# US 11,109,523 B2 · Precision crop production-function models > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,109,523 B2 - Document ID: US11109523B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/682,209 - Filed: 2017-08-21 - Published: 2018-02-22 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-19 - Assignees: The Regents of the University of California - Applicants: The Regents of the University of California - Inventors: Salvatore Campisi-Pinto; David Crowley; Carol J. Lovatt - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11109523B2 ## CPC - A01B 79/005: {Precision agriculture} - A01C 21/007: {Determining fertilization requirements} - G06F 17/40: Data acquisition and logging (for input to computer G06F3/00) - A01C 21/00: Methods of fertilising {, sowing or planting} - A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21) - A01C: PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING (parts, details or accessories of agricultural machines or implements, in general A01B51/00 - A01B75/00) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Systems, apparatuses, and methods as described herein relate to analyzing plant nutrient-yield relationships and identifying optimum plant fertilization strategies to improve individual plant yields and overall plant yields. Nutrient data and yield data for plants in all yield ranges, rather than nutrient data and yield data for only the best-performing plants, is categorized based on the yield data and then analyzed to determine the yield as a function of nutrient condition for each nutrient element for the plants in each yield category. The nutrient-yield function can be modeled using a polynomial equation of various orders that can be used for determining the nutritional condition to improve crop production for plants in each yield category. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computer-implemented method for improving plant production comprising: receiving nutrient data and yield data for a plurality of plants, the nutrient data including concentration levels of one or more nutrient elements in plant tissues; categorizing the plurality of plants into a plurality of yield categories based on the yield data; for each yield category of the plurality of yield categories: analyzing the nutrient data and the yield data for plants in the yield category to determine a relationship between a plant yield and a nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements; and for each yield category of the plurality of yield categories: applying fertilizers to the plants in the yield category, the applied fertilizers having a nutrient level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements, and the nutrient level determined using the determined relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements for improved yields. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each yield category of the plurality of yield categories corresponds to a different quantile of yield for the plurality of plants. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a user input regarding a plant or a group of plants, the user input including an identification of a yield category or a yield value of the plant or the group of plants; determining a first nutrient level corresponding to improved yields for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements for the plant or the group of plants based on the relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element; and providing the first nutrient level for each nutrient element to the user. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: determining the yield category for the plant or the group of plants based on the user input; and selecting a first relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element corresponding to the determined yield category for determining the first nutrient level. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the yield category for the plant or the group of plants is different from a yield category of the plant or the group of plants in a previous growing season. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: selecting a second relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element corresponding to a second yield category different from the determined yield category; determining a second nutrient level corresponding to improved yields for each nutrient element for the plant or the group of plants based on the second relationship; and determining a recommended nutrient level for each nutrient element based on the first nutrient level and the second nutrient level. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein determining the recommended nutrient level includes determining an overlapped range of the first nutrient level and the second nutrient level. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: determining a second nutrient level corresponding to a reduced number of nonproducing plants for each nutrient element; and determining a recommended nutrient level for each nutrient element based on the first nutrient level and the second nutrient level. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the user input includes a plant tissue nutrient concentration level for a nutrient element for the plant or the group of plants; and the method further comprises determining a difference between the plant tissue nutrient concentration level for the nutrient element in the user input and the first nutrient level for the nutrient element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising: providing a fertilization strategy to the user based on the difference between the plant tissue nutrient concentration level for the nutrient element in the user input and the first nutrient level for the nutrient element. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more nutrient elements includes at least one of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), boron (B), sodium (Na), or chloride (Cl). ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the nutrient data and the yield data for plants in the yield category includes analyzing the nutrient data and the yield data using a quantile regression or an artificial neural network modeling technique. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a relationship between the plant yield and multiple nutrient elements using Kohonen self-organizing maps (KSOMs). ### Claim 14 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive nutrient data and yield data for a plurality of plants, the nutrient data including concentration levels of one or more nutrient elements in plant tissues; categorize the plurality of plants into a plurality of yield categories based on the yield data; for each yield category of the plurality of yield categories: analyze the nutrient data and the yield data for plants in the yield category to determine a relationship between a plant yield and a nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements; and for each yield category of the plurality of yield categories: applying fertilizers to the plants in the yield category, the applied fertilizers having a nutrient level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements, and the nutrient level determined using the determined relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements for improved yields. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: receive a user input regarding a plant or a group of plants, the user input including an identification of a yield category or a yield value of the plant or the group of plants; determine a first nutrient level corresponding to improved yields for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements for the plant or the group of plants based on the relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element; and provide the first nutrient level for each nutrient element to the user. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: determine the yield category for the plant or the group of plants based on the user input; and select a first relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element corresponding to the determined yield category for determining the first nutrient level. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: select a second relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element corresponding to a second yield category different from the determined yield category; determine a second nutrient level corresponding to improved yields for each nutrient element for the plant or the group of plants based on the second relationship; and determine a recommended nutrient level for each nutrient element based on the first nutrient level and the second nutrient level. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to: determine a second nutrient level corresponding to a reduced number of nonproducing plants for each nutrient element; and determine a recommended nutrient level for each nutrient element based on the first nutrient level and the second nutrient level. ### Claim 19 A system comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including: receiving nutrient data and yield data for a plurality of plants, the nutrient data including concentration levels of one or more nutrient elements in plant tissues; categorizing the plurality of plants into a plurality of yield categories based on the yield data; for each yield category of the plurality of yield categories: analyzing the nutrient data and the yield data for plants in the yield category to determine a relationship between a plant yield and a nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements; and for each yield category of the plurality of yield categories: applying fertilizers to the plants in the yield category, the applied fertilizers having a nutrient level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements, and the nutrient level determined using the determined relationship between the plant yield and the nutrient concentration level for each nutrient element of the one or more nutrient elements for improved yields.