Method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule - Patents.com

Abstract

[Solution] A method for determining and providing a pesticide spraying plan includes the steps of: providing crop data (S10) including information about a crop species planted or planned to be planted on a farmland; providing application timing data (S20) including information about at least one planned application timing for spraying a pesticide on the farmland; and providing weed and / or pathogen specifier data (S30) including information about at least one weed or pathogen specifier present or expected on the farmland; and determining and providing a pesticide spraying plan based on the provided crop data, the provided application timing data, and the weed and / or pathogen specifier data. performing a database search in a pesticide product database based at least on the data, the provided weed and / or pathogen specifier data (S50), to determine pesticide products that match the crop, the application time, and one of the weed or pathogen specifiers, the pesticide product database including information on a plurality of pesticide products, the information on the pesticide products including at least information on the application area of ​​each pesticide product, the active ingredient of each pesticide product, and the appropriate application time of each pesticide product; and ranking the generated application plans (S70), and a step of generating different spraying plans (S60) by combining different pesticides so that the weed and / or pathogen indicators of the given pesticides are covered, wherein the ranking step includes the number of pesticides per spraying plan, the number of main or priority weeds and / or pathogens covered with an effectiveness above a defined threshold, in the example, the defined threshold is above 80%, in the example, the defined threshold represents the most weighted statistic per spraying plan, the number of all weeds and / or pathogens covered with an effectiveness above a defined threshold, the number of weeds and / or pathogens covered with a given pesticide by the given pesticide, is based on one or more statistics for each application plan: the maximum effectiveness achieved against all pathogens, the proportion of pesticides in the application plan with known preferred use at the time of application, the total effectiveness achieved by all pesticides in the application plan against the main or priority weeds and / or pathogens, the total effectiveness achieved by all pesticides in the application plan against all weeds and / or pathogens, if applicable, the average expected control of the remaining duration of effectiveness in the soil, and / or an index describing the mode of action and / or repetition of the active ingredient compared to previous applications,Determine and provide pesticide application plans;

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for determining and providing a pesticide spray schedule, the use of such spray schedules to provide control data for controlling agricultural equipment, and the use of a pesticide product database in a method for determining and providing a pesticide spray schedule. [Background technology]

[0002] It is common practice to use multiple pesticide products in a single application, i.e. by mixing two or more pesticide products in a tank, which can reduce application costs, increase the activity of a particular product, and increase the range of treatment in a single application.

[0003] However, in practice, users face several uncertainties when determining which pesticide products can be mixed in a tank and which can be applied in one application. One of the uncertainties arises from the fact that each pesticide product has an approved / applicable application time that must be considered, and if post-emergence, also with respect to the characteristics of a given crop. Furthermore, when mixing pesticide products, it must also be considered which crop, type / characteristic, weed and / or pathogen each pesticide product can be used in the most efficient way. The goal in this regard is to select a pesticide product mix and dosage that has sufficient efficacy with minimal environmental and economic impact against the weed / pathogen spectrum present or expected. However, the above factors lead to a large number of possible pesticide product combinations throughout the season when considering the combination of pesticide products at a given application time and rotating them throughout the season.

[0004] Thus, it can be seen that there is a further need to simplify the selection of such pesticide products for one application or one tank mix use. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule that can be easily applied by a user and thereby provide the user with recommendations for respective pesticide mixtures. These and other objects that will become apparent on reading the following description are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims refer to preferred embodiments of the invention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule, comprising: providing / accepting crop data including information regarding crop species planted or planned to be planted on the farm; providing / receiving application time data including information regarding at least one planned application time for applying the pesticide to said agricultural land; providing weed and / or pathogen specifier data comprising information regarding at least one weed or pathogen specifier present or expected in said agricultural land; Providing / receiving a pesticide product database including information on a plurality of pesticide products, the information on the pesticide products including at least information on the application area of ​​each pesticide product, the active ingredient of each pesticide product, and the appropriate application time of each pesticide product; performing a database search in the pesticide product database based at least on the provided crop data, the provided application time data, and the provided weed and / or pathogen designator data to determine pesticide products that match at least one of the crop, the application time, and the weed or pathogen designator; - generating different spraying plans by combining the determined pesticide products so that all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered; ranking the generated spray plans at least according to the number of agrochemical products per spray plan, preferably with further parameters / statistics / variables taken into account; At least

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule includes: providing crop data including information regarding crop species planted or planned to be planted on the farm; providing application timing data comprising information regarding at least one planned application timing for applying a pesticide to said agricultural land; providing weed and / or pathogen specifier data comprising information regarding at least one weed or pathogen specifier present or expected in said agricultural land; performing a database search in a pesticide product database based at least on the provided crop data, the provided application time data, and the provided weed and / or pathogen designator data to determine pesticide products that match the crop, the application time, and one of the weed or pathogen designators, the pesticide product database including information on a plurality of pesticide products, the information on the pesticide products including at least information on an application area of ​​each pesticide product, an active ingredient of each pesticide product, and an appropriate application time for each pesticide product; - ranking the generated spraying plans, whereby different spraying plans are generated by combining the determined pesticide products in such a way that all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered; Equipped with The ranking step comprises: a) the number of pesticides per application plan; b) the number of major or prioritized weeds and / or pathogens covered with an effectiveness above a defined threshold, in one example, the defined threshold is above 80%, and in one example, the defined threshold represents the most weighted statistic per spraying plan; c) the number of all weeds and / or pathogens covered with efficacy above a defined threshold; d) the maximum efficacy achieved by a given pesticide against total weeds and / or pathogens; e) the proportion of pesticide in said application schedule with known suitable application methods at the time of application; f) the sum of the efficacies achieved by all pesticides in said application program against major or priority weeds and / or pathogens; g) the sum of the efficacies achieved by all pesticides in said application program against all weeds and / or pathogens; h) Where applicable, the average expected control of remaining effective duration in soil; and / or i) determining and providing pesticide application plans based on one or more statistics for each application plan indicating the repetition of the mode of action and / or active ingredient compared to previous applications;

[0008] In examples, all of the above statistics for each scatter plan are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans, preferably at least two of the above statistics are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans, preferably at least three of the above statistics are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans, preferably at least four of the above statistics are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans, preferably at least five of the above statistics are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans, preferably at least six of the above statistics are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans, preferably at least seven of the above statistics are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans, and / or preferably at least eight of the above statistics are used in the step of ranking the scatter plans.

