Potato Grower

28 POTATO GROWER | NOVEMBER 2019 Using aerial imagery and advanced analytics to identify irrigation issues—before they impact crop quality Gaining Perspective Diggin' In Diggin' In PRECISION IRRIGATION | Industry Report On the screen it's easy to miss: a trace of purple across a lighter orange disc. But to Kirk Stueve, a fourth- generation farmer and remote sensing scientist at Ceres Imaging, the ring of color looks like a potential $5,000 loss. That's because the image—an aerial view of a field of potatoes captured by a scientific- grade thermal camera—reveals a problem with the center pivot irrigation system that over the course of the season could affect more than 30 acres of tubers. "The purple section is cooler than the surrounding area because it's being over-watered," Stueve explains. "It suggests to us that a valve is stuck open, or potentially something more significant." It's a straightforward fix once the problem is identified, but the temperature difference that tipped off Stueve to the irrigation problem is imperceptible to a grower on the ground. Moisture probes, satellite imagery, drones—none is likely to reveal an irrigation issue until after it has already impacted the crop. NO ROOM FOR ERROR For growers and their partners focused on efficiency, that's too late for the bottom line. Will Llewellyn, Ceres Imaging's advisor to potato growers in the Northwest, describes the challenge growers face every year. As the crop grows less thirsty late in the season, growers must reduce water application in perfect sync with the falloff in demand. If irrigation adjustments lag, the likelihood of experiencing rot or disease in the field increases significantly. University of Idaho Extension research has found that "over- irrigating by 20 to 30 percent during the growing season can reduce potato yield, quality and fertilizer use efficiency," lowering returns by more than $150 an acre. Even isolated incidents of over- watering carry significant risk. Consider the stuck valve spotted by the remote sensing scientist in Ceres Imaging's thermal capture. Even if the oversaturated soil causes rot in only a small portion of the harvest, that rot spread to unaffected potatoes in storage could result in a total loss of everything in the bin. The lucky grower who acts early enough to prevent this scenario is potentially saving six figures—or even the business. RIGHT SOLUTION, RIGHT TIME But Llewellyn believes that in the current market there's no reason anyone should leave the quality of the harvest to chance. With no shortage of ways for the season to go wrong, Ceres Imaging is developing powerful new tools to help growers get irrigation exactly right. The company flies fixed-wing aircraft equipped with cameras that capture images across the visible and invisible spectrum. Analyzed in detail by Ceres's team of data scientists and agronomists using university-validated crop models, the enhanced view of the field provides insights that allow growers to optimize fertigation programs,

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