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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Planning machine paths and row crop patterns on steep surfaces to minimize soil erosion

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Author(s):
Spekken, Mark [1] ; de Bruin, Sytze [2] ; Molin, Jose Paulo [3] ; Sparovek, Gerd [4]
Total Authors: 4
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Grad Program Engn Agr Syst, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] Univ Wageningen & Res Ctr, Lab Geoinformat Sci & Remote Sensing Environm Sci, NL-6700 HB Wageningen - Netherlands
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Biosyst Engn, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Luiz de Queiroz Coll Agr, Dept Soil Sci, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE; v. 124, p. 194-210, JUN 2016.
Web of Science Citations: 1
Abstract

Soil erosion in arable fields is intensified on irregular surfaces. Although machine and crop-row patterns following terrain contours reduce runoff and increase water infiltration, these contours are almost never parallel while machine operations always are. In this work, a method is presented to generate patterns of machine paths on sloping land and assess their susceptibility to water erosion. The approach comprises three main process-steps: (1) assembling a comprehensive set of reference tracks and introducing hybrid contour lines; (2) adjust these curved tracks into steerable parallel tracks for agricultural machines; and (3) assess water flow accumulation and susceptibility to soil loss of the corresponding pattern. The methods were implemented in open source software and applied on three case studies concerning sugarcane production in the Sao Paulo region in Brazil. Our results suggest that soil loss could be reduced fivefold by inserting one single change in the cropping pattern while estimated reductions up to 75% could be obtained by the model when compared to a human-suggested coverage pattern. (c) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/07958-2 - Optimizing machinery paths in agricultural fields
Grantee:Mark Spekken
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 15/01071-4 - Research and development of software for spatial optimization of mechanized operations
Grantee:Mark Spekken
Support type: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE