SYSTEM OF HIGH PRECISION FOR THE FERTILISATION OF CEREALS

cereal production system

Dr. Stamatis Stamatiadis

Worldwide the effectiveness/efficacy in the use of fertilisers does not exceed the
33% in cereals,which means that the 67% of the amount/quantity,which is being applied to
crops today, is being interpreted as financial losses/damages and as environmental
pollution( surface and ground waters,greenhouse gas emissions).
However,there are the main causes that are held responsible for these poor
performances /low fertility levels/lower proportion in crops.First of all,by/due to being
incapable of synchronising the fertilisation/lubrication and the nitrogen intake from the
plants.Secondly, by virtue of/because of the uniform application/implementation of
manure/fertiliser in agricultural parcels,and in which differentials/diversifications concerning
the soil fertility and the grow/development of plants are being detected.
As a consequence, the use of fertilisers is expected to/should eventually improve
drastically in the future,provided,that the uniform application/implementation will be
replaced with the spot placement of the fertilisation and when this placement is carried out
at a certain time,which can be synchronised with the nutricional needs of the crop.
The magnitude of this operation/undertaking could be better apprehended/
comprehensible,if it was translated in economy sizes.In this case,it corresponds to savings
of 235 billion dollars in the global economy of every percentage point for the improval of
the usage effectiveness.On the supposition that the crop will not suffer any losses in
relation to its productive efficiency.
The fertiliser application with variable supply has to deal with the matter of
fluctuation of soil fertility inside a field and thereby it is an asset for an effective point
administration.However,until recently the available technological achievements could not
respond with sufficient/high accuracy of the diagnose and interference needed for this
cause.Our academic group/investigation team,which consists of Greek and foreign experts
and whose heads the signatory of the article(chief of the Laboratory of Territorial Ecology
and Biotechnology) in the ''Goulandris'' Museum of Natural History.More precicely,this
team developed an integrated system of variable supply for the fertiliser of the crops,which
comprises chlorophil sensors,which connect with a fertiliser distributor of hydraulic
pressure through electronic devices with a high speed of response.

State of the art technology/Cutting edge technology

The chlorophil sensors serve as an example of cutting edge technology,because

they can sense the quantity of nitrogen in crops,where the structure of foliage,the soil
characteristics and the weather conditions differ among them.The informations are
translated in a fertiliser requirement through logarithms,which they have been formed after
a relatively sufficient research the last decade.
The ultimate information for the manure/fertilisation quantity ready to be applied at
every point in/throughout the field is given as a charge to the in motion mechanical parts in
real time.With the robotic system employed on a tractor,which operates with 4 km/h,the
last one can alter/modify the quantity of the fertilisers with one meter accuracy based on
the point needs of the crop. This innovation has global reach/scope,because it pertains to
an integrated system with high fertilisation accuracy.The scheme/system can be integrated
/ attached to /in any kind and years of age tractor and regardless of every ambient lighting
condition.In any case,it provides with evaluation/assesment of the demands in nitrogen,
which is not grounded in soil analysis/assesments or analysis of plant tissues,but it is
grounded in the reaction of the plant itself in the incident radiation. A significant advantage
of this new manure method is that the behaviour of the plant in the absorption/reflection of
the radiation that the plant receives from the sensors,integrates all the soil and
climatological factors.Consequently,these two factors affect the final performance, offering
the ability to optimise the balance among the efficiency,the economic interest and the
environmental protection.
The first successful testing was in Nea Lefki,Larissa,in 2016,which reduced the
amount of granular fertiliser by 38% in comparison with the one from the producer without
any losses in the efficiency of winter cereal crops. The testing was carried out in recurring
series of planting of 200 meters in actual field conditions.In this way,the model/standard
robotic system not only contributed significantly to the reduction of the environmental
pollution,but also generated a net profit in the interests of the producer.Specificaly,taking
into consideration the current/today's/actual market prices,the profit is estimated to be of
the magnitude of 10 Euros/hectare.This study was submitted for release/publishment/
publication in the international magazine/periodical ''Precision Agriculture''.The trials carry
on in 2017 on other important crops in Greece,such as maize and cotton.Furthermore, the
flexibility/versatility of the system is being examined aiming to be powered by satellite
images,which can replace the chlorophyl sensors.

