Management of Plant Growth Regulators in Cotton Using Active Crop Canopy Sensors

Rodrigo Gonçalves Trevisan, Natanael Santana Vilanova Júnior, Mateus Tonini Eitelwein and José Paulo Molin
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Rodrigo Gonçalves Trevisan: Precision Agriculture Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, São Paulo, Brazil
Natanael Santana Vilanova Júnior: Precision Agriculture Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, São Paulo, Brazil
Mateus Tonini Eitelwein: Precision Agriculture Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, São Paulo, Brazil
José Paulo Molin: Precision Agriculture Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Engineering, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, São Paulo, Brazil

Agriculture, 2018, vol. 8, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: Factors affecting cotton development present spatial and temporal variability. Plant growth regulators (PGR) are used to control vegetative growth, promote higher yields, better fiber quality, and facilitate mechanical harvest. The optimal rate of PGR application depends on crop height, biomass, and growth rate. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate optical and ultrasonic crop canopy sensors to detect the crop spatial variability in cotton fields, and to develop strategies for using this information to perform variable rate application (VRA) of PGR in cotton. Field trials were conducted in Midwest Brazil during the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 crop seasons. Two optical and two ultrasonic active crop canopy sensors were evaluated as tools to detect crop variability. On-farm trials were used to develop and validate algorithms for VRA based on within-field variations in crop response to PGR applications. The overall performance of the sensors to predict crop height and the accumulation of biomass in cotton was satisfactory. Short distance variability was predominant in some fields, reducing the performance of the sensors while making current technology for variable rate application of PGR inadequate. In areas with large scale variability, the VRA led to 17% savings in PGR products and no significant effect on yield was observed. Ultrasonic sensors present can be a low-cost alternative to implement variable rate application of PGR in real time.

Keywords: ultrasonic sensors; spatial variability; variable rate application; Gossypium hirsutum L. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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