AU2017208343A1 - A method of, and apparatus for, estimating crop tonnages - Google Patents

Abstract

5571A-AU A crop tonnage estimator (20) for estimating a crop tonnage shortly after sowing and well before harvest is disclosed. The estimator includes an adder (21) to add together a soil moisture profile P of the fallowed paddock and an estimate of crop rain R from sowing to the end of the growing season. The output of the adder is connected to a subtracter (22) to subtract an estimated transpiration loss L from sowing to the end of the growing season. The output of the subtracter is connected to a first multiplier (23) to multiply the subtracter output by an average yield per hectare determined for the paddock sown, soil type of the paddock sown, or district of the paddock sown. The output of the first multiplier is connected to a second multiplier (24) to multiply the first multiplier output by the area A sown to the crop. The output of the second multiplier is the estimated crop tonnage. MEASURE SOIL MOISTURE P SOW AREA A WITH SOWING DENSITY D ESTIMATE CROP RAIN R 3 ESTIMATE CROP TRANSPIRATION LOSSES L INPUT P, R &,L TO CALCULATE A NET MOISTURE AVAILABILITY M SELECT APPLICABLE MOSITURE UTILIZATION FACTOR U 6 DETERMINE AVERAGE YIELD Y PER HECTARE 7 CALCULATE TONNAGE T

Description

A METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS FOR. ESTIMATING CROP TONNAGES Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to farming and, in particular, to the production of cereal crops.

Background Art

In Australia, the growing of winter cereal crops is a major occupation of those farmers which have arable land. A period of fallow ends approximately in May each year. Crops are sown in May and June with the predominant crops being wheat and barley and, to a lesser extent, oats. By approximately August the heads of the grain have begun to form and the heads fill during September. Harvesting takes place in October/November. These dates apply for the northern cropping areas. For more southern areas, such as in the latitude of approximately Melbourne, the harvest would not normally take place until late December and all other activities are correspondingly delayed relative to the calendar.

Once a crop has been sown and germinated, the farmer knows that, barring some disaster such as hail, locusts, etc., it is likely that given normal conditions a productive crop can be harvested. However, it would be particularly advantageous for the farmer (together with his advisers and/or financiers) to be able, at this early stage, to predict or estimate, with some degree of confidence, the tonnage of the crop to be produced. For example, such a reasonably accurate estimate would enable a farmer to plan as to whether there was sufficient on farm grain storage to store the crop, thereby enabling a staggered sale to a feed lot and a premium price to be earned because the grain in stored for the feed lotter. Alternatively, the farmer can plan on having to deliver all, or some portion of, his crop to a grain handling authority, and so on.

Genesis of the Invention

The genesis of the present invention is a desire to permit such an early estimation to be made.

Prior art searches conducted after the present invention had been conceived have disclosed US Patent No 6,442,486 Satake et al which discloses a method and apparatus for determining the amount of fertiliser which should be applied to grain crops. This prior art method relies upon measuring the colour, and hence chlorophyll content, of a leaf extracted from growing plants. The disclosure does not permit an early estimation of crop yield based upon rainfall to be made.

Summary of the Invention

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a crop tonnage estimator for estimating a crop tonnage shortly after sowing and well before harvest, said estimator comprising: an adder to add together a soil moisture profile P of the fallowed paddock and an estimate of crop rain R from sowing to the end of the growing season, the output of said adder being connected to a subtracter to subtract an estimated transpiration loss L from sowing to the end of the growing season, the output of said subtracter being connected to a first multiplier to multiply the subtracter output by an average yield per hectare determined for the paddock sown, soil type of the paddock sown, or district of the paddock sown, the output of said first multiplier being connected to a second multiplier to multiply the first multiplier output by the area A sown to said crop, the output of said second multiplier comprising said estimated crop tonnage.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of estimating a crop tonnage shortly after sowing and well before harvest, said method comprising the steps of: (i) measuring a soil moisture profile P in the fallowed paddock or paddocks to be sown with the crop; (ii) determining a sown area A before, or at, sowing; (iii) estimating in crop rain R from sowing to the end of the growing season; (iv) estimating in crop transpiration losses L from sowing to the end of the growing season; (v) calculating a net moisture availability M = P + R - L; (vi) selecting a moisture utilisation factor U applicable to the paddock(s), the soil type or the district; (vii) determining an average yield per hectare Y as a function of the moisture availability factor U; and (viii) calculating the crop tonnage T = Y x A.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a flow chart showing the steps involved in the method of estimation; Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of apparatus used to carry out the method; Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the housing containing the apparatus of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the slider input devices of Fig. 3.

