Patent Application
20110010213
What is needed is a way to provide crop performance data from grower's production fields and environments, organize the data, associate the data with a physical, environmental, and/or pest incidence information, analyze the data, and communicate the data to plant scientists to assist in crop genetic improvement.
According to one aspect, a method may include receiving, from a producer, geo-referenced crop data that indicates performance of a crop at a production location and an identity of the crop at the production location. The method may also include associating genetic element data with the geo-referenced crop data. The method may further include determining performance data for a genetic element, based on the association of the genetic element data with the geo-referenced crop data.
According to another aspect, a method for providing feedback to a plant research system to assist in crop genetic development is provided. The method may include collecting multipoint geo-referenced crop data, wherein the crop data include yield data and plant or crop identification data. The method may further include associating genetic element data with the crop data, and providing the genetic element data and the crop data to the crop research system to assist in evaluating performance of seed products as grown.
According to another aspect, a method for providing feedback to a crop research system to assist in crop development is provided. The method includes receiving multipoint geo-referenced crop data, wherein the crop data includes harvest data and linking at least one genetic element with the crop data. The method further includes storing at least a subset of the harvest data in a research database associated with a crop research system, and performing an analysis of the crop data using the crop research system, the analysis indicative of performance of one or more genotypes having at least one genetic element.
As shown in
In addition to crop data, production location data may also be collected. Production location data may include data which is indicative of a geographic location or an attribute of a geographic location, such as GPS coordinates, the size of a field, elevation, soil type, weather information, or the like. The production location data may be included in the crop data or may be collected independently; therefore any reference to crop data may also include production location data. The harvesting system 30 and/or planting system 35 may include a GPS receiver, such as GPS receiver 34, to identify field locations within a field 32 which may be collected in addition to crop data. The harvesting system 30 and/or planting system 35 may be, for example, precision agricultural systems. The harvesting system 30 and/or planting system 35 may use such technologies as Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), differential GPS, sensors, variable rate technology (VRT), satellites, aerial images, electrical conductivity maps, equipment mounted crop sensors, crop canopy sensors, and/or yield monitoring (YM). Using GPS technology, sensors, or other precision agricultural equipment may allow crop data to be collected in various ways. For example, crop data may be associated with a production location, such as the location of a field or a portion thereof, such as the location of a row of a field, a portion of a row, an individual crop or seed location, or the like.
Where location data is used in conjunction with other data at multiple points the resulting data may be described as being geo-referenced multipoint data. Any reference to crop data or geo-referenced crop data herein may also include the geo-referenced multipoint data associated therewith. The crop data may be stored on a computer readable medium such as a memory card 36 or the like. The crop data may include as-planted data and/or harvest-related data such as described herein. The crop data may also include data indicating one or more environmental attributes at the production location. For example, the crop data may include weather data, soil moisture data, precipitation data, drought index data, solar radiation data, photoperiod data, latitude data, elevation data, soil type data, climate data, humidity data, temperature data, and/or other environmental characteristics associated with the production location. Environmental attribute data may include historical data, average data, cumulative data, and/or current data, or any combination thereof, of the environmental characteristic associated with the production location. In one example, cumulative environmental data may include heat units and/or growing degree units (GDUs). In some examples, one or more types of environmental attribute data associated with the production location may be collected independently and may not be included in the crop data.
The sales representative 18 may obtain the crop data from the crop producer 19. For example, the sales representative 18 may insert the card 36 into a corresponding card slot 14 on the computer 10, and then copy the crop data from the memory card 36 to the computer 10. Alternatively, the data may be obtained in other ways such as wirelessly, or by allowing the crop producer 19 to submit the data electronically to a web site. The sales representative 18 may also supplement the crop data with additional information. For example, the sales representative 18 may supplement the crop data with an identity of the crop, such as a hybrid or variety name associated with the crop data, where such data is not included in the crop data. In addition, the sales representative 18 may also be able to provide data associated with the field, the location, and/or the genotype which the sales representative is able to obtain from the crop producer or from any other source. For example, crop management practice data, such as plant population or nitrogen fertility associated with a field area, may be obtained from the grower or other sources. Grower reactions to suitability of a hybrid or variety to a particular field, environment, or crop management practice may also be collected.
The crop data may be provided to the seed company. The sales representative 18 may convert the crop data using the computer 10 to provide the crop data to the seed company. For example, the crop data may be provided to the data center 40 using CD, direct data transfer, or other methods for providing data to a data center. The sales representative 18 may also provide the crop producer with a copy of the data. For example, the sales representative 18 may provide a copy of the data on a computer readable medium such as a CD 20B. The seed company databases may provide for storing the crop data received. The data center servers 44 and other associated databases may also be in operative communication with other servers within the seed company. For example, the data center servers 44 may be in operative communication with research servers 72 which may be a part of a crop research system 73. The research servers 72 may be associated with plant research and/or the development of improved genetics for hybrid or variety seed products. Harvest data and/or other crop data, or a subset of such data may be stored in a research database 74 in operative communication with the research servers 72 within the research system 73. Having the actual production data may provide a research organization of a seed company with a better understanding through real world examples of how products are performing on a large scale, in geographically diverse locations, in a variety of soil types, and/or under a variety of different environmental conditions, and/or in specific crop management regimes. The data center servers 44 and other associated databases may also be in operative communication with seed production servers, sales and/or marketing servers, or other servers within a seed company.
