Efficiency analysis and evaluation of centrifugal variable-rate fertilizer spreading based on real-time spectral information on rice

• Published in: Computers and electronics in agriculture 2023-01, Vol.204, p.107505, Article 107505
• Main Authors: Shi, Yinyan, Chen, Man, Wang, Xiaochan, Yang, Haolin, Yu, Haiming, Hao, Xiangze
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis and evaluation; Economic benefits; Operation effectiveness; Precision agriculture; Variable-rate fertilization
• ISSN: 0168-1699; 1872-7107
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compag.2022.107505

•An evaluation of real-time variable-rate fertilizer spreading was performed.•Variable-rate spreading was compared with artificial and traditional empirical spreading.•Application rates, rice growths, and yields of these methods were compared and analyzed.•Profit of variable-rate spreading was then demonstrated improvements.•Technical support is provided for the development of precision agriculture equipment. Investigations regarding the use of centrifugal variable-rate fertilizer spreaders and their impact on agriculture production has become increasingly important for determining the effects and economic benefits of precision agriculture variable-rate fertilizer technology applied in the rice-and-wheat rotation areas of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. This study examines a self-developed centrifugal variable-rate fertilizer spreader based on real-time growth information of rice and wheat focusing on rice variety Nanjing 9108 as its research object. Field tests of variable-rate fertilizer application (compound fertilizer) were conducted in the Dongtai rice planting base, Jiangsu Province. Different areas were set up for artificial fertilizer spreading, traditional empirical balanced spreading, and real-time variable-rate spreading. The fertilizer application rates, rice growths, and yields of these fertilizer spreading methods for three consecutive years were compared and analyzed. Furthermore, the operational effectiveness of centrifugal variable-rate spreading was evaluated via partial budget analysis. The experimental results showed that the spreading application rate for the real-time variable-rate fertilization area decreased year by year by approximately 47.64 kg/hm2, whereas the application rate per unit area was reduced by approximately 15.88 %, compared with those for the traditional empirical balanced fertilization area. After the application of topdressing tillering fertilizer, rice growth in the real-time variable-rate fertilization area was better than in the others, whereas the spatial difference in its population structure was the lowest. There were differences in rice yield among the experimental areas: the average yield of the variable-rate fertilization area was 8996.70 kg/hm2, which was 5.93 % higher than that of the traditional empirical balanced fertilization area. According to the operational effectiveness analysis of real-time variable-rate fertilizer application in rice production, its fertilizer cost wa