trees and vines. The service allows for the generation of a highly accurate prediction model, which can be used for early estimation (60 to 90 days before harvest) of yields.
CROPVIEW PLATFORM
Summit Agro platform, which displays historical information and climate forecasts, also allowing the visualization of maps generated by the SOILSCAN and CANOPYSCAN services.
