Crop Nutrient Management With Reference-Plot CLR Estimation

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing nutrient management systems struggle to accurately determine the right amounts and locations for fertilizer application due to complex and highly localized factors influencing crop yield response, leading to inefficiencies and environmental harm from overfertilization.

Innovation Solution

A method using reference plots with varying fertilizer rates to estimate the Current Limiting Rate (CLR) through Vegetation Index (VI) measurements, allowing for precise nutrient application before deficiencies occur, and adjusting rates based on in-season monitoring to achieve optimal yield or profit goals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If fertilizer application rates are increased to ensure adequate nutrient supply, then crop yield is improved, but environmental harm and resource waste increase due to overfertilization

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop yieldVSAvoidenvironmental harm from overfertilization

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system establishes reference plots with different fertilizer rates before the growing season and monitors them throughout the season to predict the YRTN function in advance. This preliminary action enables growers to determine the optimal fertilizer rate before application, avoiding both deficiency and excess application.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses in-season monitoring of reference plots to update the YRTN function prediction and adjust fertilizer recommendations. This feedback loop allows the system to adapt to actual crop response and environmental conditions, optimizing fertilizer rates to match actual crop needs and reducing environmental harm.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Object-generated harmful factors

If fertilizer application rates are reduced to minimize environmental impact, then environmental harm is decreased, but crop yield may be compromised due to nutrient deficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenvironmental harm from overfertilizationVSAvoidcrop yield

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system establishes reference plots with different fertilizer rates before the growing season and monitors them throughout the season to predict the YRTN function in advance. This preliminary action enables growers to determine the optimal fertilizer rate before application, avoiding both deficiency and excess application.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses in-season monitoring of reference plots to update the YRTN function prediction and adjust fertilizer recommendations. This feedback loop allows the system to adapt to actual crop response and environmental conditions, optimizing fertilizer rates to match actual crop needs and reducing environmental harm.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If in-season monitoring and adjustment of fertilizer rates is implemented, then fertilizer application precision is improved, but system complexity and monitoring requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefertilizer application precisionVSAvoidsystem complexity and monitoring requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the field into reference plots (5-10% of total area) and bulk area, with reference plots further segmented into different fertilizer rate treatments. This segmentation allows complex monitoring to be concentrated in small representative areas rather than the entire field, reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses reference plots as simplified copies or representatives of the bulk field conditions. By monitoring a small number of reference plots with known fertilizer rates and extrapolating to the bulk area, the system achieves high measurement precision without requiring complex monitoring of every field location.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables early detection of nutrient stress, minimizing yield loss and environmental impact by applying fertilizers only when needed, thus optimizing crop health and economic outcomes.

Implementation Method 1

canopy reflectance measurements in one or more different spectral bands

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCanopy reflectance: Reflection

Data Source

PatentUS12450669B2Process for sensing-based crop nutrient management using limiting-rate estimation and yield response prediction

Publication Date: 2025.10.21 SENTEK SYST LLC

AI summary

A sensing-based process for managing nutrient fertilization in crops. This invention uses reference plots in a field, fertilized at different pre-plant rates, including at least one plot fertilized at a lower rate than the majority of the field. Measurements from the plots are used to estimate the Current Limiting Rate (CLR), which is the lowest non-limiting nutrient rate at the time of sensing.Preferred embodiments are presented specifically for managing nitrogen in rain-fed and irrigated corn. These embodiments use the CLR, along with a model for CLR movement with time to determine nutrient rates for mid-season treatments that achieve specified yield-based or profit-based objectives.This invention's novel use of low-rate reference plots to estimate the CLR enable the detection of stress before the main area of a field is impacted, allowing for advance planning and intervention without sacrificing yield potential.