Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/401644
32 NOVEMBER 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Precision agriculture helps growers optimize returns. by Geraldine Warner P recision agriculture, or site-specific crop man- agement, is widely used in field crops. Now, Washington State University scientists are won- dering how orchardists might also benefit from new monitoring technologies. Precision agriculture involves observing, measuring, mapping, and managing variability in a farm. It relies heavily on sensors, along with Global Positioning Sys- tems or Geographic Information Systems, in order to map the variability of the terrain, organic matter content, moisture levels, and nitrogen levels, for example, as well as areas where plants are stressed. Producers can then manage the farm in zones, based on their specific needs, in order to optimize production. Management impacts can be assessed through yield monitoring. The ultimate aim is to develop a decision sup- port system to improve efficiency and optimize returns, while conserving resources. Precision agriculture does not involve intensively managing tree growth and precisely training limbs, for example. That would be precision horticulture. Dr. David Brown, soil scientist with WSU in Pull- man, works primarily with growers of wheat and other annual crops. But this summer, he's been talking to orchardists about the potential for using precision agriculture. What he learned was that growers are using some precision management techniques, but on an ad hoc basis to address specific issues such as soil moisture, rather than as part of an overall system. Brown said there is much more information that could be gathered that would be useful to fruit growers, and he was surprised that, given the high value of the crop, most growers are not using remote sensing. (See "Precision ag: Special- ized tools" for more information on the various types of monitoring possible.) The technologies are readily available and would be inexpensive in relation to the value of the crop, Brown said. "I think orchardists are just not aware of these things. These are very simple to do, and yet no one has really worked on them." One reason is that the scientists with the most exper- tise in precision agriculture tend to be focused on annual crops and know little about tree fruit or grape production. WSU no longer has a soil scientist working in tree fruits, and research on orchard soils has been "shockingly limited," Brown said. Conversely, people who know about orchards don't necessarily know a lot about soils and precision ag. He and David Granatstein, WSU sustainable agricul- ture specialist, had hoped to bring together leading soil scientists from around the country, if not the world, for a workshop focusing on soil research in perennial fruit crops. "We want to try to get some attention on this," Brown said. "We want to boost interest in this area. We have to articulate the benefits and how we see the soil scientists helping the industry. That requires putting our heads together." They applied for a planning grant from the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to cover the cost of the meeting, but were not funded. Meaningful Collecting the data is relatively simple, but the diffi- cult part is processing the data so that it is meaningful to the grower, Brown said. "It's not like point and shoot. You're definitely going to need someone with expertise to process all this data." All the large seed companies are investing heavily in precision agriculture and providing services to growers who buy their seed. For example, Monsanto Company recently bought the farm-analytics firm Climate Corp. for close to a billion dollars. All growers' data on applications and yields is automatically uploaded to Monsanto, which gives them management advice. Brown envisions that consultants or orchard supply companies that orchardists work with could provide such services, though some of the larger fruit produc- ers might have the expertise to do remote sensing and terrain modeling themselves. "If they have the expertise in house and they want to call and pick my brain, feel free to do that," he said. "I'm excited because I think there's a lot of potential here." Contact Brown via email at dave.brown@wsu.edu or by phone at (509) 335-1859. • Applying PRECISION AG to tree fruit New Equipment & Technology ROOTS: The foundation of success The Washington State Horticultural Association's annual meeting will feature a half-day session enti- tled "Roots: Foundation of Your Orchard's Success," during which scientists will talk about the plant-soil interface. The session, on the morning of December 3, will include presentations by Dr. Lee Kalcsits, tree fruit physiologist with WSU in Wenatchee; Dr. Gennaro Fazio, plant geneticist with Cornell University, New York; and Dr. Mark Mazzola, plant pathologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Wenatchee. "We want to boost interest in this area." —Dr. David Brown What Sets OVS Apart? CONVENIENT ONE-STOP SHOPPING FOR VITICULTURISTS Growers Supplies • Specialty Equipment Parts & Service • Full Agronomic Services OVS AURORA 19658 Hwy. 99 E. Hubbard, OR (971) 216-0111 OVS MCMINNVILLE 2700 St. Joseph Rd. 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