Variable Rate Fertilizer Application for Efficient, High Yield Vegetable Production

GeoVisual Analytics USDA SBIR Phase II FY 2024 Project Summary Title: Variable Rate Fertilization for Efficient High Yield Vegetable Production PI: Orrey Jeffrey L. Institution: GeoVisual Technologies Inc. dba GeoVisual Analytics This project will develop a plant-by-plant precision fertilization capability for cool season vegetable crops that will increase harvest yields while reducing the overall amount of fertilizer applied. Vegetable growers face increasing pressures to reduce their fertilizer usage from rising fertilizer costs tighter environmental regulations and consumer-driven demands for sustainable food production. Also given typical plant size variations in a field a significant fraction of plants is discarded at harvest because they do not meet buyer specifications. Our innovation applies varying amounts of fertilizer to different sized plants and uses precision targeting of plant locations. It thereby increases plant uniformity across the field increasing effective crop yields reducing food waste and conserving fertilizer. Multiple trials will be conducted in commercial lettuce fields building upon trial methodologies developed during the Phase I proof-of-concept. Objectives include refining proof-of-concept sprayer hardware for in-field trials optimizing fertilizer application amounts and timing developing a prototype set of scalable system components and processes and validating system scalability. Using commercial production fields for trials grower teams will participate in early use and provide essential feedback to ensure integration of the new approach with daily operations. The resulting capability will require a relatively simple and inexpensive retrofit of growers' existing fertilizer toolbars. It will be sold as an add-on to subscription services we have already developed and commercialized for the fresh produce industry. The complete system will help growers better coordinate their fertilization with irrigations towards optimizing their nitrogen use efficiency.