Phillip Deguara Trial Progress

Region: Mackay

Who: Phillip Deguara

Location: Sandy Creek

Provision of low cost, automated Variable rate application maps

A precision agricultural (PA) approach incorporating management zones and variable rate application (VRA) at an intra-block scale provides a potential pathway to refine N inputs according to the yield potential of defined zones. This approach would have a positive influence on water quality and on N use efficiency. However, despite significant advances in VRA technology the adoption of VRA programs at an intra-block scale has been restricted due to a number of knowledge gaps including access to site specific yield and soils data and the ability to interpret this data to produce relevant VRA maps. This trial aims to produce low cost VRA maps made available to growers in an automated or semi-automated system.