Decision Support System for Arable Crops

1
Decision Support Systemfor Arable Crops
2
DESSAC will provide an integrated suite of
agricultural decision support systems. The
system will comprise

• A common farm database, which will be compatible
  with existing farm databases.
• A weather database, which will contain climate
  data and input from met stations and forecasts.
• Up-to-date variety and pesticide databases
  containing NIAB ratings and information on all
  registered pesticides.
• An expandable encyclopaedia, containing
  information relevant to the decisions being
  supported.
• A range of plug in decision support modules
  designed to address specific problems.

3
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The DESSAC farm database has been designed to
hold all farm data relevant to a farmer or
advisors decision making.
4
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Information about the farm
This example screen shows a map of the farm at
IACR-Rothamsted, indicating the crops being grown
in each field.
5
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Users will be able to input farm data manually,
or it will be possible read and write to a
pre-existing farm management system automatically.
6
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The DESSAC weather database is pre-filled with
historical weather and climate data covering the
whole country.
7
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
All commonly measured weather parameters are
catered for.
8
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
All commonly measured weather parameters are
catered for.
9
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
All commonly measured weather parameters are
catered for.
10
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
It will be possible to enter weather data
manually, or to import from a farm met station or
over the web as appropriate.
11
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The DESSAC encyclopaedic browser works in a very
similar way to a standard hypertext browser.
12
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Encyclopaedias are provided with each decision
support module, keeping the information relevant
and up-to-date.
13
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Encyclopaedias are provided with each decision
support module, keeping the information relevant
and up-to-date.
14
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Encyclopaedias are provided with each decision
support module, keeping the information relevant
and up-to-date.
15
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Encyclopaedias are provided with each decision
support module, keeping the information relevant
and up-to-date.
16
Decision Support System for Arable Crops

• DESSAC is designed to be customisable and
  expandable.
• Decision support modules are currently under
  development by leading scientists and agronomists
  in the field.
• Modules in the pipeline include
• Wheat disease manager, led by Silsoe Research
  Institute.
• Oilseed rape pest control, developed by CSL,
  York.
• The SUNDIAL nitrogen modeling system from
  IACR-Rothamsted and HRI.
• A spring barley management system from SAC,
  Aberdeen.
• BYDV prediction and control, developed by CSL
  and IACR-Rothamsted.
• More modules are being commissioned.

17
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The first module to be released will be the wheat
disease manager. This is being developed
alongside the DESSAC system, in a collaborative
project involving Silsoe Research Institute,
HUSAT, ADAS and IACR-Rothamsted. The module is
designed to assist in the choice of fungicide
spray mixtures and timings. A brief
demonstration of the prototype follows ...
18
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
This is the main screen of the wheat disease
manager module.
19
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The screen is displaying all the information on a
particular field that is required in order to
make a spray decision...
20
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Field name, variety etc..
The screen is displaying all the information on a
particular field that is required in order to
make a spray decision.
21
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Date is displayed here.
Past.
Future.
The screen is displaying all the information on a
particular field that is required in order to
make a spray decision.
22
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
This line marks the current date.
The screen is displaying all the information on a
particular field that is required in order to
make a spray decision.
23
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
This area can be set to show weather data...
The screen is displaying all the information on a
particular field that is required in order to
make a spray decision.
24
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
or crop development
The screen is displaying all the information on a
particular field that is required in order to
make a spray decision.
25
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
This section of the screen is where the
information about sprays, and disease risks is
displayed.
26
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The four horizontal sections represent diseases
that the user is concerned with.
27
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Mildew,
The four horizontal sections represent diseases
that the user is concerned with.
28
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Mildew,
Yellow rust,
The four horizontal sections represent diseases
that the user is concerned with.
29
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Mildew,
Yellow rust,
Brown rust,
The four horizontal sections represent diseases
that the user is concerned with.
30
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Mildew,
Yellow rust,
Brown rust,
Septoria
The four horizontal sections represent diseases
that the user is concerned with.
31
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Sprays are shown on the date line. In this
example, the the database shows that a spray has
been applied on 8th April.
32
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The cover section of the disease bars shows the
protection against the disease (eradicant and
protectant) that this spray provides.
33
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The risk section of the disease bars shows
times at which there is a medium to high risk of
infection.
34
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
Estimated yield and variability.
This section of the screen accesses the
scientific models to provide estimates of yield,
margin and variability.
35
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The optimise button attempts to calculate the
best future spray mixes, doses and timing...
36
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
to provide a set of alternative spray plans
designed to increase yield and/or margin.
37
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
A spray plan can be selected from this list...
38
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
and applied to the field.
39
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
and applied to the field.
40
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The new spray plan predicts better protection
against disease, leading to a higher yield
prediction with less variability.
41
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The DESSAC system, developed by researchers at
IACR-Rothamsted, and the wheat disease manager
will be available from Farmplan computer systems
in time for the growing season in the year 2000.
42
Decision Support System for Arable Crops
The following organisations have been involved in
the work presented today
The DESSAC project is funded by