Variable rate spraying technology user guide

Variable Rate Technology (VRT) refers to the application of products such as fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides in broadacre agriculture at varying rates across a field, rather than applying a uniform rate throughout. The desired goal of applying variable rate technologies in agriculture is to improve yields and turnover, increase cost savings on product and labour, environmental impacts including soil health/quality and reducing the amount of chemical output to the environment.
This guide will focus on the requirements to perform VRT application of fertiliser which involves the precise and targeted application of fertiliser based on the specific needs of different areas within a field to achieve a uniform nutrient level throughout. There are two key components to this guide:
1. A general overview of the VRT technology stack mapped into autonomy levels. Example product names and costs are provided for two of the biggest tractor manufacturers – John Deere and Case IH.
2. A detailed report on the implementation that UniSQ procured as part of this project, as an example of the process in action.
The project team at the University of Southern Queensland was successful in upgrading technology stack onboard existing machinery to accurately perform variable rate applications with liquid fertiliser. The team completed the full workflow of soil sampling, prescription map generation, precision application, and review of yield and grain quality maps in collaboration with Incitec Pivot Fertilisers and MCA Ag at a trial site at the TOSARI farm. The resulting yield and grain quality maps showed a uniform end-point for the field, with initial variability reduced to a maximum disparity of less than 15% between the lowest nitrogen rate and the highest.

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