THE ACADEMIC GROUP/THE INVESTIGATION TEAM

The applied research is being funded from the programme ''Fatima'' from Horizon
2020 of the Europian Union.The research team is of the project consists of scientists from
the ''Goulandris'' Museum of Natural History(with M. S. Stamatiadis in charge),from the
Agricultural Research Service of the USDA(with M.James Schepers in charge),from the
Institute of Industrial and Livestock Plants,which is from the Greek Agricultural Organism
''Dimitra''(with Dr. Christos Tsantilas and Lefteris Evagelou in charge),from the RedCoast
International(with Dr. Michalis and Antonis Glabedakis in charge),from the Agricultural
University of Athens(with Dr.Nikos Derkas in charge) and from Sigma Geotechnologie
( with Dr.Nikos Spyropoulos in charge).
Η αποτελεσματικότητα χρήσης των
λιπασμάτων σε παγκόσμια κλίμακα δεν
ξεπερνά το 33% στα δημητριακά, που
σημαίνει ότι το 67% των ποσοτήτων που
εφαρμόζονται στις καλλιέργειες σήμερα
αποτελούν οικονομικές απώλειες και
ρύπανση του περιβάλλοντος
(επιφανειακά και υπόγεια ύδατα, εκπομπές
αερίων του θερμοκηπίου).
Οι κύριες αιτίες αυτών των φτωχών
επιδόσεων είναι (α) η έλλειψη
συγχρονισμού της λίπανσης και της
πρόσληψης του αζώτου από τα φυτά και
(β) η ενιαία εφαρμογή λιπάσματος σε
αγροτεμάχια μέσα στα οποία υπάρχουν
διαφοροποιήσεις στη γονιμότητα του
εδάφους και στην ανάπτυξη των φυτών.
Επομένως, η χρήση των λιπασμάτων
αναμένεται να βελτιωθεί δραστικά στο
μέλλον, εφόσον η ενιαία εφαρμογή
αντικατασταθεί με σημειακή λίπανση και
όταν αυτή εφαρμόζεται σε ένα χρονικό
σημείο που να συγχρονίζεται με τις
θρεπτικές ανάγκες της καλλιέργειας.
The long-term sustainability of any system requires
the explicit consideration of the trade-os between
benets and losses. However, almost always there are
ways of minimizing losses while retaining benets.
The use of fertilizers is no exception (Isherwood
2000). Fertilizer, despite being very effective in
driving crop yield improvements, has been found to
have negative impacts on the environment.
(http://www.gdn.int/admin/uploads/editor/files/SA_3
_ResearchPaper_Fertilizer_Efficiency.pdf)
Matching applied fertilizer to fertilizer requirements
represents a significant input cost saving for the
grower and a reduction in potential pollutant loading
to ground and surface water.
(http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/20/1/34.
full)
Sidedress applications of nitrogen (N) applied after
plant emergence (...) may be used advantageously to
increase effectiveness of fertilizers. Agronomic
research has shown that delaying the time of N
application will generally result in better usage of N
(http://articles.extension.org/pages/62014/energy-
efficient-use-of-fertilizer-and-other-nutrients-in-
agriculture)
Fertilizer is an important source of plant nutrients
required for optimal plant growth. The soil and its
organic matter derived from plant residues and
manures, however, also supply a large portion of the
nutrients essential to growing plants. Soil testing is a
means of evaluating the soil’s ability to supply these
nutrients. Some soils are naturally fertile or have
been made more fertile by the use of fertilizers or
other nutrient sources(....)More specific savings and
efficiencies have been realized in recent years with
the advent of precision farming concepts and
equipment, more specifically testing soils on a
smaller area basis and using GPS guidance systems
and variable rate applications to more precisely apply
fertilizers
(http://articles.extension.org/pages/62014/energy-
efficient-use-of-fertilizer-and-other-nutrients-in-
agriculture)
It has long been known that banding (placing
fertilizer near the seed at planting) is more efficient
at supplying nutrients to the crop than broadcast
applications, yet some crop producers have moved
away from band applications. One of the reasons for
this shift is that many crops no longer respond to P
and K fertilizers where soils are already high in these

