Precision production environments for sugarcane fields

Abstract

Sugarcane (saccharum spp.) in Brazil is managed on the basis of "production environments". These "production environments" are used for many purposes, such as variety allocation, application of fertilizers and definition of the planting and harvesting periods. A quality classification is essential to ensure high economic returns. However, the classification is carried out by few and, most of the time, non-representative soil samples, showing unreal local conditions of soil spatial variability and resulting in classifications that are imprecise. One of the important tools in the precision agriculture technological package is the apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) sensors that can quickly map soil spatial variability with high-resolution and at low-cost. The aim of the present work was to show that soil ECa maps are able to assist classification of the "production environments" in sugarcane fields and rapidly and accurately reflect the yield potential. Two sugarcane fields (35 and 100 ha) were mapped with an electromagnetic induction sensor to measure soil ECa and were sampled by a dense sampling grid. The results showed that the ECa technique was able to reflect mainly the spatial variability of the clay content, evidencing regions with different yield potentials, guiding soil sampling to soil classification that is both more secure and more accurate. Furthermore, ECa allowed for more precise classification, where new "production environments", different from those previously defined by the traditional sampling methods, were revealed. Thus, sugarcane growers will be able to allocate suitable varieties and fertilize their agricultural fields in a coherent way with higher quality, guaranteeing greater sustainability and economic return on their production.

Sensor Systems for Mapping Soil Fertility Attributes: Challenges, Advances, and Perspectives in Brazilian Tropical Soils

“…Thus, the association of ECa spatial information-as well as the output of other sensor systems, such as active canopy sensors, remote sensing data, and other soil sensing techniques-with high resolution and multitemporal yield data allow more robust estimates of MZ for the consideration of factors that vary year-to-year, such as weather conditions, pests, and diseases (Brock et al, 2005). In Brazil, Sanches et al (2019) demonstrated the application of ECa for the classification of production environments for sugarcane cultivation. The concept of the production environment is based on soilclimate interactions to define areas of similar productive potential (Prado, 2005).…”

“…This concept approximates to the idea of MZ, but in lower spatial resolution. Different practices of sugarcane crop management (e.g., choice of varieties, fertilization, planting time, and harvest) are determined based on the production environment (Sanches et al, 2019).…”

Soil tillage and sugarcane planting: an assessment of cost and economic viability

“…Demattê et al (2014) analyzed the costs of soil amendments, fertilizers, and soil analysis between the fixed and variable application rate systems and found variations according to the size of the study site, meaning that when the site is smaller, the cost of soil analysis for the variable rate system is higher. According to Sanches et al (2019), an advantage of the variable rate system is that it allows sugar mills and producers to select suitable varieties and apply inputs and fertilizers based on the needs of each plot, ensuring more sustainable and profitable production.…”

Aluminum toxicity reduces the nutritional efficiency of macronutrients and micronutrients in sugarcane seedlings

“…Although sugarcane can be produced under different soil types (Sanches et al, 2019;Schossler et al, 2019), it requires corrected and balanced soils to reach high productivities (Vieira-Junior et al, 2008), showing a decrease in yield as soil characteristics move away from ideal conditions (Maia et al, 2018;Souri;. Sugarcane cultivation areas have been increasing in Brazil in recent years due to its importance (Caldarelli;Gilio, 2018).…”