Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/401644
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER NOVEMBER 2014 33 by Geraldine Warner Precision agriculture technologies that are currently available and might be useful in orchards include: ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION: An electromag- netic-induction instrument, such as the EM38, mea- sures soil conductivity, which is related to moisture, salinity, and clay content. The instrument can be towed behind an all-terrain vehicle equipped with GPS to systematically map the area. The induction instrument is frequently used in beet farming to test for salinity and can also indicate signif- icant differences in soil depth. Dr. Dave Brown, Wash- ington State University soil scientist, said growers would need to take soil samples to understand the differences in readings from the instrument. The technology is widely used by consultants. It would normally be done a couple of times the first year, but would not need to be done again on a regular basis. NEAR IR PROBE: Visible-near-infrared spectroscopy, which involves shining a light onto the soil and measur- ing the reflected light, can indicate the mineralogy of the soil and the organic matter content, which relates to the cation exchange capacity. The device is used with a pen- etrometer. Brown likens it to an "inverse periscope" that can be stuck into the ground to find out what's happen- ing, instead of having to take core samples. Resistance to the tip of the device can give an indication of soil depth. Brown said a commercial field version would be too expensive for a grower to justify buying one. "This is not something that a grower would have," he said. "It's something that a consultant would have, and go out and map your field one time and be done with it." REMOTE SENSING: Plants absorb visible light when they are photosynthetically active. Satellite imagery, combined with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, can indicate how photosynthetically active the vegetation on the farm is, based on the amount of light absorbed. Brown said dry or stressed areas on a farm can show up on the images before they're visible to a human being. The technology could pick up certain parts of the orchard that might be stressed by disease or improper irrigation. Several satellites, such as Landsat, Spot-5, or RapidEye can provide these services. RapidEye imagery includes Consider for your next planting: • BRUCE PONDER • SUSAN WILKINSON • ADAM WEIL • DAVE WEIL 503-538-2131 • FAX: 503-538-7616 info@treeconnect.com www.treeconnect.com BENEFITS: • Disease tolerant • Cold hardy • Adapts well to all cherry-growing districts • Forms flower buds and comes into bearing quicker than Mazzard with a better distribution of flower buds Roots available for SPRING DELIVERY Call Tree Connection: 800-421-4001 Dwarfing Cherry Rootstock Krymsk ® 5 Krymsk ® 6 [cv. VSL-2, USPP 15,723] [cv. LC-52, USPP 16,114] "Krymsk ® 5 and Krymsk ® 6 cherry rootstocks have proven to be the best rootstock for our orchards. They are yield efficient, grow and adapt well, and are cold hardy." —John Morton The Dalles, Oregon An electromagnetic-induction instrument measures soil conductivity, which is related to moisture, salinity, and clay content. It can be towed behind an ATV. PRECISION AG: Specialized tools PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVE BROWN, WSU EMSPRING BENEFITS ADVISORS The best strategic decision you can make for your Employee Benefi ts B E L L E V U E | YA K I M A | S P O K A N E Pat Leahy, MBA 877-550-0088 ext 107 emspring.com