Variable-Rate Crop Protection Under Residue Limit Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural methods apply chemical crop protection materials at a constant rate, leading to excessive residues that can exceed safe limits, posing health risks and inefficiencies due to varying pest distributions across crop fields.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for computing variable rate applications of crop protection materials based on pest distribution, adjusting dosages according to residue affecting parameters, and segmenting fields to ensure residues do not exceed predefined Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) while effectively controlling pests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If crop protection materials are applied uniformly across the entire field, then pest control effectiveness is improved, but chemical residue levels exceed MRLs and health risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by segmenting the field into zones with different pest pressures and applying different dosages of crop protection materials to each zone. High-pest-pressure areas receive higher dosages while low-pest-pressure areas receive lower or no treatment, thereby maintaining pest control effectiveness where needed while reducing overall chemical residues in the crop products.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the crop field into multiple zones based on pest distribution patterns, soil characteristics, and crop growth stages. This segmentation enables differentiated application strategies for different field areas, allowing effective pest control in high-risk zones while minimizing chemical application in low-risk zones, thus resolving the contradiction between control effectiveness and residue reduction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If total dosage is reduced to comply with MRLs, then residue levels and health risks are improved, but pest control effectiveness may be compromised in high-pest-pressure areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by calculating and applying site-specific dosages for each field segment based on actual pest pressure, crop value, and residue degradation rates. This ensures that high-pest-pressure areas receive sufficient dosages for effective control while low-pest-pressure areas receive reduced dosages, maintaining overall compliance with MRLs while preserving pest control effectiveness where it is most needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the application parameter from uniform dosage to variable dosage based on multiple factors including pest distribution, soil organic matter content, rainfall patterns, and crop growth stage. These parameter changes enable optimization of dosage levels for each zone, ensuring effective pest control in high-risk areas while minimizing residues in low-risk areas.
3Quantity of substance
If variable rate application is implemented based on pest distribution, then chemical usage is optimized and residues are reduced, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the field into manageable zones and processes each zone independently through a systematic workflow: pest distribution mapping, dosage calculation, and application instruction generation. This segmentation approach makes the complex variable rate application process more tractable and implementable while optimizing chemical usage across the entire field.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating optimal dosages for each field segment before application, and pre-mapping pest distribution patterns. This preliminary computation and planning reduces on-site decision complexity and enables more straightforward implementation during the actual application phase, balancing system complexity with chemical usage optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are methods and systems for generating instructions for variable rate application of crop protection materials, comprising computing a total dosage of crop protection material(s) allowed for application in a crop field such that crop protection material(s) residue in products of crop planted in the crop field does not exceed a predefined MRL, adjusting the total dosage according to residue affecting parameters, mapping the crop field to segments according to pest distribution of one or more pests in each segment, computing a dosage of the crop protection material(s) estimated to effectively control the pest(s) in each segment based on the pest distribution in the respective segment, computing a variable rate application of the crop protection material total dosage in the crop field based on the dosage estimated for each segment, and outputting instructions to apply the crop protection material(s) in the crop field according to the variable rate application.