Project objective
Although technologies for site-specific soil management are already available and their benefits have been proven in scientific studies, they are still rarely used in agricultural practice. The aim of the BonaRes joint project “I4S - Intelligence for Soil” is therefore to develop an integrated system for the site-specific management of soil fertility, which provides recommendations for adapting fertilization and other measures in order to maintain or improve soil fertility and reduce environmental pollution. The I4S system is primarily aimed at agricultural service providers, farmers and agricultural machinery manufacturers, but also at users from administration, research and related economic sectors such as environmental protection. The focus is on the main nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the soil reaction (pH value) and soil organic matter. Soil physical properties such as soil type are also indirectly taken into account in order to derive lime and nutrient requirements.
As part of I4S, scientists are developing and testing new types of soil sensors and examining how they can be integrated into mobile multi-sensor platforms for high-resolution mapping of the topsoil and subsoil. In addition, soil process models for modeling nutrient and water dynamics in the soil and in the plant are being further developed. Based on the sensor data and dynamic models, we are developing a decision support system (EUS) with which soil parameter maps and high-resolution fertilizer application maps can be created. The close coupling of these three system components will be the most important achievement in I4S. In the interplay of these different research focuses, the I4S project will make an important contribution to digital, resource-conserving, demand-oriented and yield-optimized precision agriculture.