[0009] In an example, the present invention provides a solution whereby the ranking of application plans can be based on the minimum required information, without the need to know all the details of each agrochemical product, in particular their active ingredients, their indicators and their permitted application times, etc. Such application plans include a list of agrochemical products that can be combined in a mixture for application, such that the application plan ensures that all specified weeds and / or pathogens are covered by the provided mixtures that include only agrochemical products that are permitted to be used within the provided application times.

[0010] The provided application time for spraying the pesticide on the field can be a date or a time window, i.e. a date or a time window for planning to spread the pesticide on a particular field. The crop species planted or planned to be planted on the field can be provided by the common or scientific name of the crop or other identifiers, such as, for example, a product serial number. The weed or pathogen designator present or expected on the field can also be provided by the common or scientific name of the weed species / species, EPPO code (https: / / gd.eppo.int / ), or other identifiers, such as, for example, an identification number. What is important in this respect is only that such information can be used for a database search in the pesticide product database, directly or indirectly. Finally, the term performing a database search should be understood broadly and already encompasses the input / provision of a database search query in the pesticide product database. In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the step of ranking the generated spray plans according to statistics may be replaced by a step of outputting / providing / displaying the generated spray plans ranked according to the number of pesticide products per spray plan.

[0011] The pesticide product database includes information on the active ingredients of each pesticide product, the appropriate application time of each pesticide product, and the application area of ​​each pesticide product, such as whether the pesticide product is used against weeds or pathogens and / or against which weeds or pathogens the pesticide product is usually used. Such a pesticide product database may cover all or most of the common pesticide products or may be limited to pesticide products of a particular provider. Furthermore, it is also possible to limit the pesticide product database to pesticide products that are permitted in the respective jurisdiction. The pesticide product database may be provided by a third party. However, it is also possible for a user to create a pesticide product database tailored to the user by scanning the label of each pesticide product that the user intends to use and obtaining the respective information on each pesticide product from the supplier's database. According to the latter, the user may also add information on further pesticide products to supplement the pesticide product database. In particular, the term pesticide according to the present invention should be understood broadly and may be any herbicide, fungicide, insecticide or mixture thereof that may be used against weeds and / or pathogens, etc. Furthermore, the term pathogen is understood as any living organism capable of causing damage to plants or adversely affecting the growth or health of plants. Pathogens include, but are not limited to, fungi, bacteria, viruses, pests, arachnids, nematodes, mollusks and rodents. In a preferred embodiment, the pathogen is a fungus. Also, in a preferred embodiment, the pathogen is a pest.

[0012] The spraying plan generated according to the present invention can be any visible or invisible data / information providing a combination of determined pesticide products that match the provided crops and spraying times and either one weed specifier or one pathogen specifier, and the determined pesticide products are combined in the spraying plan so that all weed and pathogen specifiers are covered. In the step of generating the spraying plan, all or a predetermined number of spraying plans are provided by combining the determined pesticide products so that all weed and pathogen specifiers are covered by each combination of pesticide products. These generated spraying plans are then ranked, taking into account in particular the number of pesticide products required to cover all weed and pathogen specifiers. The ranked list of spraying plans can be provided in a visible and / or invisible form, such as by a data set that can be further processed by a data processing system or a data processing system with a display.

[0013] As a result, the present invention provides a solution whereby a user receives a ranking number of spray regimes that cover all weed and pathogen specifiers that are consistent with the spray timing provided thereby. Thus, application of the present invention can provide simplified and more reliable determination of pesticide product mixes.

[0014] The crop data is preferably provided by a user interface or by a data processing unit. For example, the respective user interface may be provided by a data processing system, e.g. a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc., comprising respective input means by means of which a user can provide respective information. However, the crop data may also be provided by a data processing unit, e.g. a data processing unit of a seed drill used to plant the crop on the field or any other data processing unit in which the crop data is stored.

[0015] Preferably, the weed and / or pathogen specifiers are provided by a user interface or by image recognition of the fields, where the respective user interface can be provided by a data processing system, for example a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc., with respective input means by which a user can provide the respective information. However, it is also possible to build more or less automatic processes using data derived from the image recognition of the respective fields, where these data can be provided by a third party analysing the respective images, such as satellite or drone images.

[0016] It is further preferred that the spraying plan further includes information on the dose range and thresholds for each agrochemical product, where the thresholds may be predefined or manually entered, and the predefined thresholds may be combined with user-defined variable thresholds. In this respect, the provided information on the dose range for each agrochemical product may include different dose ranges for each agrochemical product taking into account the growth and / or reproduction stage of the crop. Furthermore, it is further preferred that the mix is ​​verified before or during spraying, for example by a barcode, RFID, etc., provided on the tank mix and can be scanned by a corresponding readout means so that the actual mix can be compared with the spraying plan used, especially when the mix according to the spraying plan is provided by a third party.

[0017] Preferably, the method further comprises a step of providing a spray map by combining the field data with the spraying plan. The field data may include geographic details such as boundaries and information on the characteristics of the field, the layout and the growth stage of the crop and / or the distribution / location of weeds and / or pathogens. By providing such field data and combining it with the spraying plan, a spatially resolved spray map can be provided with information on where in the field which doses should be spread. In particular, the field data can be provided by a user interface or by image recognition of each field. Also here, the respective images can be provided by a satellite or drone system. Additionally, the field data can be provided by a third party such as a service provider by analyzing each image and the spraying plan.

