Crop-specific automated irrigation and nutrient management
AssigneeEarthtec Solutions LLC
InventorDavid Lankford
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments for crop-specific automated irrigation of an environmental medium and management of nutrients therein. In one aspect, operation of an irrigation apparatus can be regulated according to specific water demand of a crop. The water demand can be assessed by evaluating water content conditions of the environmental medium comprising the crop, medium characteristics, and/or nutrient delivery and transport characteristics at the medium. Regulation of operation of the irrigation apparatus can comprise control of one or more of water supply to the apparatus, positioning and/or movement of the irrigation apparatus, or configuration of sensing devices for collection of information suitable for such regulation.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- causing, via a probe placed at a depth in a soil portion, an extraction of an amount of salts and water from the soil portion;
- determining, based on the extraction of the amount of salts and water, data indicative of an amount of one or more salts in the soil portion;
- determining, based on the amount of the one or more salts in the soil portion, a time-dependent change in content of the one or more salts in the soil portion;
- and
- causing, based on the time-dependent change in content of the one or more salts, output of information indicative of absorption of the one or more salts in the soil portion.
An apparatus comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- a memory storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
- cause, via a probe placed at a depth in a soil portion, an extraction of an amount of salts and water from the soil portion;
- determine, based on the extraction of the amount of salts and water, data indicative of an amount of one or more salts in the soil portion;
- determine, based on the amount of the one or more salts in the soil portion, a time-dependent change in content of the one or more salts in the soil portion;
- and
- cause, based on the time-dependent change in content of the one or more salts, output of information indicative of absorption of the one or more salts in the soil portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.