Intelligent Apparatus for Agricultural Fertilization and Irrigation

When you hear aboutsmart devices, many immediately imagine something futuristic, where everything works on its own. But in reality, it’s more about precision and control, and not about magic. In our work with Shandong Lingyao Intelligent Agriculture Technology LLC, we often encounter clients waiting for the 'magic button' and then wondering why the system requires fine-tuning for each soil type.

Why standard solutions don't always work

Take, for example, our project in the Krasnodar region. They initially tried to use a universal fertilizer application scheme - the same doses throughout the entire territory. Result? In some areas there is an overconsumption of nitrogen, in others there is a clear deficiency. I had to reconsider the approach and connectfertilizer applicatorswith the possibility of zonal control.

Interestingly, problems often arise not with the technology itself, but with the preparation of the infrastructure. For example, the same water filter seems like a small thing, but without it, the drip lines become clogged over the course of a season. We at Shandong Lingyao now always start with a water analysis before recommending a specific configuration.

There were also funny cases. Once I had to redo the valve control system because a local mechanic decided to 'improve' the design and connected them directly, bypassing the controller. He said it was more reliable. I had to explain that reliability is when every element works as normal.

How to integrate irrigation and fertilization without unnecessary complications

The most successful project that comes to mind is a greenhouse complex near Voronezh. There we implemented full integrationirrigation and fertilizationbased on our equipment. The key was not so much the software as the correct placement of soil moisture sensors - they were placed at different depths, which made it possible to more accurately calculate irrigation rates.

Many people underestimate the importance of little things. For example, the same installation of pipes - if you do it 'as always', without taking into account the relief, then waterlogging zones appear. In such cases, we use laser leveling, although customers often have doubts at first - they say it’s an extra expense. But then, when they see the uniformity of seedlings, they understand the importance.

By the way, about fertilizers. I used to think that the main thing was the exact dosage. It turned out that the sequence of adding different components is no less important. Somehow we had to reprogram the entire cycle because when some elements were supplied simultaneously, a sediment formed that clogged the injectors.

Equipment in the Field: What Really Matters

While working on projects for Shandong Lingyao LLC, I realized one simple thing: the most difficult thing is not to assemble the system, but to make it repairable under normal household conditions. Therefore, we always leave the possibility of manual duplication of critical functions - for example, manual control of valves if something happens to the automation.

I remember a case in the Rostov region, where it was necessary to urgently change the irrigation strategy due to an unexpected change in the groundwater level. It’s good that the system made it possible to quickly redistribute irrigation norms between sectors. This saved about 30% of the crop in problem areas.

Nowadays they talk a lot about 'smart agriculture', but they rarely mention that the intelligence of a system is determined not by the complexity of the algorithms, but by its adaptability. Sometimes simple logic “if the humidity is below X, water” works better than multi-layer neural networks, especially when there is no time for fine tuning.

Systems design: between theory and practice

When we first started working withsmart devicesfor agriculture, it seemed that the main thing was correct calculations. Experience has shown that observations of the actual operation of the system in different weather conditions are no less important. For example, the influence of wind on the distribution of irrigation turned out to be significantly higher than the calculated values.

In the project for the Stavropol region, we had to revise the sprinkler placement scheme three times - first according to standard standards, then taking into account the wind rose, and eventually sector-based intensity regulation was added. Only after this we obtained a uniform distribution of moisture.

Now, when designing, we always include a reserve for the productivity of pumping stations - approximately 15-20%. Previously, this was considered unnecessary, but several emergency situations involving the simultaneous activation of several irrigation sectors convinced us otherwise. As it turns out, theory and practice in irrigation are two different worlds.

Prospects and limitations of technology

Talking about the futureintelligent fertilizer applicators, then the main challenge is not accuracy, but prediction. Now we can dose nutrients perfectly, but predicting how they will be absorbed in different weather conditions is still difficult. This is what we are working on in new developments.

Interestingly, sometimes the most effective solutions are relatively simple. For example, in one of the latest projects we abandoned a complex control system in favor of a modular architecture - each node is autonomous, but exchanges data. Reliability has increased and maintenance costs have decreased.

Looking at the development of technology at Shandong Lingyao LLC, I understand that the next step is not so much new functions as improved integration with existing agricultural systems. Because the smartest technology is useless if it does not fit into the real production processes of the farm.