Crop growth is determined by a range of meteorological and soil variables and how these interact temporally. While N is often the key determinant of growth, its availability to plants is influenced by e.g., soil water content, soil texture. The response to these soil factors is subsequently modified by interaction with climatic conditions. Pinpointing these abiotic stress factors and unravelling their dependencies requires application of several specific sensor-systems allowing concurrently monitoring plant physiological response and growth performance.
Objectives:
• Improve the detection and discrimination of water and N stresses in space and time in several fields of contrasting agro-environmental conditions
• Evaluation of soil sensing techniques and their accuracy for the estimation of soil properties affecting crop growth
• Evaluating how key soil features (e.g. water content) can be quantified with plant sensors
Main Outputs:
• Improved detection of multiple stressors (water and N) in space and time
• Protocols, data and algorithms on sensing and calculation of N-status, N-sufficiency, drought stress response and growth in several crops during several seasons
• Proximal and remote soil sensing data (2D and 3D), and wet chemistry of multiple soil properties affecting N dynamics and crop growth
• Quantification of predictive abilities of single sensing techniques for the estimation of key soil properties and their temporal changes
• Improved understanding on
WP members: Mathias N. Andersen (AU), Fulai Liu (KU), Klaus Butterbach-Bahl (AU)
The aim of WP2 is to provide quantified agronomic and environmental footprints of Nitrogen management.
Objectives:
• Develop common protocols for harmonizing the field data collection (from WP1 and WP2)
• Measure the crop and environmental response to N
WP2 Main Outputs:
• Quantification of the on-farm agronomics in terms of crop-soil-environmental data
• Clear Data Management Plan (DMP) for the project as a “living protocol” which will ensure uniformity, consistency and efficiency in the way experimental and modelling work is conducted throughout the project
• Measurements in time (punctual) of crop growth conditions against which sensors and models can be used. Observed data is the key for successful assimilation into models
• Documentation of the economic and environmental consequence of N fertilization under different on-farm treatments. A documented amount of N losses vs. yield and cost of N fertilization (tradeoff)
WP members: René Gislum (AU), Diego Abalos (AU)
The aim of WP3 is to provide real-time (e.g. intra-annual) tactical Nitrogen Management.
This WP integrates data and models in real-time in a digital twin (DT) which can be used as an aid in making tactical (within-season) decisions about N management. First, data fusion techniques are developed to provide a comprehensive view of the state of crop and soil in a given farm field by combining data from a range of sensors. Second, data are assimilated into dynamic process-based models of crop and soil; this gives not only a view of the current state of crop and soil, but also allows to make predictions about future states of the system.
Objectives:
• Fusion of data from different sensors for providing information regarding the spatial and temporal crop status
• Assimilation of data into different crop-soil models
Main Outputs:
• Documented algorithms for data fusion at different spatial scale
• Data assimilation using different combinations of models and integration techniques
WP members: Frits K. Van Evert (WUR), Mogens. H. Greve (AU), Allard de Wit (WUR)
The aim of WP4 is to provide long-term (e.g. inter-annual) strategic Nitrogen Management.
Objectives:
• Evaluation of the spatial scale/resolution impacts on the accuracy of simulating crop growth and development
• Improve N losses simulations through the potential of data assimilation-generated sensing (WP3) and reduce simulated uncertainty over space and time (from data of WP2)
• Utilize high-resolution spatiotemporal support of sensor data to gain an understanding of the impact of nutrient management on the change in crop response to climatic variables and design more effective adaptation strategies
• Development of simulation experiments that address the long-term impacts of changes in N management, in conjunction with crop rotations, on soil carbon and N dynamics
Main Outputs:
• Quantifying the contribution of climate, soil and management on spatial yield variability
• Simulated “what-if” agronomic management and the economic-environmental tradeoff in the short- and long-term
• Climate change resilience of the proposed agronomic system.
WP members: Ehsan E. Rezaei (ZALF), Davide Cammarano (AU), Jørgen E. Olesen (AU)
The aim of WP5 is to engage stakeholders and build the foundation for future uptakes.
Objectives:
• Conduct a dialogue with key stakeholders to encourage adoption of the proposed framework and its use after the end of the project
• Make the results accessible beyond the lifetime of the project
• Define different ways of dissemination and communication to end-users like the scientific community, students, farmers, farm advisors, agri-business industry, policy makers, authorities, and the general public.
Main Outputs:
• Setup of a living lab for digital agriculture education
• Setup On-Farm Research in AU 5 ha field and On-Farm Experimentation in the 2 farmers’ field
• Set up of stakeholder interaction (e.g. Field Days, workshops)
• On-going and constructive dialogue with the key stakeholders to enable exploitation of the deliverables and innovations based on analysis of barriers and enablers to uptake
• Successful development of tools that are suitable to the outcomes of the WPs and the target groups as well as the efficient communication of these.
WP members: Friederike Malisch-Johnigk (AU), Davide Cammarano (AU)
Objectives:
• Strategic steering of the project to address all unexpected situations (scientific, technological, environmental or societal)
• Operationally ensure that that the project progresses in conformity with the milestones, deliverables, and planned resources
• Organize and optimize infrastructural setup to support the project, with special attention to financial, logistics, information, coordination issues and in terms of quality and conformity to NNF rules and procedures.
WP members: Davide Cammarano (AU)