Using a Guidance or Autoguidance System
1. Presentation
Characterization of the technique
Description of the technique:
| Fanny Vuillemin | INRA | fanny.vuillemin(at)toulouse.inra.fr | Castanet-Tolosan (31) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julien Halska | INRA | julien.halska(at)grignon.inra.fr | Dijon (21) |
| Caroline Desbourdes | Arvalis | c.desbourdes(at)arvalisinstitutduvegetal.fr | Ouzouer Le Marché (41) |
| Arnaud Butier | INRA | arnaud.butier@grignon.inra.fr | Grignon (78) |
Spam prevention: To use these addresses, replace (at) with @
GPS-assisted guidance provides the tractor or self-propelled machine driver with visual indications to optimize passes in the fields and avoid overlaps. Autoguidance achieves the same goal, with the tractor driven by the onboard computer connected to a GPS (including for maneuvers on some currently rare models). The absence of overlap depends on the precision of autoguidance: electric or hydraulic motor, and the type of correction (dGPS or RTK). These technologies concern all cultural operations: soil work, sowing, chemical or mechanical weed control, treatments, spreading, harvesting...
Implementation period On established crop
Spatial scale of implementation Field
Farm
Application of the technique to...
All crops: Easily generalizable
All soil types: Easily generalizable
All climatic contexts: Easily generalizable
Regulation
POSITIVE influence
This equipment is eligible for PVE funding (investment aid).
Plant Environment Plan (PVE)
2. Services provided by the technique
3. Effects on the sustainability of the cropping system
"Environmental" criteria
Effect on air quality: Increasing
phytosanitary emissions: DECREASE
GHG emissions: DECREASE
particle emissions: DECREASE
Effect on water quality: Increasing
N.P.: DECREASE
pesticides: DECREASE
Effect on fossil resource consumption: Decreasing
fossil energy consumption: DECREASE
phosphorus consumption: DECREASE
Other: No effect (neutral)
Pollutant transfer to water (N, P, phyto ...): Decrease
This system avoids overlaps and thus slightly reduces sprayed volumes, and therefore transfer risks.
Pollutant transfer to air (N, P, phyto ...): Decrease
This system avoids overlaps and thus slightly reduces sprayed volumes, and therefore transfer risks.
Fossil energy consumption: Decrease
Applied to nitrogen fertilization, guidance/autoguidance slightly reduces the quantities of fertilizer spread, and thus the fossil energy consumption related to the manufacture of chemical fertilizers. Autoguidance reduces overlaps by 13% on soil work, 5% on harvesting, 2% on sowing and spreading. Fuel consumption is reduced accordingly.
GHG emissions: Decrease
Guidance or autoguidance systems reduce CO2 emissions. Applied to nitrogen fertilization, this system slightly reduces the quantities of fertilizer spread, and thus the N2O emissions related to chemical fertilizer spreading.
Pollutant accumulation in soils: Decrease
When this technique is used for phosphate fertilization. Phosphate fertilizers generally contain trace metal elements, whose accumulation is limited by the absence of overlap.
"Agronomic" criteria
Productivity: No effect (neutral)
However, the technique limits phytotoxicity in overlap zones and thus potentially allows yield gain in these zones. Likewise, avoiding excess nitrogen reduces the risk of lodging.
Soil fertility: No knowledge on impact
Water stress: No effect (neutral)
Functional biodiversity: No knowledge on impact
There is a slight reduction in active ingredient quantities so it is assumed biodiversity is less affected.
Other agronomic criteria: Variable
Risk of lodging: Decrease
Applied to liquid fertilizer spraying, guidance/autoguidance avoids applying nitrogen twice in overlap zones. The reduction of overfertilization risk thus limits lodging risk.
Technical possibilities: Increase
Autoguidance enables new techniques. These are techniques requiring return to the same place: hoeing without the hoe having specific guidance (camera), strip till, etc.
"Economic" criteria
Operational costs: Decreasing
Slight savings due to reduced sprayed/spread quantities.
Mechanization costs: Increasing
dGPS subscription: free for 20-30 cm precision, 340 euros/year for John Deere SF2 correction (3 cm) and 1300 for OmniSTAR equivalent (HP signal). dGPS corrections do not allow returning to the same place. For RTK correction (2 cm relative and absolute, return to the same place) / radio transmission: between 10,000 to 15,000 euros for an RTK base (20,000 euros for a system on the tractor hydraulics) + 650 euros/year for frequency allocation. For mobile phone transmission: 600 to 1200 euros/year.
Margin: Variable
Variable or increasing if the technique is applied to all crops in the rotation.
Other economic criteria: Variable
Fuel consumption: Decrease
Autoguidance reduces overlaps by 13% on soil work, 5% on harvesting, 2% on sowing and spreading. Fuel consumption is reduced accordingly.
Equipment wear: Decrease
Slight reduction in equipment wear, especially for soil working equipment.
"Social" criteria
Working time: Decreasing
Overlap reduction reduces working time (minus 2%).
Effect on farmer health: Increasing
Work comfort: Increase
Guidance or autoguidance increase work comfort and allow the driver to better monitor operations as less attention is dedicated to driving. This system allows working at night or in limiting conditions (fog) with the same work quality.
Observation time: Variable
Technical skill requirement: Increase
Implementing this technique requires some training on the tool. In case of autoguidance, fields must be georeferenced (perimeter) beforehand for some equipment.
4. Favored or disadvantaged organisms
Favored Bioagressors
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Type | Details |
|---|
Disadvantaged bioagressors
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Type | Details |
|---|
Favored Auxiliaries
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Type | Details |
|---|
Disadvantaged auxiliaries
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Type | Details |
|---|
Favored climatic and physiological accidents
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Details |
|---|
Disadvantaged climatic and physiological accidents
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Details |
|---|
5. For further information
- Autoguidance: Access RTK through a mesh or network
- -Desbourdes C. (Arvalis)
Perspectives Agricoles no. 376, 1st March 2011, p21, Press article, 2011
- Autoguidance: more precision with RTK
- -Desbourdes C. (Arvalis)
Perspectives Agricoles no. 376, 1st March 2011, p18, Press article, 2011
- Choosing your satellite guidance system well
- -FR cuma ouest
Technical brochure, 2008
Perspectives Agricoles no. 386, 1st February 2012, pp14-16, Press article, 2012
- Effects of weather conditions on spraying
- -Jason Deveau - pesticide application technology specialist
Website, 2009
- What if I opted for precision agriculture?
- -Centre ALPA and Regional Chamber of Agriculture of Lorraine
Technical brochure, 2011
- Inventory of precision agriculture techniques at research stage or usable to reduce phytosanitary product use and their transfer to the environment
- -Gavaland, A., Vuillemin, F.
National Higher Agronomic School of Toulouse, University work, 2012
- GPS CenterLine guidance system
- -Teejet technologies
Website, 2012
6. Keywords
Bioagressor control method: Chemical control
Mode of action: Catch-up
Type of strategy regarding pesticide use: Efficiency
