Remote Pest Mapping for Targeted Crop Chemical Application

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional agricultural practices for identifying and addressing biological pests in crops are inefficient, leading to wasteful and environmentally harmful blanket chemical applications over entire fields, which can result in yield losses and environmental harm.

Innovation Solution

A method and system utilizing Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) data to create digital maps that identify areas affected by biological pests, allowing for targeted chemical applications by processing reflectance values, removing atmospheric effects, and calculating a crop performance index to guide scouting and chemical application only to affected areas.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If blanket chemical application is used over entire fields, then crop protection is ensured, but chemical waste and environmental harm increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrop protectionVSAvoidchemical waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The field is divided into multiple zones based on pest infestation levels identified through remote sensing technology. Chemical applications are then targeted specifically to infested zones rather than applying uniformly across the entire field, thereby reducing chemical waste while maintaining effective crop protection in affected areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different chemical application rates and types are applied to different locations within the field based on local pest pressure. Areas with high pest infestation receive full chemical treatment, while areas with low or no infestation receive reduced or no treatment, optimizing both protection effectiveness and chemical efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If frequent field scouting is performed to identify pests early, then pest detection accuracy improves, but time and labor costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepest detection accuracyVSAvoidscouting time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Manual field scouting is replaced with remote sensing technology using satellites, aircraft, or drones equipped with multispectral or hyperspectral cameras. These systems detect pest infestations by measuring changes in crop reflectance patterns, providing accurate pest detection over large areas without requiring extensive manual inspection time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of physically inspecting every area of the field, the system creates digital copies or maps of the field using remote sensing imagery. These digital representations allow operators to identify and locate pest-infested areas remotely, reducing the need for time-consuming on-foot scouting while maintaining detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Loss of substance

If chemical application is delayed until pests are confirmed through scouting, then chemical usage is reduced, but crop yield losses increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechemical usageVSAvoidcrop yield

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of pest infestations using remote sensing technology before significant yield losses occur. By identifying affected areas early through spectral analysis of crop health, the system enables timely chemical application to prevent further pest proliferation and protect crop yields, while avoiding unnecessary chemical use in unaffected areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

This approach enables precise, rapid, and accurate identification and treatment of pest-affected areas, conserving chemicals, enhancing profits, and protecting the environment and public health.

Implementation Method 1

A satellite sensor can detect electromagnetic radiation from which a crop performance index can be calculated

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic radiation detection: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentUS11399532B2Method and system to map biological pests in agricultural fields using remotely-sensed data for field scouting and targeted chemical application

Publication Date: 2022.08.02 MONSANTO TECHNOLOGY LLC

AI summary

A method for precisely applying chemicals targeted by digital maps developed from remotely sensed data, including: obtaining EOS data through a growing season of a crop growing in a field; processing the EOS data to reflectance values; removing error-inducing effects of atmospheric alteration from the processed EOS data; calculating from the processed EOS data a crop performance index that indicates one or more poor performing areas of the field; generating one or more maps of the crop performance index to allow a user to determine whether each of the one or more poor performing areas of the field are due to biological pests instead of topographic or soil constraints in discrete locations of the field; guiding the user to the one or more poor performing areas of the field using the one or more maps to allow the user to scout the one or more poor performing areas of the field to confirm and identify the biological pests; and providing guidance for a chemical application at the one or more poor performing areas that were confirmed as having the biological pests. Other embodiments are provided.