Η σημασία αυτού του εγχειρήματος μπορεί
να κατανοηθεί καλύτερα σε οικονομικά
μεγέθη, αφού αντιστοιχεί σε εξοικονόμηση
235 δισ. δολαρίων στην παγκόσμια
οικονομία για κάθε ποσοστιαία μονάδα
βελτίωσης της αποτελεσματικότητας
χρήσης, με την προϋπόθεση ότι δεν θα
υπάρχουν απώλειες στην απόδοση της
καλλιέργειας.
Η εφαρμογή λιπασμάτων με μεταβλητή
παροχή αντιμετωπίζει το πρόβλημα της
διακύμανσης της γονιμότητας του εδάφους
μέσα σε έναν αγρό και κατ’ αυτόν τον
τρόπο είναι ένα εργαλείο για
αποτελεσματική σημειακή διαχείριση.
Μέχρι πρόσφατα, όμως, η διαθέσιμη
τεχνολογία δεν μπορούσε να ανταποκριθεί
στη μεγάλη ακρίβεια διάγνωσης και
επέμβασης που απαιτείται για τον σκοπό
αυτό.
nutrients.
Another reason for the shift from band to broadcast
fertilizer is the increased labor cost and time
involved in band application. As an example, corn
yields are greatly affected by time of planting. Any
operation which delays planting, such as filling
fertilizer hopper/tanks, can slow planting time,
causing a reduction in yield and resulting in a
significant economic loss.
Before one switches from banding to broadcasting, a
thorough analysis of band applications should be
made. Banding usually means less fertilizer per acre
and fewer trips across the field and may mean higher
yield per acre. Estimates of additional time involved
in banding fertilizers are as low as 30 seconds per
acre. As farmers become better equipped to handle
bulk blended or liquid fertilizers for use in planters,
and as fertilizer prices continue to escalate, banding
will become more efficient and economical.
(http://articles.extension.org/pages/62014/energy-
efficient-use-of-fertilizer-and-other-nutrients-in-
agriculture)
Narrow-angle fan nozzles and drop-arms are used
instead of broadcast cone nozzles along the spray
boom to concentrate the fertilizer solution safely in
the root zone of each row rather than spraying the
entire field. Further improvements could be made by
triggering each nozzle individually to spray fertilizer
only when a crop plant has been detected under that
nozzle and to regulate the dose according to the crop
requirement. Giles and Slaughter (1997) developed a
precision, ground-based applicator of foliar sprays to
rows of small plants and validated it on tomato and
lettuce (Lactuca sativa). They developed a machine
vision guided spray boom system with servo control
for nozzle angle and spray pattern width to spray
pesticide and found that the precision system allowed
spray application rates to be reduced by 66% to 80%
and increased spray deposition efficiency on the
target plants by 2.5 to 3.7 times greater than
conventional broadcast spraying.
(http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/20/1/34.
full)
 Η ερευνητική μας ομάδα, η οποία
αποτελείται από Ελληνες και ξένους
ειδικούς και της οποίας ηγείται ο
υπογράφων (υπεύθυνος του Εργαστηρίου
Εδαφικής Οικολογίας και Βιοτεχνολογίας)
του Μουσείου Γουλανδρή Φυσικής Ιστορίας,
ανέπτυξε ένα ολοκληρωμένο σύστημα
μεταβλητής παροχής λιπάσματος, το οποίο
αποτελείται από αισθητήρες χλωροφύλλης
που επικοινωνούν με ένα λιπασματο-
διανομέα υδραυλικής πίεσης μέσω
ηλεκτρονικών συσκευών με υψηλή
ταχύτητα απόκρισης.
Τεχνολογία αιχμής
Οι αισθητήρες χλωροφύλλης αποτελούν
τεχνολογία αιχμής, καθώς μπορούν να
διαγνώσουν την ποσότητα του αζώτου σε
καλλιέργειες που διαφέρουν στη δομή του
φυλλώματος, στις ιδιότητες του εδάφους
και στις καιρικές συνθήκες.
Οι πληροφορίες μεταφράζονται σε ανάγκες
λίπανσης μέσω λογαρίθμων που έχουν
Head of Department:Stamatis Stamatiadis
(http://www.gnhm.gr/en/the-museum/research-
collections/soil-ecology-and-biotechnology-
laboratory/)
Several studies have reported on faster and non-
destructive new tools designed for plant N status
estimation. Optical properties of some leaf pigments,
such as chlorophyll and polyphenols, have been used
as plant N status indicators [11]. Some of these tools
measure leaf chlorophyll content, which is highly
correlated to plant N status (i.e., SPAD-502, Dualex,
Chlorophyll fluorescence). Remote sensing methods
have been developed and implemented to estimate
crop N status in a specific area or in the entire field.
There are some commercial ground-based active-
mounted (i.e., Yara N-Sensor, GreenSeeker,
CropScan) and satellite-mounted sensors (i.e.,
QuickBird), all of which measure crop canopy
reflectance in the visible and/or IR wavebands. Some
researchers have recently developed new systems
based on digital image processing using digital
cameras
file:///C:/Users/Hanna/Downloads/sensors-13-
10823.pdf
Traditionally agriculture is practiced by performing
a particular task, such as planting or harvesting,
against a predetermined schedule. But by collecting
real-time data on weather, soil and air quality, crop
maturity and even equipment and labor costs and
availability, predictive analytics can be used to make
smarter decisions. This is known as precision
agriculture.
(http://www.research.ibm.com/articles/precision_agr
iculture.shtml)
This paper designs fertilization decision support
algorithms from the perspective of decision support
system with the model of agricultural fertilization
αναπτυχθεί έπειτα από σχετική έρευνα την principles. These integrated and optimal algorithms
τελευταία δεκαετία. can provide accurate scheme of fertilization for
users. The fertilization decision support system was
designed and implemented in accordance with the
B/S structure by using ASP.NET platform and
SQL2000 database, which has wide applicability,
flexibility and high accuracy. It is practical and
interactive to meet the needs of most of the users.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S08
95717710005418
Η τελική πληροφορία για την ποσότητα
λίπανσης που πρέπει να εφαρμοστεί σε κάθε
σημείο του αγρού δίνεται ως εντολή στα εν
κινήσει μηχανικά μέρη σε πραγματικό χρόνο. Robots are taking on many tasks in agriculture these
Οταν το ρομποτικό σύστημα τοποθετείται days (with varying levels of success), including
πάνω σε τρακτέρ που κινείται με 4 planting greenhouse crops and pruning vineyards.
χιλιόμετρα ανά ώρα, μπορεί να μεταβάλει And there’s been no shortage of activity in
την ποσότητα λιπάσματος με ακρίβεια ενός agronomic crops. The biggest push has been for
μέτρου ανάλογα με τις σημειακές ανάγκες autonomous machines that are remotely controlled
της καλλιέργειας. Η καινοτομία είναι using telematics.
παγκοσμίου εμβέλειας, διότι αφορά ένα (https://www.therobotreport.com/news/top-10-
ολοκληρωμένο σύστημα με μεγάλη ακρίβεια technologies-in-precision-agriculture)
λίπανσης.
Το σύστημα μπορεί να ενσωματωθεί σε κάθε Kinze engineers have created an autonomous grain
είδους και παλαιότητας τρακτέρ και cart system (designed to plug into any tractor) in
ανεξαρτήτως συνθηκών φυσικού φωτισμού, which the cart follows a combine through the field
at safe distance.
(https://www.therobotreport.com/news/top-10-
technologies-in-precision-agriculture)

