Weather Analyses for Apple Farming & Asset Status Monitoring with LoRa Sensors

斯凯勒农场有限公司在安大略省的西姆科种植苹果、谷物（玉米、大豆和小麦）、樱桃，并饲养绵羊。苹果是一种面临挑战的作物，包括天气、真菌（例如：结痂）、昆虫和飞蛾。这些挑战可以通过喷雾来解决，但喷雾成本高（时间、金钱和环境），并且需要有策略地选择应用时机。目前，斯凯勒农场根据人类观察、电子表格跟踪和气象站来确定喷洒时间。莫霍克学院在模块化传感器和软件开发以及数据分析方面具有专长。莫霍克学院和斯凯勒农场将在最初的NSERC参与项目的基础上进行合作，以改进天气分析，以确定是否以及何时需要喷雾，并跟踪物理基础设施，如油箱液位。跟踪温度和降水的局部天气监测将有助于根据客观数据确定是否需要喷洒。苹果结痂是由一种可预防的真菌引起的，它可以造成70%或更多的损失。农场在减少作物喷雾剂用量方面面临着商业和公众的双重挑战，而具有可靠传感器的复杂算法将有助于确定准确的喷雾剂时间，并有可能减少喷雾剂的数量。通过减少财务成本和资源使用，减少喷雾剂提供了商业和环境效益。苹果是全国主要的水果作物，2017年的农场价值为2.246亿美元，支持苹果的盈利能力和可持续性非常重要。

Schuyler Farms Limited grows apples, grains (corn, soybeans, and wheat), cherries, and raises sheep in Simcoe, Ontario. Apples are a crop that have challenges, including weather, fungus (ex: scabs), insects and moths. These challenges can be addressed with sprays, which are costly (time, money, and environment) and require strategic timing for applications. Currently, Schuyler Farms times sprays based on human observations, spreadsheet tracking and weather stations. Mohawk College has expertise in modular sensor and software development, and data analyses. Mohawk College and Schuyler Farms will collaborate and build upon an initial NSERC Engage project to improve weather analyses to determine if and when sprays are required and to track physical infrastructure, such as fuel tank levels. Localized weather monitoring that tracks temperature and precipitation will help to determine if spraying is needed based on objective data. Apple scabs are caused by a preventable fungus that can cause losses of 70% or greater. Farms have both business and public perception challenges to reduce the amount of sprays that are applied to their crops, and a sophisticated algorithm with reliable sensors will help to determine accurate spray timing and potentially reduce the amount of sprays. Reducing sprays provides business and environmental benefits by reducing financial costs and resource usage. At $224.6 million of farm gate value in 2017, apples are the leading national fruit crop and it is important to support their profitability and sustainability.