1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of precision agriculture, and specifically to a system and method for the automated placement of crop seed in specific locations to allow for optimal growth and yield.
2. Description of the Related Art
Increasing the yield of an agricultural crop translates directly into increased profits for a farmer or operator. Increasing yield can be achieved in a number of ways, including applying fertilizers to stimulate growth, irrigating the crop during dry conditions, removing unwanted plants (weeds) that compete with the seed crop for survival and make it harder to harvest, applying pesticides to protect the crop against insects and other threats to the plant, and rotating crops to best utilize and replenish vital nutrients in the soil and to mitigate the build-up of pathogens that are attracted to a single type of crop.
All of the above practices are commonplace in agriculture, and are effective to varying degrees. Although these methods are effective, there is always a push to continue to increase the yield potential of a crop by finding new ways to create more positive conditions in which the crop can grow.
Unfortunately, current farming practices are inherently limiting when trying to further increase yield. The physical width and dimensions of the tractors, implements, and harvesting equipment used in agriculture dictate that seeds be planted in the ground in rows with standard spacing. Over the years, row spacing has decreased such that more plants can be grown for a given area. Unfortunately, limiting seed placement to straight rows of a certain spacing does not allow for the maximum yield output, as the soil's capacity to produce (its conditions, nutrient content, soil type, etc.) can vary dramatically over a field and dictate the optimum seed spacing in any given area. Some areas of the soil in a field may have a higher capacity to retain or transfer moisture due to soil type, or higher nutrient content, and are thus better able to support a higher number of plants. Conversely, other areas of the soil may be lacking nutrients or the capacity to retain or transfer moisture, and so planting a smaller number of seeds may be warranted in these areas to eliminate competition for precious resources. Ideally, an agricultural machine would know which areas of a field are more conducive to supporting a large number of plants, and which areas are less conducive, and plant seeds in a pattern to maximize crop yield.
What is needed in the art is a method and system for detecting the soil conditions in an agricultural field in real-time, or near real-time, as a vehicle moves through the field, and to adjust the plant spacing dynamically in order to optimize the use of the detected soil condition. Optionally, such a system could add nutrients along with the seeds based on the detected condition of the soil at the time of planting.