[0018] Preferably, the pesticide product information further includes information regarding the effectiveness of the pesticide product against weeds and / or pathogens, and the step of ranking the generated spray plans is further based on the effectiveness of the pesticide product against the weeds and / or pathogens. As a result, not only the number of pesticide products required to cover all weed and / or pathogen specifiers can be used to rank the generated spray plans, but also the effectiveness of the pesticide product. The effectiveness can be obtained from a commercially or publicly available database and / or expert revision, and such data is preferred when expert-revised effectiveness is at hand. Furthermore, the effectiveness can be weighted according to each application, for example, burning, second burning, planting time, emergence, harvest, etc. In this regard, the effectiveness can either be averaged in one effectiveness or further weighted by the number of pesticide products in the spray plan. Such ranking allows the highest effectiveness per weed and / or pathogen specifier to be potentially found with a minimum number of pesticide products. More specifically, the ranking can be based on the following statistics per spray plan: 1. Number of pesticides per application plan, 2. The number of major or prioritized weeds and / or pathogens covered with an effectiveness above a defined threshold, in one example the defined threshold is above 80%; 3. The number of all weeds and / or pathogens covered with efficacy above a defined threshold; 4. The maximum efficacy achieved by a given pesticide against total weeds and / or pathogens; 5. The proportion of pesticide in the application schedule with known preferred application methods at the time of application; 6. The sum of the efficacies achieved by all pesticides in the application program against major or priority weeds and / or pathogens; 7. The sum of the efficacies achieved by all pesticides in the application plan against all weeds and / or pathogens; 8. If applicable, the average expected control of remaining efficacy duration in soil; and / or 9. An indicator describing the mode of action and / or repetition of active ingredient compared to previous applications.

[0019] These statistics may be used to calculate a rank value that may be attributed to each spraying plan. In this process, the number of pesticides per spraying plan (i.e., number 1 above) may be used to penalize a large number of pesticides per spraying plan, i.e., resulting in a lower rank value. Similarly, indicators that account for the repetition of the mode of action and / or active ingredient compared to previous sprayings may be used to penalize the repetition of the mode of action and / or active ingredient compared to previous sprayings, which may result in a lower rank value. Conversely, statistics regarding efficacy are used to favor spraying plans with high efficacy, which may result in a larger rank value. The statistics and resulting rank values ​​may be used to rank the spraying plans. For this purpose, the statistics and resulting rank values ​​may be used to rank the spraying plans step by step in a determined order. In an example, the ranking can be carried out by first ranking in relation to the number of main or priority weeds and / or pathogens covered with an effectiveness above a defined threshold (i.e. number 2 above), then ranking spraying plans of the same rank according to an indicator describing the repetition of the mode of action and / or active ingredient compared to previous sprayings, and then ranking by other statistics or rank values.

[0020] In a further example, in a first step a first / rough ranking may be performed taking into account the statistics mentioned above under number 2 (i.e. the number of main or priority weeds and / or pathogens covered with an efficacy above a defined threshold) to output a first / rough ranking. The rankings / results of this first / rough ranking are then more precisely ranked in a second step taking into account one or more statistics mentioned above under numbers 1 (i.e. the number of pesticides per application plan) and 3 to 9 (i.e. indicators describing the repetition of the mode of action and / or active ingredient compared to previous applications).

[0021] In a further example, in a first step a first / rough ranking may be performed taking into account the statistics mentioned above under number 3 (i.e. the number of all weeds and / or pathogens covered with an efficacy above a defined threshold) to output a first / rough ranking. The rankings / results of this first / rough ranking are then more precisely ranked in a second step taking into account one or more statistics mentioned above under numbers 1 (i.e. the number of pesticides per application plan), 2 and 4 to 9 (i.e. indicators describing the repetition of the mode of action and / or active ingredient compared to previous applications).

[0022] In yet a further example, in a first step a first / rough ranking may be performed taking into account the statistics mentioned above under number 1 (i.e. number of pesticides per application plan) to output a first / rough ranking. The rankings / results of this first / rough ranking are then more precisely ranked in a second step taking into account one or more statistics mentioned above under numbers 2 (i.e. number of main or preferred weeds and / or pathogens covered with an efficacy above a defined threshold) to 9 (i.e. indicators describing the repetition of the mode of action and / or active ingredient compared to previous applications).

[0023] Among other things, the above statistics relate to preferred parameters / statistics that may be considered / used to rank the generated scatter plans. However, additional parameters / statistics / information may be considered / used to rank the generated scatter plans.

[0024] It is further preferred that the pesticide product information further includes information regarding adverse effects of mixing specific pesticide products, and the step of ranking the generated spray schedule is further based on the adverse effects of mixing specific pesticide products, so that insignificant pesticide product combinations or pesticide product combinations with antagonistic effects can either be eliminated or listed at the end of the generated spray schedule according to their respective antagonistic effects.

[0025] Preferably, the provided crop data further comprises information on the actual observed or modelled crop growth stage and planting date, the pesticide product information further comprises information on the effectiveness of the pesticide product taking into account the crop growth stage and planting date, and the ranking step of the generated spraying plan is further based on the effectiveness of the pesticide product taking into account the crop growth stage or planting time. In particular, the effectiveness of each pesticide product can be provided for different crop growth stages such as seed, starter, young plant, mature / flowering, etc., so that each effectiveness can be considered taking into account the actual crop growth stage.

[0026] Preferably, the provided crop data further comprises information regarding past crops grown on the farm and / or crops that will be next grown on the farm, and the step of ranking the generated spraying plans is further based on information regarding past crops grown on the farm and / or crops that will be next grown on the farm. As a result, crop rotation can be taken into account when ranking the generated spraying plans, and repeated applications of the same pesticide product or the same form of action can be avoided. Thus, combinations including repeated applications of pesticide products with the same form of action and / or repeated applications of the same pesticide product can be ranked lower, where repeated applications of the same pesticide product are ranked lower than repeated forms of action to avoid resistance.

