Here Is Everything You Need To Know About Variable Rate Technology

'Variable Rate Technology' (VRT) is a recent and significant advancement in the precision agriculture revolution. VRT lowers input and labor costs while increasing farm profitability and the sustainability of a grower's farming practices. VRT applies fertilizer, crop protection products, seeds, and even irrigation water at different locations without requiring the grower to change application rates or manually make multiple passes. Precision agriculture's variable rate technology focuses on many aspects of crop production, such as applying herbicides and pesticides, lime, gypsum, and other common crop nutrients, seeding, and detecting weeds and diseased crops.

'Variable Rate Technology' (VRT) is a recent and significant advance in the precision agriculture revolution. VRT lowers input and labor costs while increasing farm profitability and the sustainability of a grower's farming practices.

What Exactly Is Variable Rate Technology (VRT)?

VRT applies fertilizer, crop protection products, seeds, and even irrigation water at different locations without requiring the grower to change application rates or manually make multiple passes.

Precision agriculture's variable rate technology focuses on many aspects of crop production, such as applying herbicides and pesticides, lime, gypsum, and other common crop nutrients, seeding, and detecting weeds and diseased crops.

VRT works by utilizing GPS and GIS technology to pinpoint precise locations in the field for material application, which is then combined with data collected to inform a VRT-enabled piece of equipment, such as a seeder, sprayer, or fertilizer spreader, of exactly where and at what rates to apply products.

The first step in VRT is the establishment of farmer-created management zones. The uniformity of their characteristics as determined by soil testing, yield monitoring results, and other data such as remote sensing imagery is typically used to map these zones. In a VRT system, a standard management zone would map high, medium, and low productivity areas within a field.

Variable Rate Application System Types

VRT is based on variable rate application (VRA), which means that materials are applied in such a way that the application rate varies depending on precise locations. VRA employs either a map or a sensor-based system.

VRA on the Map

Based on GPS coordinates, the application follows a map known as a prescription map. In a map-based VRA system, an agronomist creates the prescription map, also known as a ‘script,' which is then uploaded to the farmer's data system. This prescription map informs a VRT-enabled piece of equipment, such as a seeder, sprayer, or spreader, of the location-based application rates.

Sensor-Based VRA

The application is based on sensors that tell the VRT-enabled system where and how much material to apply. Sensor-based VRA is typically real-time, allowing the grower to respond to specific conditions at the time of application. Sensor-based VRA is most commonly used in irrigation applications, such as VRT-capable center pivot irrigation systems.

Benefits of VRA

The advantages of having a VRA system include the ability to help automate this part of the agricultural process. The more automation and precision a company implements in its operations, the more money it can save through increased production and efficiency. Several sources present various economic benefits of VRA, which are highlighted below.