Browsing by Person "Alagbo, Oyebanji O."

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Development and testing of a precision hoeing system for re-compacted ridge tillage in maize
(2024) Alagbo, Oyebanji O.; Saile, Marcus; Spaeth, Michael; Schumacher, Matthias; Gerhards, Roland
Ridge tillage (RT) is a conservation practice that provides several benefits such as enhanced root growth and reduced soil erosion. The objectives of this study were to develop an autosteered living mulch seeder and hoeing prototype for RT systems using RTK-GNSS (real-time kinematic global navigation satellite systems) created ridges as a guide. It was also aimed to compare weed control efficacy and crop response of ridge-hoeing compared to conventional hoeing in flat tillage (FT). It was further aimed to investigate the impact of a new RT technology (with ridge re-compaction) on maize root development, yield, soil temperature, and moisture compared to FT. Field experiments were conducted with maize in 2021 and 2022 in a two-factorial split-plot design with tillage (RT and FT) as main treatment and weed control (untreated, herbicide, twice hoeing, hoeing + living mulch) as sub-treatment factors. Weed density, coverage, biomass, crop density, weed control efficacy (WCE) and maize silage yield were assessed. Temperature loggers were installed within RT and FT to take temperature readings at 20 min. Soil moisture and root penetrability were measured every two weeks in each plot using soil samples and a penetrometer. The WCE and yield did not differ significantly between the tillage systems. Twice hoeing resulted in 71–80 % WCE, which was equal to herbicide treatment. Hoeing + living mulch achieved 70–72 % WCE. Different from previous studies with ridge tillage, temperatures in the compacted ridges did not consistently differ from the ridge valleys and flat seedbeds. Root penetration (against 1.4 MPa penetrometer cone index) was 40 % higher in RT than in FT. On average, RT maize produced more (53.6 g m−2) root biomass compared to FT. In summary, re-compacted ridges built along RTK-GNSS lines can allow post-emergent hoeing and living mulch seeding along ridges and also provide good growing conditions for maize.
Development and testing of new robotic weeding techniques for ridge and flat tillage systems
(2024) Alagbo, Oyebanji O.; Gerhards, Roland
Under changing climate, conservative tillage practice is expected to gain more popularity over conventional tillage in terms of reduced energy emission and drought resilience. Hence, a need to develop cheap-climate-smart farming solutions for the future. The results of four different studies are summarized below. The first review article summarized different forms of ridge tillage and their impact on crop yield, weed seedbank dynamics, and weed management. Due to improved soil structure and optimal soil moisture conditions provided by ridges, several studies have proven that ridges can accelerate crop emergence, thus stimulating early-stage competitiveness of crops against weeds. More importantly, re-compacted ridges may give more benefits in the long term. The study further emphasized the use of RTK-GNSS (real-time kinematic global satellite navigation systems) ridging system for pilot hoeing, spraying, and seeding – as a cheap alternative to automatic vision control weeding systems in flat seedbeds. In the second article, an autosteered living mulch seeder and hoeing prototypes (using RTK-GNSS-created ridges as a guide) were developed and tested. The impact of ridge re-compaction on soil physical properties was also evaluated. In the two-year field experiment, the combined hoeing and living mulch seeding prototypes attained 70 – 80% weed control efficacy (WCE) with no record of crop losses. This result was comparable to similar treatment in flat seedbeds. Temperature and soil moisture in re-compacted ridges were partly better than in flat seedbeds, whereas, root penetration significantly improved on ridges (40% higher) with relative gain in root biomass (ca. 53.6 g m-2) compared to flat seedbeds. The third study evaluated the performance of different autonomous hoeing combinations on re-compacted ridges. It was hypothesized that autonomous weeding methods using RTK-GNSS-created ridges can substitute broadcast herbicide and manual weeding in future farms. Six field trials were conducted including maize and soybean. The treatment options include; i). twice hoeing combined with band herbicide application on ridge tops, ii). twice hoeing, iii). twice hoeing combined with living mulch, iv). twice hoeing combined with post-emergent harrowing on ridge tops. All hoeing treatments significantly reduced weed density in maize and soybean cultures except for one pass of post-emergent harrowing. In maize and soybean respectively, twice hoeing combined with band herbicide application on ridge tops or twice hoeing combined with living mulch in valleys achieved 70 - 100% and 77 - 86% WCE (within inter-row areas) and 66 - 72% and 67 - 79% WCE (within intra-row areas). Post-emergent harrowing treatments on ridge tops performed poorly in maize (46% WCE) and soybean (10% WCE). Therefore, twice hoeing combined with band herbicide application on ridge tops or twice hoeing combined with living mulch in the valley were considered best in selectivity due to higher weed control efficacy (inter – and intra-row), little or no crop damage, and highest grain yield as comparable to broadcast herbicide applications. The fourth article evaluated four autonomous inter and intra-row weeding methods in maize, sunflower, and sugar beet. Within the intra-row area, the treatment involved are; finger weeding, AI-based hoeing actuators, and band herbicide spraying – each simultaneously combined with sensor-guided inter-row hoeing using K.U.L.T iSelect®. In the six experiments conducted, all treatments attained higher yield, with more than 77% reduction in weed density. Most experiments recorded non-significant crop losses. Intra-row band-spraying or AI-based hoeing actuation (combined with inter-row hoeing) achieved 91% and 77% WCE respectively across maize, sugar-beet, and sunflower. However, as an autonomous system, band herbicide treatment was preferable in terms of herbicide savings (60%) and tractor speed comparable to broadcast herbicide application.