[0027] It is preferred that the weed and / or pathogen specifier data further includes information on the growth stage of the weed or pathogen, the pesticide product information further includes information on the effectiveness taking into account the growth stage of the weed or pathogen, and the ranking step of the generated spraying plan is further based on the effectiveness of the pesticide product taking into account the growth stage of the weed or pathogen. As a result, it is possible to further individualize the spraying plan to the actual situation on the field. The information on the growth stage of the weed or pathogen can be provided by a user interface or by image recognition of each field. Also, here, the respective images can be provided by a satellite or drone system. In addition, the information on the growth stage of the weed or pathogen can be provided by a third party such as a service provider by analyzing each image.

[0028] It is further preferred that weather data is obtained for the application period, the pesticide product information further comprises information regarding weather requirements for application of the pesticide product and / or effectiveness of the pesticide product taking into account weather conditions, and the ranking step of the generated application plan is further based on the weather requirements for application of the pesticide product and / or effectiveness of the pesticide product taking into account the weather data. In particular, the weather data can be provided by a third party such as a service provider or by an on-side sensor.

[0029] Preferably, the weed and / or pathogen specifier data further includes information on treatment priority, and the step of ranking the generated spraying plan is further based on the information on treatment priority. Such treatment priority information can indicate which weeds and / or pathogens may be exceptionally harmful to the crop and should be treated with priority. For example, the priority information can be provided by a user interface or by image recognition of each field. Also, here, the respective images can be provided by a satellite or drone system. In addition, the information on treatment priority can be provided by a third party such as a service provider by analyzing each image.

[0030] The database search and / or application plan can preferably be limited to pre-defined pesticide products, for example, a user may pre-define pesticide products already available / stored to allow these pesticide products to be primarily used.

[0031] Preferably, the application plan includes mixing instructions, including information on the dosage of the pesticide product and additives useful or required for mixing. For example, it is possible to provide minimum, maximum and recommended dosage rates (L / ha) of herbicides and additives so that both herbicides and additives have a dosing logic. Furthermore, detailed tank mixing as a recipe for a specific field can be provided (e.g., 1xL herbicide, 2xL herbicide, 1zL additive, 3000L water). As a result, mixing of the pesticide products mentioned in the application plan can be simplified, and mistakes when mixing pesticide products, such as, for example, improper mixing order, too short mixing time, etc., can be avoided.

[0032] Finally, the method preferably further comprises the step of generating control data adapted to be used by the agricultural equipment, the control data being based on the highest ranked spraying plan or a spraying plan selected by a user. For example, the user may select a spraying plan according to the user's own preferences or priorities, for example by selecting the respective spraying plan by respective input means of a data processing unit, such as a computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.

[0033] The invention also relates to the use of a spraying plan received by the method for determining and providing a spraying plan for pesticides as described above, to provide control data for the control of agricultural equipment. In this respect, the term agricultural equipment should be understood broadly and refers to all machines, data processing units, vehicles, ships or aircraft, such as mixing machines / systems for preparing pesticide mixtures, transport and spraying machines for transporting and spraying pesticide mixtures to or on agricultural land.

[0034] The present invention also relates to the use of a pesticide product database in a method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule as described above, the pesticide product database comprising information on a plurality of pesticide products, the information on the pesticide products comprising at least information on the application area of ​​each pesticide product, the active ingredients of each pesticide product, and the appropriate application time of each pesticide product. Also, the term application area here should be understood broadly and includes any information related to the application information of the pesticide product database. Moreover, it is not necessary that all database entries are structured in the same way.

[0035] Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a system for determining and providing pesticide spray schedules, the system including at least one user interface configured to allow a user to input crop data, weed and / or pathogen specifiers and application time data; at least one memory unit including a pesticide product database including information regarding a plurality of pesticide products, the information regarding the pesticide products including at least information regarding an application area of ​​each pesticide product, an active ingredient of each pesticide product, and an appropriate application time for each pesticide product; a processing unit configured to perform a database search in the pesticide product database based at least on the provided crop data, the provided application time data, and the provided weed and / or pathogen specifier data to determine pesticide products that match one of the crop and application time and the weed or pathogen specifier; at least one processing unit configured to generate different spray schedules by combining the determined pesticide products such that all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered; and at least one processing unit configured to rank the generated spray schedules according to the number of pesticide products per spray schedule. With regard to the system for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule, reference is made to the above explanations regarding the method which also apply to the system.

[0036] Finally, the invention also relates to a computer program or a computer program element arranged to carry out the above-described method on any suitable device or system.

[0037] Thus, the computer program element may be stored on a computing unit which may be part of the embodiments. This computing unit may be configured to execute or direct the execution of the steps of the above-mentioned method. It may further be configured to operate the above-mentioned devices and / or system components. The computing unit may be configured to operate automatically and / or to execute user instructions. The computer program may be loaded into a working memory of a data processing unit. The data processing unit may thus be equipped to perform a method according to one of the previous embodiments.

[0038] This embodiment of the present invention covers both computer programs that use the invention from the beginning, and computer programs that, through updates, transform existing programs into programs that use the invention.

[0039] Moreover, the computer program element may be capable of providing all the steps required to fulfil the procedures of the example method embodiments as described above.

[0040] According to a further example embodiment of the present invention, a computer readable medium such as a CD-ROM, USB stick or the like is presented, which has stored thereon computer program elements, the computer program elements being as described in the previous section.

[0041] The computer program may be stored and / or distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless communication systems.

[0042] However, the computer program may also be presented over a network such as the World Wide Web and downloaded into the working memory of the data processing unit from such a network. According to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention, a medium for making a computer program element downloadable is provided, the computer program element being configured to perform a method according to one of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention.

