Browsing by Subject "Striegel"

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Development of a sensor-based harrowing system using digital image analysis to achieve a uniform weed control selectivity in cereals
(2021) Spaeth, Michael; Gerhards, Roland
Using intelligent sensor technology for site-specific weed control can increase the efficacy of traditional weed control implements. Several scientific studies successfully used intelligent sensors for automatic harrow control by taking many different parameters into account such as weed density, soil resistance factor, and plant growth. However, none of the systems was practically feasible because these factors made the control system too complex and unattractive for farmers. Defining only one parameter (crop soil cover) instead of many provides a new and simple approach which was investigated in this work. The first scientific publication focuses on the development, practical implementation and testing of the automatic harrow control system. Two RGB-cameras were mounted before and after the harrow and constantly monitored crop cover. The CSC was then computed out of these resulting images. The image analysis, decision support system and automatic control of harrowing intensity by hydraulic adjustment of the tine angle were installed on a controller which was mounted on the harrow. Eight field experiments were carried out in spring cereals. Mode of harrowing intensity was changed in four experiments by speed, number of passes and tine angle. Each mode was varied in five intensities. In four experiments, only the intensity of harrowing was changed. Modes of intensity were not significantly different among each other. However, intensity had significant effects on WCE and CSC. Cereal plants recovered well from 10% CSC, and selectivity was in the constant range at 10% CSC. Therefore, 10% CSC was the threshold for the decision algorithm. If the actual CSC was below 10% CSC, intensity was increased. If the actual CSC was higher than 10%, intensity was decreased. The new system was tested in an additional field study. Threshold values for CSC were set at 10%, 30% and 60%. Automatic tine angle adjustment precisely realised the three different CSC values with variations of 1.5% to 3%. The next publication discussed and assessed the site-specific field adaptation of the development in cereals. In 2020, three field experiments were conducted in winter wheat and spring oats to investigate the response of the weed control efficacy and the crop to different harrowing intensities, in southwest Germany. In all experiments, six levels of CSC were tested. Each experiment contained an untreated control and an herbicide treatment as a comparison to the harrowing treatments. The results showed an increase in the WCE with an increasing CSC threshold. Difficult-to-control weed species such as Cirsium arvense (L.) and Galium aparine (L.) were best controlled with a CSC threshold of 70%. With a CSC threshold of 20% it was possible to control up to 98% of Thlaspi arvense (L.) The highest crop biomass, grain yield, and selectivity were achieved with an CSC threshold of 20–25% at all trial locations. With this harrowing intensity, grain yields were higher than in the herbicide control plots and a WCE of 68–98% was achieved. The last scientific article compares pairwise a conventional harrow intensity with automatic sensor-based harrowing intensity. Five field experiments in cereals were conducted at three locations in southwestern Germany in 2019 and 2020 to investigate if camera-based harrowing resulted in a more homogenous CSC and higher WCE, biomass, and crop grain yield than a conventional harrow with a constant intensity across the whole plot. For this purpose, pairwise comparisons of three fixed harrowing intensities (10 °, 40 °, and 70 ° tine angle) and three predefined CSC thresholds (CSC of 10%, 20%, and 60%) were realized in randomized complete block designs. Camera-based adjustment of the intensity resulted in 6-16% less standard deviation variation of CSC compared to fixed settings of tine angle. Crop density, WCE, crop biomass and grain yield were significantly higher for camera-based harrowing than for conventional harrowing. WCE and yields of all automatic adjusted harrowing treatments were equal to the herbicide control plots. In this PhD-thesis, a sensor-based harrow was developed and successfully investigated as an alternative to conventional herbicide application in cereals. A permanent, equal replacement of chemical weed control in arable farming systems can only be achieved using modern, sensor-based mechanical weed control approaches. Therefore, the efficacy of the mechanical weed control method can be improved and increased continuously. It has been shown that the precise adjustment of mechanical weed control methods to site-specific weed conditions allows similar WCE results as an herbicide application without causing yield losses. These findings contribute towards modern plant protection strategies to reduce the herbicide use and to establish the acceptance of technical progress in society.