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Title: PRECISION FARMING TECHNOLOGIES FOR WEED CONTROL IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS EVALUATION AREA

Author
item Hanks, James
item Bryson, Charles

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Monograph Series
Publication Type: Monograph
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/16/2002
Publication Date: 4/20/2004
Citation: Hanks, J.E., Bryson, C.T. 2004. Precision farming technologies for weed control in the mississippi delta management systems evaluation area. American Chemical Society Symposium Series 877. Water Quality Assessments in the Mississippi Delta. Chapt. 11, 150-163.

Interpretive Summary: Precision farming technologies for weed control were evaluated as part of the Mississippi Delta Management Systems Evaluation Area (MDMSEA) project. Evaluations were conducted with a sensor-controlled hooded sprayer and geo- referenced weed mapping for site-specific application of herbicides, at the Deep Hollow Lake watershed project. The Deep Hollow Lake watershed area consisted of approximately 100 acres each of cotton and soybeans. The sensor-controlled hooded sprayer utilized the unique differences in spectral reflectance of bare soil and green vegetation to detect and spray herbicide only where weeds were present. In the three-year evaluation, the sensor-controlled hooded sprayer provided adequate weed control and resulted in savings of 73% and 49%, respectively, for cotton and soybeans. Global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS) were used to generate maps indicating the spatial distribution of weeds in the crop areas. Weeds were counted, by species, at each location of a 200 ft. by 200 ft. grid over the entire area. Geo-referenced maps generated with these technologies indicated that weeds do generally occur sporadically over a field and site-specific application of herbicides could be used to apply herbicides only where weeds were present, resulting in significant savings of herbicide.

Technical Abstract: Studies were conducted to evaluate two precision farming technologies for weed control in the Mississippi Delta Management systems Evaluation Area (MDMSEA). A sensor-controlled hooded sprayer that utilized spectral reflectance type sensors to detect and spray only where weeds were present was evaluated in the Deep Hollow Lake (DHL) watershed of the MDMSEA project. The system was evaluated for three seasons in the DHL watershed project, which consisted of 43 ha of cotton and 47 ha of soybeans. The sensor-controlled sprayer provided adequate weed control in both crops and resulted in a 3-year average savings of 73% and 49%, respectively, for cotton and soybeans. Evaluation of global positioning systems (GPS) and geographical information systems (GIS) technologies for weed mapping indicated that significant reduction in herbicide usage could be obtained with these technologies. The geo-referenced maps generated with these technologies indicated that weeds do generally occur sporadically over a field and prescription application of herbicides could be used with GPS- controlled applicators to apply herbicide only where weeds occur in the fields.