Section Control John Fulton Associate Professor and Extension
- Slides: 17
Section Control John Fulton Associate Professor and Extension Specialist Biosystems Engineering Department Auburn University 200 Corley Building Auburn, AL 36849 Office: 334 -844 -3541 Fax: 334 -844 -3530 fultojp@auburn. edu www. Alabama. Precision. Ag. Online. com 1
Headland Pass Operator Response Needed Overlap Manual Shut-Off 3 -Section Control Manual versus Automatic Section Control
Automatic Section Control • Automatic ON / OFF of sections on application equipment – GPS-based technology – Sections turn OFF: previously treated areas or unwanted areas • Reduces 1) overlap and 2) application in unwanted areas (waterways, buffer strips, etc. ). 4
Automatic Section Control Nozzles OFF Buffer Strip 5
Sprayers Capstan Solenoid Body Example of individual nozzle control (auto-nozzle) as sprayer moves out of the crop. Source: Purdue University
• Headland or Point Rows (turnaround) – Overlap occurs across the boom – Mitigated with automatic section control Overlap represented in blue. 7
Difference with Technology Manual Errors – Overlaps (blue) – Skips (red) ASC Errors – Overlaps reduced (blue) – Skips eliminated Images courtesy of Luck and Shearer 8
Planters Sprayer
Auto-Section Control for Planters • Individual row clutches – Pneumatic (Tru-Count / Trimble) – Electric (John Deere, Ag. Leader, etc. ) • Cost is between $600 - $900 per row • RTK correction recommended for individual row control
Value of ASC Corn – 20% to 52% yield loss – Harvest loss: >2 times (>2 bu/ac) – Higher incidence of Aflatoxin VS. Cotton – 12% to 27% yield loss (2 vs 1. 6 ba/ac) – Increase in plugged tubes on picker (headache)
Reduction in Overlap Manual versus Automatic Section Control – Sprayer Example Manual Section Control Automatic Section Control Over-Application (% of field area) 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Field Number Courtesy of Luck and Shearer, University of Kentucky 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Equipment Size? Savings increase with the size of planter (8 → 24 rows) 12/5/2020 13
Damaged Grassed Waterway
15
16
Automatic Section Control for Planters Cost Calculator (ASCCC) http: //economics. ag. utk. edu/asccc. html 17