[0043] A non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples is provided below as embodiments A through R. Any one or more features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of other examples, embodiments or aspects described herein. A. A method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule, comprising: Providing crop data (S10) including information regarding crop species planted or planned to be planted on a field; Providing application time data (S20) including information regarding at least one planned application time for applying a pesticide to the agricultural land; Providing weed and / or pathogen specifier data (S30) comprising information regarding at least one weed or pathogen specifier present or expected to be present in said agricultural land; Providing a pesticide product database including information on a plurality of pesticide products (S40), the information on the pesticide products including at least information on the application area of ​​each pesticide product, the active ingredient of each pesticide product, and the appropriate application time of each pesticide product; performing a database search in the pesticide product database based at least on the provided crop data, the provided application time data, and the provided weed and / or pathogen designator data (S50) to determine a pesticide product that matches the crop, the application time, and one of the weed or pathogen designators; generating different spraying plans by combining the determined pesticide products so that all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered (S60); ranking the generated spray plans according to the number of pesticide products per spray plan (S70); A method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule comprising: B. The method of embodiment A, wherein the crop data is provided by a user interface or by a data processing unit. C. The method of any one of embodiments A or B, wherein the weed and / or pathogen specifiers are provided by a user interface or by image recognition of the field. D. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments A to C, wherein the application plan further includes information regarding dose ranges and thresholds for each pesticide product. E. A method as in any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the method further comprises combining the farm data and the spraying plan to provide a spraying map. F. The pesticide product information further comprises information regarding the efficacy of the pesticide product against weeds and / or pathogens; The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of ranking the generated spray plans is further based on the effectiveness of the pesticide product against weeds and / or pathogens. G. the pesticide product information further includes information regarding adverse effects of mixing certain pesticide products; 4. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of ranking the generated spray schedules is further based on adverse effects of mixing the particular pesticide products. H. The provided crop data further includes information regarding a crop's growth stage or planting date; the pesticide product information further comprises information regarding the efficacy of the pesticide product taking into account the stage of growth of the crop or the planting date; 4. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of ranking the generated spray plans is further based on the efficacy of the pesticide product taking into account the growth stage of the crop or the planting time. I. the provided crop data further includes information regarding past crops grown on the farm and / or crops next to be grown on the farm; 4. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of ranking the generated spraying plans is further based on information regarding past crops grown on the farmland and / or crops next to be grown on the farmland. J. The weed and / or pathogen specifier data further comprises information regarding the developmental stage of the weed or pathogen; The pesticide product information further comprises information regarding the efficacy taking into account the developmental stage of the weed or pathogen; 4. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of ranking the generated spray plans is further based on the efficacy of the pesticide product taking into account the growth stage of the weed or pathogen. K. The weed and / or pathogen specifier data further includes information regarding treatment priority; 13. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the step of ranking the generated dispersion plans is further based on information regarding the treatment priority. L. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the database search and / or the spraying schedule is limited to pre-defined pesticide products. M. The method of any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the application plan includes mixing instructions regarding the dose of the pesticide product and information regarding additives useful or required for the mixture. N. the method further comprises generating control data configured for use with agricultural equipment; 13. A method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the control data is based on a highest ranked spraying plan or a spraying plan selected by a user. O. Use of a spray plan received by the method of any one of embodiments A to N to provide control data for the control of agricultural equipment. P. the pesticide product database includes information regarding a plurality of pesticide products; The use of a pesticide product database in the method of any one of embodiments A to N, wherein the information about the pesticide products includes at least information about the application area of ​​each pesticide product, the active ingredient of each pesticide product, and the appropriate application time of each pesticide product. Q. A system for determining and providing a spraying schedule for a pesticide according to any one of embodiments A to N, at least one user interface configured to allow a user to input crop data, weed and / or pathogen specifiers, and application time data; At least one memory unit including a pesticide product database including information about a plurality of pesticide products, the information about the pesticide products including at least information about an application area of ​​each pesticide product, an active ingredient of each pesticide product, and an appropriate application time of each pesticide product; at least one processing unit configured to perform a database search in the pesticide product database based at least on the provided crop data, the provided application time data, and the provided weed and / or pathogen designator data to determine the pesticide products that match one of the crop, the application time, and the weed or pathogen designator; At least one processing unit configured to generate different spraying plans by combining the determined pesticide products so that all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered; and at least one processing unit configured to rank the generated spray plans according to a number of pesticide products per spray plan. R. A computer program element configured to, when executed by a processor, perform the method of any one of the claims of any one of embodiments A to N. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0044] The invention will now be illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 3 is an example of a schematic input screen by which a user may provide the information required to carry out the method according to the invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is an example of a schematic output of a dose rate plan. [Figure 4] 1 is an example of a scatter map. [Diagram 5] 5 is an example of a tank mix receipt for the field shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a robotic vehicle capturing images of farmland. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the following, an example of a sequence of steps according to the present invention is described. However, the sequence provided is not mandatory, i.e. all or some steps may be performed in a different order or simultaneously.

[0046] In step S10, crop data is provided, including information about the crop species planted or to be planted on the field. For example, this information can be provided by a user interface (see FIG. 2) by means of which a user can provide the common or scientific name of the crop or other identifier, such as, for example, a product serial number. Such a user interface can be provided by a data processing system, such as, for example, a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the crop data may be provided by a data processing unit, such as a data processing unit of a seeding machine used to plant the crop on the field or other data processing unit in which the crop data is stored (for example, an ordering system used to order the respective crop). In this respect, it is only required for the purposes of the present invention that the type and / or variety of the crop is known. However, in a preferred embodiment, additional information about the crop's growth stage and / or planting date and / or information about past crops grown on the field and / or about crops to be grown next on the field is provided, since such information can be further used to rank the generated spraying plans and / or to provide further information in the spraying plans.

