This project will deliver quick and easy Precision Agriculture tools to the whole rice industry, to increase yield and improve Water Use Efficiency. We know that rice yield can vary by 50% to 100% in every paddock, whilst in most parts, the same amount on inputs are supplied across the paddock. A 3-4t/ha yield variation can cost growers $1000/ha, and the industry $150M annually. DataFarming has determined four key areas to tackle this issue, being:
1. rapid soil mapping tools to fix soil constraints,
2. in-crop anomaly detection to identify pest and disease issues early, 
3. automated variable rate aerial application, and  
4. predicting harvest timing based on optimal grain moisture content.

 

Decades of research have provided great insights into these factors, however the development of quick and easy tools to assist growers, agronomists, and contractors to practically implement this research, has not. The project will have 2 phases.  The first phase will deliver high resolution satellite imagery to >90% of the industry as a base layer, as well as regular 10metre imagery (every 5 days), to get farmers and agronomists asking the questions: why is there variation?, where is it? and what can I do about it?  The second phase will focus a combination of insights from the satellite imagery and ground based sensors such as EM soil sensing, and technology integration to create simple tools for each major part of the rice growth cycle.   These tools will be developed and deployed with continual interaction with farmers, agronomists and harvest contractors from the very start of the project to ensure maximum adoption and impact.