Background on Appropriate Precision Farming for Enhancing the Sustainability of Rice Production

Background on Appropriate Precision Farming for Enhancing the Sustainability of Rice Production United Nations Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (UNCSAM) & Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) 1

Table of Contents: 1. Message from the United Nations Asian & Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery (UNCSAM) 3 2. Message from the Director General of Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) 4 3. Appropriate Precision Farming Technology Opportunities for SME s 5 4. Paddy field plot boundary extraction and fertilizer treatment maps using remote sensing technique 5 5. Variable Rate Seeding Technology for Rice Farming 6 6. Precision Farming Technology for variable rate fertilizer application 6 7. The Development of Vision-Based Variable Rate Applicator 8 8. Acknowledgements 9 2

MESSAGE FROM Mr. Bing Zhao, Chief of the United Nations Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (UNCSAM) Rice is the major crop for millions living in the Asia-Pacific, and 90 per cent of the world's output of rice is produced and consumed within Asia. Millions grow their own rice and are dependent on sales of surplus rice to provide them with cash to purchase other necessities. Although most Asian rice farms are small holders, they employ intensive labor practices in place of mechanization. With limited land, huge population and food insecurity exacerbated by the lingering effects of the global financial crisis and climate change, a viable option to create food surpluses is by increasing land productivity via the introduction of efficient and adaptable precision farming technology for rice production farming systems in the region. UNCSAM is very grateful for the technical support from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in working vigorously on bringing this key workshop to a successful fruition. A special thanks to the researchers of the Mechanization and Automation Research Center of MARDI, for graciously sharing their research findings at this workshop, aimed at improving the efficiency of rice production in the region. Through substantive and close collaboration with key country focal points such as MARDI, UNCSAM is privileged to work with its members on sharing and promoting sustainable agricultural technologies that can enable Asia-Pacific countries to realize the dual goals of intensifying agricultural production and achieving environmental sustainability. 3

Message from Datuk Dr. ABD. Shukar ABD. Rahman, Director General of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) The workshop Appropriate Precision Farming for Enhancing the Sustainability of Rice Production for SMEs co-organized by MARDI and UNCSAM is a milestone in promoting the precision farming technology for the future. The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) as a R&D and a science and technology organization, wishes to contribute effectively the corpus of knowledge in this field to the target groups. The event and this online publication are examples of on-going efforts by MARDI to be relevant to the agro-food industries in the region. Precision agriculture is a technological innovation leading to an information-based agricultural management system. The combination of ICT, satellite technology, mechanization and good agricultural practices that are suitable to manage the variability of the farms, can ensure the optimum profitability and yield for sustainable agricultural production. MARDI believes that this event further strengthened technical cooperation with the implementing agencies that are directly involved in the country's rice industry. The spirit of cooperation with UNCSAM and the local and international participation shown in the seminar will produce more collaborative R&D into the future. Finally, I would like to congratulate the organizing committee for their effort in making the workshop a success and for their efforts in sharing the modalities of sustainable precision rice farming. 4

Appropriate Precision Farming Technology Opportunities for SME s The benefits of precision farming in addressing rice production issues such as competing water resource use, scarcity of farm labor, environmental stresses, sub-standard management practices, field variability in soil fertility, soil topography, soil moisture, weeds, pests and disease infestations that affect crop yield, indiscriminate chemical input use and ecological imbalance have been well documented. Rising food cost provides opportunities in new areas of research and development to develop sustainable rice farming systems that are productive and profitable, conserve the natural resource base, protect the environment and enhance health and safety over the long term. Precision farming (PF) has been identified as a new farming system to manage this field variability. Management of the crop related spatial and temporal information and variable rate technologies have enhanced the overall cost effectiveness of PF approach in crop productions. MARDI has conducted several R&D works in the development of various PF technologies. These technologies cover areas involving machineries, sensors, information and communication technologies (ICT), services and management related activities, which can provide new opportunities for the SMEs. Water and farm infrastructure managements, crop establishment management, soil nutrient management, instrumentation and sensor systems, remote sensing and field mapping, decision support systems, variable rate applications (VRT) and yield monitoring systems are all key technologies that are part of sustainable precision rice farming. PF technologies will lead to better use of production inputs in addressing food cost and automation in the VRT technologies will reduce the labour utilizations. An efficient mechanization through environmentally friendly precision agriculture technologies with potential benefits of profit optimization via reduced inputs is of great interest to many Malaysian and regional rice growers. The following sections touch upon the innovative tools now being applied in the field of precision farming. 1. Paddy field plot boundary extraction and fertilizer treatment maps using remote sensing technique Remote sensing data has long served as a primary source of information for geographical information systems (GIS). Recent advancements in remote sensing technology have provided accurate spatial, high-resolution multi-spectral imagery readily available for mapping purposes. MARDI is currently developing precision farming technology for rice production in Yan and Kedah districts. The establishment of an accurate base map detailing the paddy field plots of these and other regions is essential. MARDI has developed a technology called QMap for the extraction of paddy field plot boundaries using remote sensing data. The paddy field plot boundaries are identified using image-processing techniques. The results demonstrate that the boundaries can be successfully mapped from remote sensing data using QMap. A method using remote sensing data and image processing techniques to enable prediction of SPAD 1 chlorophyll meter readings was developed for application in the aforementioned districts. Relationships between SPAD readings and R (red), G (green), B (blue) color values, R/(R+G+B), G/(R+G+B), and B/(R+G+B) values were analyzed. The R/(R+G+B) value indicates the highest correlation with SPAD reading with a value of -0.9695 and a SPAD reading prediction modal was developed from the relationship analysis. The prediction model is capable of predicting the SPAD reading with average accuracy value of 89 per cent. A SPAD reading map was generated by converting the spectral reflectance values into SPAD readings using the prediction model. These SPAD reading maps were classified into high, medium and low levels SPAD values for easy identification of Nitrogen 2 stress levels in the paddy fields. Thus fertilizer was only applied were needed, avoiding overuse of this often 1 The chlorophyll content or SPAD meter is a simple portable diagnostic tool that measures the greenness or relative chlorophyll content of leaves. 2 Applying more Nitrogen (N) than is needed economically results in the potential for the unused N to move to groundwater or surface water bodies, or to denitrify from the soil into atmospheric greenhouse gases, all of which a serious environmental concerns. Variable Rate Nitrogen Fertilizer Application for Corn, Using In-field Sensing of Leaves or Canopy: http://www.mo.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/agronomy/out/agronomy%20technical%20note%20mo-35.pdf 5