[0047] In step S20, application time data is provided, comprising information about at least one planned application time for applying a pesticide to agricultural land. Each application time can be provided as a date or a time window, i.e. a date or a time window during which a user plans to spread a pesticide on a particular agricultural land. This information can be provided by a user interface, by which a user can input the planned application time (see FIG. 2). More preferably, weather data is obtained for the application time. In particular, the weather data can be provided by a third party, such as a service provider, or by an on-side sensor. Furthermore, depending on the time remaining until the application time, it is possible to add weather data at a later point in time and / or to include / update weather data for each predefined time interval before the application time.

[0048] In step S30, weed and / or pathogen specifier data is provided, comprising information on specifiers of weeds or pathogens present or expected in the field. The weed and / or pathogen specifiers can be provided by a user interface or by image recognition of the field. Here, the respective user interface (see FIG. 2) can also be provided by a data processing system, for example a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc., with respective input means by which the user can provide the respective information. The weed or pathogen specifiers present or expected in the field can also be provided by the common or scientific name of the weed type / type or by other identifiers, for example an identification number, etc. What is important in this respect is only that such information can be used directly or indirectly for database search in the agrochemical product database. However, it is also possible to build more or less automatic processes using the data derived from the image recognition of the respective fields, these data being provided by a third party analysing the respective images, such as satellite or drone images. In a preferred embodiment, additional information regarding treatment priorities and / or regarding the development stage of the weeds and / or pathogens is provided. Such information can be further used to rank spray plans and / or to provide further information in spray plans.

[0049] In step S40, a pesticide product database is provided that includes information on a plurality of pesticide products, the information on the pesticide products including at least information on the application area of ​​each pesticide product, the active ingredient of each pesticide product, and the appropriate application time of each pesticide product. Thus, the pesticide product database includes information on the active ingredient of each pesticide product, such as whether the pesticide product is used against a weed or a pathogen, and / or against which weed or pathogen the pesticide product is typically used, and the appropriate application time and application area of ​​each pesticide product. Such a pesticide product database may cover all or most of the common pesticide products, or may be limited to products of a particular provider. Furthermore, it is also possible to limit the pesticide product database to pesticide products that are permitted in the respective jurisdiction. The pesticide product database may be provided by a third party. However, it is also possible for a user to create a pesticide product database tailored to the user by scanning the label of each pesticide product that the user intends to use and obtaining each piece of information on each pesticide product from the supplier's database. According to the latter, the user can also add information on further pesticide products to supplement the pesticide product database. In particular, the pesticide product according to the invention can be any herbicide, fungicide, insecticide or mixture thereof, i.e. the invention is not limited to a specific type of pesticide product.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment, the pesticide product database further comprises information regarding the efficacy of the pesticide product against weeds and / or pathogens, the adverse effects of mixing certain pesticide products, the efficacy of the pesticide product taking into account the growth stage or planting date of the crop, the efficacy taking into account the growth stage of the weed or pathogen, the weather requirements for the application of the pesticide product, and / or the efficacy of the pesticide product taking into account weather conditions.

[0051] In step S50, a database search is performed in a pesticide database based on at least the provided crop data, the provided application time data, and the provided weed and / or pathogen specifier data to determine pesticide products that match the crop and application time and at least one weed or pathogen specifier. Thus, the output of step S50 is all pesticide products that match the crop and application time and at least one weed or pathogen specifier.

[0052] In step S60, different spraying plans are generated by combining the pesticide products determined in step S50 such that in each combination, for example, in each of the generated spraying plans, all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered by the combined pesticide products. In particular, the number of generated spraying plans may be limited to only generate a predetermined number of spraying plans. In this respect, the generated spraying plans may further include information on the dose range and thresholds of each pesticide product, where the thresholds may be predefined or manually entered, and the predetermined thresholds may be combined with user-defined variable thresholds. The provided information on the dose range for each pesticide product may also include different dose ranges for each pesticide product taking into account the growth and / or reproduction stages of the crop. In this respect, it is further preferred that the spraying plan includes mixing instructions regarding the doses of the pesticide products and information on additives that are useful or required for mixing. As a result, the mixing of the pesticide products referred to in the spraying plan can be simplified and mistakes when mixing the pesticide products, such as, for example, improper mixing order, too short mixing time, etc., can be avoided. In particular, the database search and / or application plan can be limited to pre-defined pesticide products, for example, a user may pre-define pesticide products that are already available / stored, allowing these pesticide products to be primarily used.

[0053] In step S70, the generated spray plans are ranked according to the number of pesticide products per spray plan, i.e., spray plans that require less pesticide products to cover all weed and / or pathogen indicators are ranked higher than spray plans that require more pesticide products. However, the ranking of the spray plans can be based on additional information / requirements. In this respect, the step of ranking the generated spray plans is preferably further based on the effectiveness of the pesticide products against weeds and / or pathogens, the adverse effects of mixing certain pesticide products, the effectiveness of the pesticide products taking into account the growth stage or planting time of the crop, the effectiveness of the pesticide products taking into account the growth stage of past crops grown on the field and / or the next crops, weeds or pathogens to be grown on the field, treatment priority, the effectiveness of the pesticide products taking into account weather requirements and / or weather data for the application of the pesticide products.

[0054] Information on the efficacy of pesticide products against weeds and / or pathogens allows not only the number of pesticide products required to cover all weed and / or pathogen specifiers to be used in ranking the generated application plans, but also the efficacy of the pesticide products. The efficacy can be obtained from commercially or publicly available databases and / or expert revisions, with expert-revised efficacy data being preferred when available. Furthermore, the efficacy can be weighted according to each application, for example, at the time of burning, second burning, around planting, emergence, harvest, etc. In this regard, the efficacy can either be averaged at one efficacy or further weighted by the number of pesticide products in the application plan. Such a ranking allows the highest efficacy per weed and / or pathogen specifier to be potentially found with a minimum number of pesticide products.

[0055] With information about the potential adverse effects of mixing certain pesticide products, antagonistic pesticide product combinations can either be eliminated or listed at the end of the generated application schedule.

