Apparatus, system and method for generating crop nutrient prescriptions
Assignee360 Yield Center, LLC
InventorsRhett Warren Schildroth, Ron Lloyd
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus, system and method for generating crop nutrient prescriptions utilizing a portable soil testing apparatus. The portable soil testing apparatus includes at least one soil sensor for identifying soil properties of plurality of soil samples collected within a field zone associated with a GPS location. A computing device in signal communication with the at least one soil sensor generates the crop nutrient prescription for the field zone based on the identified soil properties of the collected soil samples and may further be based on input of various agronomic factors.
Claims9
A method for generating crop nutrient prescriptions with a portable soil testing apparatus, the method comprising:
- (a) transporting a portable soil testing apparatus in proximity to a field for which a crop nutrient prescription is desired, the portable soil testing apparatus having:
- (i) a pump for delivering a calibrated amount of water from a water source to a cup;
- (ii) a stirring station having a motorized stirring rod;
- (iii) a soil sensing station having at least one soil sensor to measure a soil property;
- (b) collecting a plurality of soil samples within a field zone of the field and recording a GPS location of where each soil sample was collected in the field zone;
- (c) placing a quantity of soil from one of the plurality of collected soil samples into a cup;
- (d) actuating the pump to deliver a calibrated amount of deionized water to the cup containing the soil quantity;
- (e) placing the cup with the soil quantity and calibrated amount of deionized water in the stirring station;
- (f) inserting the stirring rod into the cup and actuating the motor to stir the soil quantity and calibrated amount of deionized water to create a soil slurry within the cup;
- (g) inserting the at least one soil sensor into the soil slurry within the cup, the at least one soil sensor identifying soil properties of the soil slurry;
- (h) via a computing device in signal communication with the at least one soil sensor, associating and storing in memory the identified soil properties of the soil slurry with the recorded GPS location of where the collected soil sample was collected;
- (i) repeating steps (c)-(h) for each of the plurality of collected soil samples;
- (j) via the computing device, generating a crop nutrient prescription for the field zone based on the identified soil properties of the plurality of collected soil samples.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.