expensive input. This technology can be applied in such a way that it can map multiple fields over a large area benefiting many farmers. 2. Variable Rate Seeding Technology for Rice Farming Rice is generally cultivated in fields having a high degree of variability in soil fertility, topography, moisture, weeds, pests and disease infestations that effect crop establishment that subsequently reduces the yield. Ideal crop setting is a pre-requisite to achieving high farm yield through the establishment of uniform crop stands with a set population density. Vacant spots and non-uniform seedling establishment are the main problems faced in direct seeding cultivation. Uneven land leveling is one of the factors that can contribute to poor seedling establishment. To overcome these problems, variable rate seeding based on leveling index (LI) was introduced. LI5 is defined as number of grid points within ±5 cm from mean over total number of grid points. The upper limit of LI is 1.0 and the fields are considered level if the LI5 in at least 0.85. This technology only applies to the fields where LI5 is less than 85 per cent and the elevation differences between the high and low spots are not more than 20 cm. Grid 10m X 10m or the GeoStar 3 system has been used to survey and develop the treatment maps after the final rotor and smoothing. Protocols are developed to create treatment maps for variable seeding, based on the levelness of the fields. The fields are divided into three categories, level (±2.5 cm from mean), medium (>±2.5 to ±5.0 cm from mean) and deep (>±5 cm from mean). Level areas are seeded with standard seed rate, while additional 10 per cent and 25 per cent of seeds from the standard rate are added to medium and deep areas respectively. A simplified treatment map in square form is more practical during seeding in the fields. Seeding under saturated conditions is done manually using normal motor blower or using commercial high clearance 4-wheel tractor fitted with a broadcaster or transmitter. To achieve high yield, the number of established seedling per square meter must be not less than 500 and good agricultural practice should be adopted throughout the cropping season. 3. Precision Farming Technology for variable rate fertilizer application A healthy paddy crops canopy 4 state of growth would guarantee a good yield and quality produce. It is already acknowledged that crops canopy growth status can be managed toward an optimum canopy health through managing canopy color and size (Green Area Index - GAI) by manipulating the inputs. Too big a canopy size and dark green color indicate that the crop is over fertilized and can lead to low yield and susceptibility to pest and disease (P&D) attack. Therefore, growing a bigger and greener canopy leads to overuse of fertilizer and consequently, might eventually require more pesticides input to protect and control the canopy from potential damage from P&D infestations. A good canopy management protocol will reduce excessive use of fertilizer through applying fertilizer according to crop demands. Hence, this will lead to reducing wastage and production cost. To effectively practice this management technique, it requires precision farming technology. The developed system consists of field data collection, processing and analyzing unit, treatment map processing and production unit and the Variable Rate (VR) application unit. This system has been tested and evaluated at FELCRA Seberang Perak, Stesen MARDI Seberang Perai and Sungai Limau Yan districts. 3 Geostar is a land forming control system that automatically records your XY position using differential GPS and links it to a Z elevation position, using a rotating laser, to create an accurate topographic or elevation map of a field for agricultural production. 4 In biology, the canopy is the aboveground portion of a plant community or crop, formed by plant crowns. Because N is a primary constituent of plant chlorophyll pigments and where photosynthesis takes place, leaf or crop canopy color can be used to evaluate crop N health. 6

