Precision turfgrass management: challenges and field applications for mapping turfgrass soil and stress

Abstract

Spatial and temporal variation of soil, climate, plants and irrigation requirements are challenges for modern agriculture and complex turfgrass sites. Precision agriculture (PA) evolved to improve site-specific management based on obtaining site-specific information. The focus of this concept paper is on the emerging area of precision turfgrass management (PTM) with attention given to: (a) comparing the concepts of PTM and PA in terms of driving forces and challenges that must be addressed for PTM to progress in science and practice and (b) discussion of specific field mapping applications (purposes) for different turfgrass situations such as golf courses, sod production fields and sports fields. The field applications relate to site-specific management of irrigation, salinity, fertilizer application and cultivation. To illustrate the potential for PTM, different approaches that may be necessary for PTM compared to PA are discussed. The initial factor that hindered the adoption of PTM has been the lack of mobile sensor platforms that can determine both key soil and plant properties for turfgrass situations. This paper concentrates on PTM field applications that involve mapping of both soil and plant attributes, in contrast to only optical sensing mapping.

Spatial Mapping of Complex Turfgrass Sites: Site‐Specific Management Units and Protocols

“…In a recent concept paper, Carrow et al (2009) compared PA and PC with PTM in terms of (i) driving forces fostering the evolution of PTM versus those impacting PA and PC; (ii) presenting important challenges that must be addressed for PTM to progress in its science and practice to maximize practical benefi t for the end-user; and (iii) identifying specifi c fi eld applications, such as irrigation, fertilization, cultivation, and salinity management, to illustrate the potential for PTM and highlight possible diff erences in approaches that may be necessary for PTM compared to PA and PC. However, the evolution of both PA and PTM is moving toward even more precise and effi cient management of inputs than the current practice.…”

Assessment of the Potential of UAV Video Image Analysis for Planning Irrigation Needs of Golf Courses

“…Once the network has been trained and tested, the algorithm classifies the videos, which are received in real-time from the Wi-Fi computer camera system of the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ (Figure 13). In contrast, in the works [1,2,51] of classical classification, post-processing work was required.…”

“…Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are currently a valuable source of aerial photographs In contrast, in the works [1,2,51] of classical classification, post-processing work was required.…”

“…As a case of precision agriculture, golf courses can be considered; this is called precision turfgrass in the literature [1]. The huge dimensions of maintained turfgrass can be highlighted by the fact that it is estimated to cover 20 million ha in the USA [2].…”

Accuracy of Two Electromagnetic Soil Water Content Sensors in Saline Soils

“…Continuous monitoring of soil water content for turfgrass and landscape irrigation water management can help stretch limited water supplies, improve water-use efficiency, and achieve better salinity management (Duncan et al, 2009). Measurement of soil water content continues to be a critical component of the precision turfgrass management (PTM) approach to address spatial and temporal variability in water requirements (Bell and Xiong, 2008;Carrow et al, 2010).…”