Detailed Description

As seen in Fig. 1, the first step 1 is to measure the soil moisture profile P. This measurement takes place in the, normally fallowed, paddock into which the crop is to be sown and is a reading in millimetres of the depth of the wet subsoil, the top inch or two of the soil normally being dry. This measurement is carried out using a conventional soil moisture probe.

The measured soil moisture profile is a percentage, termed the fallow efficiency. The nature of the rain event(s) and the soil conditions determine the percentage of the previous rain (e.g. summer rain for a winter crop) which is stored in the soil for crop production. An industry standard transpiration rate (100 mm) is usually used as a benchmark. This benchmark represents the amount of moisture in millimetres that a crop uses in vegetative growth prior to the grain commencing to fill. A farmer who understands his fallow efficiency can thereby gain even earlier advantages in yield estimates, based on summer rainfall as it occurs.

The second step 2 is for the farmer to sow an area A with the crop at a sowing density D. The area A is the known area in hectares of the paddocks sown and the density D is determined by the spacing or distance between adjacent rows of the cereal and also the number of plants per metre along each row. In the event of a dry year, a low sowing density is advantageous, whereas in a wet year a higher sowing density is advantageous. Accordingly, there is a range of sowing densities in plants per square metre from which the farmer, using his skill and judgement, must select at the time of sowing.

Assuming that the grain sown germinates correctly, and therefore does not have to be re-sown for some reason, after carrying out step 2, the next step 3 is to estimate the rainfall R in millimetres which is likely to fall on the crop during the growing period (that is June - September approximately for a winter crop). Such an estimate can be made based on official weather forecasts, past rainfall records for the property or district, and the like. Values for R can range from 200mm to 400mm with 300mm being typical.

The next step 4 is to estimate the crop transpiration loss L in millimetres during the growing period. Crop transpiration losses are measured by agricultural research stations and the like. Thus an estimate can be made for the type of cereal, and the district or soil type in general. Values for wheat range from 80mm to 120mm with 100mm being a typical benchmark value.

The next step 5 is to input the data for the subsoil moisture P, the estimated rain R and the estimated transpiration loss L, to calculate a net moisture availability M in accordance with the relationship M = P + R - L. Using the typical figures given above M = 67 + 300 - 100 = 267mm.

In the next step 6, the farmer selects an applicable moisture utilisation factor U (or WUE having units of kg/mm) which indicates a yield Y in kilos or tonnes per hectare as a function of moisture availability.

The moisture utilisation factor U is itself dependent upon various parameters. For example, the factor will differ according to whether the grain is wheat or barley. In addition, the factor will differ in accordance with the sowing density D. Similarly, the moisture utilisation factor U will vary from district to district as a function of variables such as latitude, soil type and so on. The moisture utilisation factor U can also vary depending on a soil type, from one individual property to the adjacent properties, or even from one paddock to another. However, for a particular farmer, an initial estimate can be made based on the district, or soil type, or historical data of past seasons. Moisture utilisation factors U can range from 7kg/mm to 27kg/mm with 16kg/mm being typical.

As indicated in step 7, once the applicable moisture utilisation factor U in kg/mm has been selected, the average yield Y in tonnes per hectare can be determined from the formula Y = U x M 1,000 tonnes per hectare. From this the tonnage can be calculated in step 8 using the formula T = Y x A.

Turning now to Figs. 2 - 4, a suitable apparatus 20 to carry out the above described method is illustrated and consists of an adder 21, a subtracter 22, a first multiplier 23, and a second multiplier 24, all interconnected as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In addition, also provided are three storage files 31, 32 and 33 which correspond to three different sowing densities Dl, D2 and D3. Each of the storage files 31-33 contains a number of moisture utilisations factors U for different districts (eg Cowra, Dubbo, Moree, Wagga Wagga, etc.) or different soil types (eg basalt, black soil, etc.) or historic data for individual properties (eg “Clear View”, “The Dale”, etc.). The internal details of the storage files are only shown for the first storage file 31.

The storage files 31-33 are each provided with a corresponding selector switch SI, S2 and S3 each of which is connected via a fourth selector switch S4 to the first multiplier 23.