[0056] Information on the efficacy of pesticide products taking into account the crop development stage or planting time allows the efficacy of each product to be considered taking into account the actual crop development stage, such as seed, head cell, young plant, mature / flowering etc.

[0057] Information regarding past crops grown on the land and / or crops next to be grown on the land allows crop rotation to be taken into account when ranking the generated spraying plans and allows repeated applications of the same pesticide product or same mode of action to be avoided. Thus, repeated applications of pesticide products with the same mode of action and / or repeated applications of the same pesticide product can be ranked lower, where repeated applications of the same pesticide product are ranked lower than repeated modes of action to avoid resistance.

[0058] Information about the effectiveness of the pesticide product, taking into account the growth stage of the weeds or pathogens, allows further individualization of the spraying plan to the actual situation on the field. Information about the growth stage of the weeds or pathogens can be provided by a user interface or by image recognition of the respective field, whereby the respective images can also be provided by a satellite or drone system. In addition, information about the growth stage of the weeds or pathogens can be provided by a third party, such as a service provider, by analyzing the respective images.

[0059] The information on treatment priority can indicate which weeds and / or pathogens may be exceptionally harmful to the crop and should be treated with priority. The priority information can be provided by a user interface or by image recognition of each field, where the respective images can also be provided by a satellite or drone system. Additionally, the information on treatment priority can be provided by a third party, such as a service provider, by analyzing each image.

[0060] In step S80, a ranked list of spray plans is provided. However, outputting such a ranked list of spray plans is only optional. Based on the output ranked list, a user can select one of the provided spray plans, which can be used for further procedures, such as preparing control data configured for use with agricultural equipment.

[0061] Finally, the method preferably comprises the step of generating control data adapted to be used with the agricultural equipment, the control data being based on the highest ranked spraying plans or a spraying plan selected by a user. For example, a user may select a spraying plan according to the user's own preferences or priorities, for example by selecting the respective spraying plan by a respective input means of a data processing unit, such as a computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.

[0062] Figure 2 is an example of a schematic input screen by which a user may provide the information required to carry out the method according to the invention. As can be seen from Figure 2, in this preferred embodiment, a planting date and two spraying periods are provided, namely a planting date of September 1, 2018, a first spraying period between June 1 and August 12, and a second spraying period between August 12 and September 29. To the right of the spraying periods, a column for each weed species is provided, which may include actual or expected weed species. In the lower area of ​​the input screen, information on the crop, the type of crop and the next crop planned is selected by the user by means of a pull-down menu. Among other things, an output screen (not shown) may visualize to the user the spraying plan accepted by the method shown in Figure 1, such an output screen may visualize the permitted spraying times and the potential remaining time for each agrochemical product.

[0063] FIG. 3 is an example of a schematic dose rate output plan based on a recommended spray plan. FIG. 4 is an example of a spray map combining field data and a spray plan. The field data may include geographic details such as boundaries and information on the characteristics of the field, the layout and the growth stage of the crop and / or the distribution / location of weeds and / or pathogens. By providing such field data and combining it with the spray plan, a spatially resolved spray map can be provided with information on where in the field which doses should be spread. Notably, the field data can be provided by a user interface or by image recognition of each field. Also here, the respective images can be provided by a satellite or drone system. Additionally, the field data can be provided by a third party such as a service provider by analyzing each image and the spray plan. FIG. 5 shows an example of a tank mix receipt for the field shown in FIG. 4.

[0064] FIG. 6 shows an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), such as a drone, flying over a field with a crop, which can be used to provide / obtain weed and / or pathogen specifier data. There can be many weeds / pathogens in a crop, and two specific and different weed types are shown as examples in FIG. 6. One weed type, a taller weed shown in FIG. 6, can be particularly aggressive, producing many seeds and significantly affecting crop yield. This weed should not be tolerated in a field with this crop. However, it is also possible that a second type of weed, shown in FIG. 6 as a shorter weed, can be beneficial to the overall biodiversity of the crop in the field, provided that the number density of this weed per unit area is below a threshold value.

[0065] The UAV has a camera and images are acquired while flying over the field. The UAV also has a GPS and an inertial navigation system, which allows both the determination of the position of the UAV and the determination of the orientation of the camera. From this information, the footprint of the image on the ground can be determined and specific parts of the image, for example examples of weeds of a first type, can be located in absolute geospatial coordinates. The image data obtained by the camera is preferably transferred to a processing device external to the UAV. The processing device processes the images using a machine learning algorithm based on an artificial neural network trained on a large number of image examples of different types of weeds to determine if weeds are present and also the type of weed. The processing device may then utilize biodiversity settings for this crop in this part of the world and at the stage of growth between sowing and harvesting. The biodiversity settings can be used by the processing device to determine whether certain weeds are unacceptable or other specific weeds are acceptable and, if so, whether there are any relevant conditions, such as a threshold number density per unit area. To provide weed and / or pathogen specifier data, the processing unit determines that all detected instances of a first weed type need to be destroyed.

[0066] The present invention has been described by way of example together with preferred embodiments. However, other variations can be understood and achieved by those skilled in the art and those practicing the claimed invention by studying the drawings, the disclosure and the claims. In particular, steps S10 to S40 can be performed in any order, i.e. the invention is not limited to a specific order of these steps. Furthermore, it is not required that different steps are performed at a specific location or at one location, i.e. each step may be performed at different locations using different equipment / data processing units. The word "comprising" in the claims as well as in the description does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used in an advantageous implementation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] S10 Providing crop data S20 Provision of spraying time data S30 Providing weed and / or pathogen specifier data S40 Providing a pesticide product database Performing a database search on the S50 Pesticide Product Database S60 Generate different scattering plans S70 Ranking of generated scattering plans S80 Providing a ranked list of spray plans