Rice crop growth monitoring using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system and image processing techniques (images provided by MARDI). Two approaches were established for field data collections i.e. manual sampling in grid form for small plots and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -based image capturing for larger areas. The collected data or below-cloud images captured by the UAV are transferred for processing by a computer. The manually collected data of SPAD and GAI are processed to produce SPAD and GAI maps while the captured mosaic images are processed into SPAD and GAI images. The data and processed images of the SPAD meter reading and canopy size are then sent to the treatment map processing and production unit. The formula for calculating variable rate fertilizer nitrogen has been developed from the GAI model. The formula includes variable parameters of grown crops and fixed reference crops data, which will allow the grown crops to be manipulated toward a reference crop to achieve higher yield with adequate application of nitrogen fertilizer. After calculating nitrogen fertilizer requirements, the normal procedure is to estimate the fertilizer NPK 5 based on the NPK ratio. The treatment map, which indicates the amount of fertilizer to be applied, based on the management zone is produced. For manual application of the fertilizer, the field was marked with stick poles to differentiate areas of different fertilizer rate to be applied. A backpack motor blower was used to spread the fertilizer. The variable rate applicator (VRA) 6, a tractor driven implement was used, consisting of a monitor, speed sensor, and actuator for controlling the metering device opening, the spreader and global positioning system (GPS). The treatment map is installed into the field computer and connected to VRA monitor. The VRA monitor is now linked to the field computer. The field computer will read from the treatment maps the fertilizer quantity and field location to be applied and signals the information to the VRA monitor. The field location is guided through the tractor mounted GPS. Once the spreader reaches the position signal by the field computer, the VRA monitor will trigger the metering device controller to control the spreader orifice at a specific size, 5 The three numbers on a fertilizer label represent an analysis of the composition by weight. These three numbers correspond to nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K) and always appear in that specific order. 6 Variable-rate fertilizer application allows crop producers to apply different rates of fertilizer at each location across fields. The technology needed to accomplish variable-rate fertilization includes an in-cab computer and software with a field zone application map, fertilizer equipment capable of changing rates during operation and the Global Positioning System (GPS). The fertilizer rate at specific locations within fields is based on the geo-referenced field zone map on the in-cab computer. The system includes a vehicle-mounted GPS unit to monitor field locations, allowing the computer to change the application rate between zones. Electronic communication between the in-cab computer and the rate controller on the application machine functions to change the fertilizer rate across the field. 7

equivalent to the required amount. MARDI studies have indicated that the fertilizer saving for each plot is about 10 to 15 per cent. The saving is mostly due to the farmer s field having less shoot population as compared to reference crop data. 4. The Development of Vision-Based Variable Rate Applicator Current mechanized chemical applications for weeds, pest and disease in many Asian countries use either a knapsack or 4-wheel tractor mounted motorized blower. Usually a single application rate is practiced. Effective use of agriculture chemical inputs requires the use of variable rate technology (VRT) whereby agricultural chemical inputs are variably applied according to the site-specific requirements. Many commercial VRT applicators are large size and heavy. This creates many restrictions to the adaptation of these commercial VRT systems under the smaller and soft soil farm environments in many of the Asian countries. Firstly, a CCD camera-based system was successfully developed to apply variable rate agricultural inputs based on the information gathered and processed by the CCD camera sensor systems as the machine traverses the planting area. Spot application of chemical in paddy field is common and effective but labour intensive. Effective and efficient use of agriculture chemical inputs requires the use of variable rate application (VRA) whereby agricultural chemical inputs are variably applied according to sitespecific needs. A map-based VRA can be tedious involving intensive field data collections and data processing before it can be transferred for field application. The CCD camera sensor system can minimize these processes and is able to apply chemicals on the go near real time. Secondly, most commercial VRT applicators from the advance countries are heavy and large in size which is not suitable under many of the Asian soft and wet rice field conditions. The development of an adapted 12 hp lightweight high clearance tractor fitted with a CCD camera, image processor, controller and solenoid valves for real time chemical application works well meeting the needs of users based on local conditions. With such technology now in hand, interest among farmers is growing especially as such systems can be applied with farmers sharing the cost of such technologies. For further modalities on the above technologies, please visit the MARDI website at: www.mardi.my/ UNCSAM does not endorse commercial products or companies even though reference may be made to tradenames, trademarks or service names. This publication may be copied for non-commercial, educational purposes in its entirety with no changes. Requests to use any portion of the document (including text, graphics or photos) should be sent to info@unapcaem.org. Include exactly what is requested for use and how it will be used. 8

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Appropriate Precision Farming Technology Opportunities for SME s C.W. Chan; Paddy field plot boundary extraction and fertilizer treatment maps using remote sensing technique C.C.Teoh, C.W.Chan, Abu. H. D Variable Rate Seeding Technology For Rice Farming Ayob, A.H.1, Abu Hasan, D.2 and Mohd Fakhrul Zaman, O.3 Precision Farming Technology for Variable Rate Fertilizer Application D. Abu Hassan 11, H. Ayob 21, C. C. Teo 21, F. Z. Fakrul Radzi 31 and I. Mohd. Zainal 21 The Development of Vision-Based Variable Rate Applicator C.W. Chan; 9