As seen in Fig. 3, the apparatus 20 is located within a housing 30. The rotary switches S1-S4 are mounted adjacent the lower edge of the housing 30. A display 31 illustrates the total T. Each of the inputs P, R, L and A is able to be set by means of a set of three slider decade switches 35, 36 and 37. The adder 21, subtracter 22 and multipliers 23, 24 are incorporated in one or more integrated circuits which are positioned within the interior of the housing 30. In Fig. 4 a close-up view of one of the slider decade switches 35, 36 and 37 is illustrated. A conventional battery supply (not illustrated) completes the apparatus 20. The result is a rugged device able to be carried in the glovebox of a utility or other farm vehicle and operable by the farmer with only a minimum of training or explanation.

In operation, the soil moisture profile P in millimetres and the estimated crop rain R in millimetres are input into the adder 21. The result is decreased by the transpiration losses L in millimetres. This result is applied to the subtracter 22 to thereby output the soil moisture availability M to the first multiplier 23.

The multiplier 23 then multiplies the soil moisture availability M by the selected moisture utilisation factor U to produce the selected average yield per hectare Y. This is multiplied in the second multiplier 24 by the sown area A so as to produce the calculated tonnage T. It will be apparent to those skilled in the electronics arts that the positions of the first and second multipliers 23, 24 can be interchanged so as to change the order of multiplication without changing the calculated resulting tonnage T.

To utilise the typical values given above, M is 267mm and U is 16kg/mm giving a yield Y of 4.2 tonnes per hectare. Thus if A is 1,000 hectares then the tonnage T is 4,200 tonnes.

In order to estimate the Moisture Utilisation Factor U, the inventor has consulted rainfall records back to 1880 and the results from individual paddocks owned by a group of farmers for approximately the last 10 years. In this data, years of drought where there has been crop failure, and similarly flood years where there has been crop failure, both being relatively rare, are disregarded. This data enables reasonably accurate values for U to be arrived at for specific paddocks, and average values of U to be used where a new property is to be assessed for the first time. Historical records dating back more than a decade need to be considered with some care because of the steady incremental increases in the yields of recently released crop varieties.

The foregoing describes only one embodiment of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the agricultural arts, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, although the foregoing has been described in relation to winter crops where the rainfall is more regular, the present invention is also applicable to summer crops such as cotton, chick peas, sunflowers, canola (rape seed), and the like.

The term “comprising” (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of “including” or “having” and not in the exclusive sense of “consisting only of’.

Claims (10)

1. A crop tonnage estimator for estimating a crop tonnage shortly after sowing and well before harvest, said estimator comprising: an adder to add together a soil moisture profile P of the fallowed paddock and an estimate of crop rain R from sowing to the end of the growing season, the output of said adder being connected to a subtracter to subtract an estimated transpiration loss L from sowing to the end of the growing season, the output of said subtracter being connected to a first multiplier to multiply the subtracter output by an average yield per hectare determined for the paddock sown, soil type of the paddock sown, or district of the paddock sown, the output of said first multiplier being connected to a second multiplier to multiply the first multiplier output by the area A sown to said crop, the output of said second multiplier comprising said estimated crop tonnage.

2. The estimator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the average yield per hectare is modified in accordance with a sowing density D by modifying the moisture utilisation factor U.

3. The estimator as claimed in claim 1 or 2 where the position of the first and second multipliers is transposed.

4. The estimator as claimed in any one of claims 1-3 and incorporating an integrated circuit.

5. A method of estimating a crop tonnage shortly after sowing and well before harvest, said method comprising the steps of: (i) measuring a soil moisture profile P in the fallowed paddock or paddocks to be sown with the [winter] crop; (ii) determining a sown area A before, or at, sowing; (iii) estimating in crop rain R from sowing to the end of the growing season; (iv) estimating in crop transpiration losses L from sowing to the end of the growing season; (v) calculating a net moisture availability M = P + R — L; (vi) selecting a moisture utilisation factor U applicable to the paddock(s), the soil type or the district; (vii) determining an average yield per hectare Y as a function of the moisture availability factor U; and (viii) calculating the crop tonnage T = Y x A.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 including the step of determining a sowing density D before, or at, sowing and using the sowing density D to modify the moisture utilisation factor U.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein said moisture utilisation factor U is determined from historical records relating to the particular parcel of land concerned.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein said oyster utilisation factor U is determined from an average of historical records relating to parcels of land which are analogous to the particular parcel of land concerned.

9. The method as claimed in any one of claims 5-8 wherein the crop is a winter crop.

10. The method as claimed in any one of claims 5-8 wherein the crop is a summer crop. Dated this 28th day of July 2017 MATTHEW WARD By FRASER OLD & SOHN Patent Attorneys for the Applicant