Enhancement of precision agriculture strategy for potato production using advanced sensing and automation techniques

马铃薯生产是全球最大的食品行业之一，2017年马铃薯年产量约为3.88亿吨。在加拿大，马铃薯是最大的蔬菜作物。加拿大是包括麦凯恩食品有限公司在内的大型土豆加工公司的所在地，2015/2016年度加拿大加工土豆出口额达到13.2亿美元。然而，全球消费的增加，全球市场竞争的加剧，以及在不断变化的气候下保持有竞争力的生产面临的日益严峻的挑战，意味着需要付出更多努力来维持当地业务。这项研究旨在通过解决种植者和生产者面临的问题，为提高马铃薯生产率做出贡献。我们计划在种植和喷洒两个田间作业中应用精准农业技术。对种子放置的精确监测提供了种植过程的反馈，并允许实施纠正措施，以实现更均匀的种植。我们计划开发一种新的传感技术来创建种子地图，显示任何位置的种子缺失和/或重复种子。种子的均匀分布意味着种植者以具有竞争力的价格生产更多适销对路的产品，加工厂减少浪费。同样，我们将开发传感系统，并对自行式喷雾器进行机械改造，以使其能够在生长季节进行可变剂量的应用。高效的变速技术意味着在保持产量不变的同时降低生产成本。我们计划使用市场上现有的传感器和设备进行机械改造，以便在田间成功地进行农药和除草剂的变量喷洒。这种发展的影响将是经济的，也是环境的。减少喷洒在植物上的化学物质的数量将保护土壤和水免受不必要的污染。这也将在更长的时间内保持杀虫剂和除草剂的效力。保持适销对路的产量将支持农村地区的经济和社会结构，并通过出口冷冻和加工土豆为加拿大提供收入。

Potato production is one of the biggest global food industries with an annual potato production of approximately 388 million tonnes in 2017. In Canada, potato is the largest vegetable crop. Home for big potato processing companies including McCain Foods Limited, Canadian exports of processed potatoes in 2015/2016 reached $1.32 billion. However, increasing worldwide consumption, increased global competition for markets, and growing challenges in maintaining competitive production under changing climate, mean more effort is required to maintain local business. This research aims to contribute to the efforts of improving potato productivity by addressing issues that growers and producers face. We plan to apply precision agriculture technique on two field operations: planting and spraying. Precise monitoring of seed placement provides feedback of the planting process and allows implementing correcting measures to achieve more equally spaced planting. We plan to develop a new sensing technology to create seed maps that shows lack of seeds and/or double seeds at any location. Homogeneous distribution of seeds means more marketable produce at competitive price for the grower, and less waste at the processing factory. Likewise, we will develop sensing systems and design mechanical modifications on self-propelled sprayer to enable variable rate application during the growing season. Efficient variable rate technology means maintaining the same yield while reducing production cost. We plan to introduce mechanical modifications using market available sensors and equipment so that variable rate spraying of pesticides and herbicides is carried out successfully in the field. The impact of such development will be economic as well as environmental. Reducing the amount of chemicals sprayed on plants will save soil and water from unnecessary contamination. This will also maintain efficacy of pesticides and herbicides for longer periods. Maintaining marketable yield will support the economy and social structure in rural areas and provide income to Canada through the export of frozen and processed potatoes.