προσφέροντας εκτίμηση των απαιτήσεων σε
άζωτο που δεν βασίζεται σε εδαφολογικές
αναλύσεις ή αναλύσεις φυτικών ιστών, αλλά στη
αντίδραση το ίδιου του φυτού στην
προσπίπτουσα ακτινοβολία.
Ενα σημαντικό πλεονέκτημα της νέας
μεθόδου λίπανσης είναι ότι η
συμπεριφορά του φυτού στην
απορρόφηση/ανάκλαση της ακτινοβολίας
που δέχεται από τους αισθητήρες
ενσωματώνει όλους του εδαφικούς και
κλιματολογικούς παράγοντες που
επηρεάζουν την τελική του απόδοση,
προσφέροντας τη δυνατότητα
βελτιστοποίησης της ισορροπίας μεταξύ της
απόδοσης, του οικονομικού κέρδους και της
περιβαλλοντικής προστασίας.
The latter is critical to the variable rate technology,
which consists of applying specific inputs, such as
fertilizers, for specific soil and crop conditions
(Moran et al., 1997). Among the fertilizing
elements, nitrogen is generally the most important
and also the major limiting factor for crop growth
and agriculture productivity
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.470.3884&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Nowadays, there is an increased interest in precision
farming and the development of smart systems for
agricultural resources management; these relatively
new approaches aim to increase the productivity,
optimize the profitability, and protect the
environment. (...)More specifically, farmers and
agricultural managers are interested in measuring
and assessing soil and crop status at specific critical
times: first, in earlier growth stages in order to
supply adequate fertilizers quantities for a normal
growth of the crop, and second, during an advanced
development stage for health monitoring and the
prediction of yield. For this purpose, remote sensors
can play a valuable role in providing time-specific
and time-critical information for precision farming,
due to their capabilities in measuring biophysical
 indicators/parameters and detecting their spatial
variability
(http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
doi=10.1.1.470.3884&rep=rep1&type=pdf)

