The use of crop-sensing technology to provide a real-time, area-specific calculation of a crop’s optimum nitrogen requirement provides growers with the opportunity to easily and accurately ensure optimum nitrogen application rates across the field, thereby potentially boosting crop performance and a reduction in fertiliser use.
The Isaria Crop Sensor from Claas uses biomass reflection as the measure for crop analysis, working over a 50cm diameter area, and up to 800 measurements of the light reflected by the crop are taken every second. These measurements are then used to calculate the IRMI vegetation index, which reflects the current nitrogen supply to the crop.
Because the Isaria Crop Sensor is mounted on the front of the tractor, this has the advantage that it is further from the spreader, so more accurate. Also, by measuring vertically at 80cm above the crop instead of at an angle with a roof-mounted sensor, this again aids accuracy.
The two sensor heads incorporate four high-performance sensor LEDs that enable the Crop Sensor to be used at day or night, plus an optical sensor and a distance sensor. These take a real-time measurement of the crop’s nitrogen requirement, which is then used to automatically alter the fertiliser spreading rate accordingly. Unlike other sensors, the Isaria Crop Sensor doesn’t need to be manually calibrated on a regular basis or require any agronomic input, making it far easier to use.
The Isaria Crop Sensor measures the quantity of nitrogen that has already been absorbed by the crop up to that point in time, compares this measurement with the target value of the current growth stage and then calculates the missing nutrient difference that must be balanced. In addition, crop density is measured using the IBI biomass index. If the IBI falls below a particular threshold value, for example due to drought or frost damage, the spread rate in these subplots reverts to the value defined by the farmer.
The Isaria Crop Sensor is Isobus compatible, so enables both the sensor and the spreader to both be used with the same ISO-compatible control terminal. It was the first sensor to be awarded an AEF certificate for Isobus compatibility, which confirms its compatibility with current Isobus terminals, and means it’s listed on the AEF database so users can check its compatibility with current or new technology.
In addition to mechanical support from its Easy dealer specialists, Claas has also teamed up with agronomy specialists Agrovista UK to also provide industry-leading agronomic support for this cutting-edge technology that is not matched by any other system.
This gives users of the Crop Sensor access to Agrovista’s full range of agronomic specialist knowledge and software including the latest MapIT Pro data management system, which is part of the cloud based real-time AXIS data hub.
With the Isaria Crop Sensor the best results come when making a “yield potential” map for the field, this allows you to essentially create a map that tells the Isaria Crop Sensor whether it is operating in a high, medium, or low yield potential area so that it not only looks at the crop in isolation. In real terms, this means that a thinner crop in a low yield potential area of the field will not receive as high a nitrogen rate as the same patch in a high yield area, which is a feature unique to the Isaria Crop Sensor.
The data produced by the sensor will automatically record all the input and biomass data from the crop which, using Agrovista’s MapIT Pro Advanced data manager will help build-up an overall picture of the crop. In addition to allowing easy access to view both field and input data, the data can also be easily utilised to create both yield potential and also variable seed rate maps.
The Agrovista MapIT Pro software will allow the user to set up their own yield potential maps, either from field knowledge or by using other data layers such as soil conductivity data or yield maps. The collaboration between the two companies will ensure that Claas yield data can be seamlessly imported into the cloud-based software to be easily accessed anywhere using a number of platforms.
For more information visit: www.claas.co.uk.