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method for determining and providing a pesticide application schedule, comprising: - acquiring crop data (S10) comprising information on the crop species planted or planned to be planted on the farmland; A step (S20) of acquiring spraying time data including information regarding at least one planned spraying time for spraying the agricultural chemical on the agricultural land; obtaining weed and / or pathogen specifier data (S30) including information regarding at least one weed or pathogen specifier present or expected in the agricultural field; performing a database search in an agrochemical product database based at least on the obtained agricultural crop data, the obtained application time data, and the obtained weed and / or pathogen specifier data to determine a plurality of agrochemical products that match the agricultural crop, the application time, and one of the weed or pathogen specifiers, the agrochemical product database including agrochemical product information for a plurality of agrochemical products, the agrochemical product information including at least information regarding the application area of ​​each agrochemical product, the active ingredient of each agrochemical product, the appropriate application time for each agrochemical product, and the effectiveness of the agrochemical product against weeds and / or pathogens; A step of ranking the generated multiple spraying plans (S70), in which multiple different spraying plans (S60) are generated by combining the multiple pesticide products determined based on the pesticide product information so that all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered; Equipped with The ranking step includes: j) number of pesticides per application schedule; k) the number of major or prioritized weeds and / or pathogens covered with an effectiveness above a defined threshold, in one example, the defined threshold is above 80%, and in one example, the defined threshold represents the most weighted statistic per spraying plan; l) the number of all weeds and / or pathogens covered with efficacy above a defined threshold; m) the maximum efficacy achieved by a given pesticide against total weeds and / or pathogens; n) the proportion of pesticide in said application schedule with known suitable application methods at the time of application; o) the sum of the efficacies achieved by all pesticides in said application program against major or priority weeds and / or pathogens; p) the sum of the efficacies achieved by all pesticides in said application plan against all weeds and / or pathogens; q) Where applicable, the average expected control of remaining effective duration in soil; and / or r) indicators of the mode of action and / or repetition of the active ingredient compared to previous applications; , based on one or more statistics for each application plan of the pesticide product, and the effectiveness of the pesticide product against weeds and / or pathogens; A method for determining and providing a pesticide spray schedule from among a plurality of different said spray schedules to find the highest efficacy per weed and / or pathogen specifier with a minimum number of pesticide products.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating statistics for each scattering plan.

3. In a first step, the ranking is based on the number of all pathogens covered with an efficacy above a defined threshold and the maximum efficacy achieved by a given pesticide against all pathogens, and in a second step, the ranking is further based on: a) the number of pesticides per application plan; b) the maximum efficacy achieved by a given pesticide against all pathogens; c) the proportion of pesticide in said application schedule with known suitable application times; d) the sum of the efficacies achieved by all pesticides in said application regime against the major or priority pathogens; e) the sum of the realized efficacies of all pesticides in the application schedule against all pathogens; f) Where applicable, the average expected control of remaining effective duration in soil; and / or The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the method is preferably defined taking into account or based on one or more statistics for each application plan, such as: g) an indicator indicating the repetition of the mode of action and / or the active ingredient compared to previous applications.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the crop data is provided by a user interface or by a data processing unit.

5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the weed and / or pathogen specifiers are provided by a user interface or by image recognition of the agricultural field.

6. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application plan further comprises information regarding dose ranges and thresholds for each pesticide product.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of combining the farm data and the spraying plan to provide a spraying map.

8. the pesticide product information further includes information regarding adverse effects of mixing particular pesticide products; 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking the generated spray schedules is further based on adverse effects of mixing the particular pesticide products.

9. the provided crop data further comprises information regarding a crop growth stage or planting date; the pesticide product information further comprises information regarding the efficacy of the pesticide product taking into account the stage of growth of the crop or the planting date; 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking the generated spray plans is further based on the efficacy of the pesticide product taking into account the growth stage of the crop or the planting date.

10. the provided crop data further includes information regarding past crops grown on the farm and / or crops next to be grown on the farm; 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking the generated spraying plans is further based on information regarding past crops grown on the farmland and / or crops next to be grown on the farmland.

11. the weed and / or pathogen specifier data further comprises information regarding the developmental stage of the weed or pathogen; The pesticide product information further comprises information regarding the efficacy taking into account the developmental stage of the weed or pathogen; 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking the generated spray plans is further based on the effectiveness of the pesticide product taking into account the growth stage of the weed or pathogen.

12. the weed and / or pathogen specifier data further comprises information regarding treatment priority; 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of ranking the generated dispersion plans is further based on information regarding the treatment priority.

13. 13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the database search and / or the spraying plan is limited to pre-defined pesticide products.

14. 14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the application plan includes mixing instructions regarding the dose of the pesticide product and information about additives that are useful or required for the mixture.

15. The method further comprises generating control data configured for use with agricultural equipment; The method of claim 1 , wherein the control data is based on the highest ranked spreading plan or a spreading plan selected by a user.

16. at least one interface for providing crop data, weed and / or pathogen designators, and application time data; at least one memory unit including a pesticide product database including information about a plurality of pesticide products, the information about the pesticide products including at least information about the application area of ​​each pesticide product, the active ingredients of each pesticide product, the appropriate application time of each pesticide product, and the effectiveness of the pesticide products against weeds and / or pathogens; at least one processing unit configured to perform a database search in the pesticide product database based at least on the provided crop data, the provided application time data, and the provided weed and / or pathogen designator data to determine a plurality of the pesticide products that match one of the crop, the application time, and the weed or pathogen designator; At least one processing unit configured to generate a plurality of different spraying plans by combining the determined plurality of pesticide products based on information about the pesticide products so that all weed and / or pathogen indicators are covered; at least one processing unit configured to rank the generated plurality of spray schedules according to at least the number of pesticide products per spray schedule and the effectiveness of the pesticide products against the weeds and / or pathogens to determine a spray schedule that achieves the highest effectiveness per weed and / or pathogen specifier with a minimum number of pesticide products; A system for determining and providing a pesticide spraying plan, comprising:

17. A computer program element adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 when executed by a processor.

Images