Η πρώτη επιτυχημένη δοκιμή στη Νέα Λεύκη

Λάρισας το 2016 μείωσε την ποσότητα
κοκκώδους λιπάσματος κατά 38% σε
σύγκριση με εκείνη του παραγωγού χωρίς
απώλειες στην απόδοση της καλλιέργειας
χειμερινών σιτηρών. Η δοκιμή έγινε σε Agricultural fields are very heterogeneous.This
επαναλαμβανόμενες σειρές φύτευσης leads to a varying yield potential within the fields.
μήκους 200 μέτρων σε πραγματικές Thus the N uptake of the crop stand is
συνθήκες αγρού. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο, το heterogeneous and a conventional uniform nitrogen
πρότυπο ρομποτικό σύστημα όχι μόνο application for the whole field leads to
συνέβαλε σημαντικά στη μείωση της disadvantages for the farmer and for the
ρύπανσης του περιβάλλοντος, αλλά απέφερε environment.Site specific nitrogen fertilisation
και καθαρό κέρδος στον παραγωγό που με
strategies are applied in order to minimise
τις σημερινές τιμές της αγοράς εκτιμάται
ecological and economic impacts.
να είναι της τάξεως των 10 ευρώ/στρέμμα. (''Precision Agriculture'')
Η μελέτη υποβλήθηκε προς δημοσίευση στο
διεθνές περιοδικό «Precision Agriculture». Οι
δοκιμές συνεχίζονται το 2017 σε άλλες
σημαντικές καλλιέργειες της Ελλάδος, όπως On the other hand, remote sensing can cover large
το καλαμπόκι και το βαμβάκι. Εξετάζεται
areas and reflect spatial variability of crop canopies.
επίσης η ευελιξία του συστήματος να
Remote sensors have being mounted in different
λειτουργήσει με δορυφορικές εικόνες, οι
platforms as: tractors, drones, airplanes and
οποίες δύναται να αντικαταστήσουν τους
satellites, to provide information for precision
αισθητήρες χλωροφύλλης.
farming (Fox & Walthall, 2008)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S15
37511017300247

Η ερευνητική ομάδα

Η εφαρμοσμένη έρευνα χρηματοδοτείται

από το πρόγραμμα FATIMA του Horizon 2020
της Ευρωπαϊκής Ενωσης. Την ερευνητική
ομάδα του έργου απαρτίζουν επιστήμονες
από το Μουσείο Γουλανδρή Φυσικής
Ιστορίας (υπεύθυνος δρ Σ. Σταματιάδης),
την Υπηρεσία Γεωργικής Ερευνας των ΗΠΑ
(υπεύθυνος δρ James Schepers), το
Ινστιτούτο Βιομηχανικών και
Κτηνοτροφικών Φυτών του ΕΛΓΟ Δήμητρα
(υπεύθυνος δρ Χρίστος Τσαντήλας και
Λευτέρης Ευαγγέλου), τη RedCoast
International (υπεύθυνος δρ Μιχάλης και
Αντώνης Γλαμπεδάκης), το Γεωπονικό
Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών (υπεύθυνος δρ Νίκος
Δέρκας) και τη Sigma Geotechnologie
(υπεύθυνος δρ Νίκος Σπυρόπουλος).