Effectiveness of GNSS-based tractor auto steering systems in crop spraying
Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to compare pass-to-pass overlaps and spacings in adjacent parallel passes in spraying with and without tractor automatic steering (AS).
Methods and Results:
The data were obtained from 13 farmer
fields (cotton, corn and peanut) to assess the performance of AS systems in
real farmer conditions. Root mean square errors (RMSE) of overlaps and spacings
were determined on the maps generated from the coordinates of the tractor
recorded while spraying. Variations between the fields were also examined. The
RMSE was lowest (7.5 ± 1.7 cm) in the fields on which farmers used AS (with RTK
correction signal) in all three operations of tillage, sowing and spraying.
RMSE values were comparatively higher for the fields on which farmers used AS
only in ridge tillage but not in sowing and spraying (CORS-GSM: 46.1 ± 6.5 cm,
SBAS: 76.5 ± 13.9 cm). The fields with manually-steered ridge tillage, sowing
and spraying (all three) had the highest RMSE value of 100.8 ± 27.8 cm
(p<0.05). The mean RMSE in the manual spraying (without AS) were found to be
significantly higher than those using the AS (p<0.05).
Conclusions:
AS systems were found to be beneficial in
reducing the mean pass-to pass overlap and spacing errors (RMSE) in spraying.
However, most of the farmers used AS only in soil ridge tillage and made the
spraying without AS by referencing marking flags and/ or soil ridges which were
formed using AS. Main reason of this is the high cost of the AS systems and
farmers cannot afford to equip all of their tractors. The use of AS systems not
only in ridge tillage but also in planting and spraying reduced the errors and
increased the benefit of AS usage. The level of benefit from the AS could
change from farmer to farmer; thus, farmers should use the AS systems carefully
with appropriate equipment settings to obtain a higher level of benefits.
Significance and Impact of
the Study: Appropriate
use of AS systems in spraying offers benefits to reduce overlap and gaps and
the amount of pesticides resulting in lower amount of environmental pollution
and pesticide residues on crops, lower application time, lower fuel and labor
consumption.
Keywords
Thanks
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Agricultural Engineering
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
December 27, 2019
Submission Date
December 3, 2019
Acceptance Date
December 18, 2019
Published in Issue
Year 2019 Volume: 24 Number: 0