App creates fertiliser prescriptions for different cultures
AdubaTec app tells Brazilian growers how much fertiliser to use and is to serve as a database for soil maps.
Embrapa (the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) and the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB) have developed a free app to help farmers optimise application of fertilisers.
AdubaTec
The app is called AdubaTec. It uses crop and soil data to create fertilisation prescriptions. Growers need to upload data regarding crop type, soil properties, cultivation system, growth stage, weather conditions and expected yield. The app uses the data to create the fertiliser prescription in the shape of a PDF document.
The farmers gets a detailed fertiliser prescription, which tells him how much fertiliser to use, through a simple and practical interface. The prescription provides details such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium needs.
Adding new crops
The software is already programmed to provide prescriptions for crops such as cassava and various fruit crops (pineapple, acerola, banana, orange, mandarin, lemon, papaya, mango and passion fruit). Growers can add other crops themselves. To do that, users can enter information about their crop through an easy-to-use interface. The data is then sent to Embrapa´s API (Application Programming Interface), and the new crop is added to the app. That means all users can control the data, add crops and receive detailed prescriptions without the help of an IT technician.
Database to create soil maps
According to Luciano Pontes, analyst at Embrapa Cassava and Fruit, the AdubaTec app aims to provide its users – growers, agronomists – with a degree of independence in creating fertiliser prescriptions.
“The goal is to build a large database with information regarding soil conditions and practices from different regions in Brazil. AdubaTec is designed to be a database with the purpose of, in the future, creating soil maps all over Brazil”, he said.