A web site server 60 may also be in operative communication with the data center servers 44. The web site server 60 is operatively connected to the internet 62. A crop producer 19 may use a computer 64 to access information through the web site server 60. The crop producer 19 may also provide feedback to the seed company about the genotypes being produced. The information that may be accessed by producer 19 may include crop data collected by the producer, crop data associated with the crop producer's field, agronomic data, phenotypic data, such as plant height or ear height, and/or one or more yield maps or other harvest maps. The yield maps or other harvest maps may include maps such as grain moisture maps, residue produced maps, and/or maps of the amount of field lodging for example.
Although
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The fields or areas within a field 32 which are used may also be fields which have additional ties to the seed company. For example, the fields may be fields which are used in trials under an agreement between the crop growers and the seed company. It is to be appreciated that there are many different types of field trials, production plans, and/or grower plans. Data may be collected from seed products during pre-commercial, commercial, or post-commercial time periods. For example, the field trials may involve commercial seed products or pre-commercial seed products. In addition, the fields may be a single genotype for a whole field, or include more than one genotype, with the field mapped in any different design, including but not limited to field map designs such as strip trials, split-planter, or large block configurations.
The harvest data 80 and the planting data 82, if used, are provided to a crop mapping system or other geographic information system (GIS) 84. A crop mapping system 84 may store the planting data 82 and the harvest data 80 as crop data in a crop data database 86. A crop mapping system 84 may also generate yield maps for crop growers. The crop mapping system 84 may also transfer the crop data or a subset of the crop data to a crop research system 88 or other system within a seed company. The crop research system 88 may have access to a genetic element database 90 containing data describing the genetics associated with or included within different hybrids or varieties. By using hybrid or variety identifying information, the associated pedigree or other genetic information associated with a particular crop may be determined. The genetic element data may include such information as a particular gene within a seed product, a particular cDNA within the seed product, a particular genetic marker within the seed product, a particular locus within the seed product, or a particular set of genes (stack) within the seed product which confer a trait, or any other type of genetic construct within a particular seed product. Thus, the harvest data 80 and its relationship with the genetic information may then be analyzed through various methods. For example, the harvest data 80 may be analyzed together with the genotype data through statistical methods to provide additional insight into the performance of the genotype at a particular location and/or under particular environmental conditions and/or particular management practices. Crop management practices may include, but are not limited to, practices such as the application of various types of crop nutrients at various timings, the application of various types of pesticides at a variety of timings, chemical application methods and timing, tillage, irrigation, crop rotation, subsurface drainage, and refuge planting, for example. This may provide the crop research system 80 with additional information which can be used to suggest modifications to a particular genotype or genetic background to improve crop performance or to suggest breeding strategies to improve performance in a particular genotype, group of genotypes, or genetic element.
Where the harvest data 80 does not include any identification of the hybrid or variety being used, one way to supplement the harvest data 80 is to use corresponding planting data 82. The planting data 82 may include an identification of a hybrid or variety of seed which is planted that can then be associated with the harvest data 80 for the corresponding crop.
If planting data 82 does not exist or else if the planting data 82 also fails to sufficiently identify the hybrid or variety of seed being planted, then a seed company representative 18 may be able to supplement the data with the hybrid or variety of seed which was planted or harvested. The seed company representative 18 may obtain the hybrid or variety of seed planted and harvested directly from the crop producer. In some examples the data may be obtained as part of a yield mapping program.
In step 98, genotype data is associated with the crop data, physical data, environmental data, and other location data. The genotype data provides a genetic description or identity of a particular hybrid or variety of seed. In step 100 the crop data or a subset of the crop data is electronically transferred or otherwise provided to a research computer system 72. Not necessarily all of the crop data may be of use in a research program, thus data which is not of use in the research program may not be transferred. For example, harvest data 80 may include data regarding equipment, data identifying the crop producer, the crop producer's name of a field, and other data which may be removed from the data before being used in the crop research program.
In step 95, additional data such as physical data, environmental data, management data, and/or biotic data may also be associated with the multi-point geo-referenced data. The environmental data may include data that indicates an environmental attribute at a location indicated by the multi-point geo-referenced data. The physical data, environmental data, management data, and/or biotic data may be collected from any number of sources, including from growers, landowners, government resources, third party resources, seed company representatives, or otherwise. In step 98, genetic element data 98 may be associated with the multi-point geo-referenced data (and other data, if available). The genetic element data may include such information as a particular gene within a seed product, a particular cDNA within the seed product, a particular genetic marker within the seed product, a particular locus within the seed product, or a particular set of genes (stack) within the seed product which confer a trait, or any other type of genetic construct within a particular seed product.
In step 97, grower feedback may also be collected and associated with the multi-point geo-referenced data. Grower feedback may be useful in many different ways. For example, growers may identify as important phenotypic information which would otherwise not necessarily be considered to be important to plant scientists. Grower feedback may include, for example, a grower's reaction to a crop, such as feedback regarding how the crop looked in the field or how the combine sounded when the crop was harvested. Grower feedback may include, for example, grower needs, such as better stalk quality, earlier maturity, improved ease of harvest, less residue, or the like. This feedback may assist a plant scientist in development of new seed products which meet grower expectations in these ways as well as more typical performance-related characteristics.
In step 100, data is provided to the research system(s). The data includes the multi-point geo-referenced data, any associated physical, environmental, management, and biotic data, as well as the associated genetic element data, and optionally any grower feedback information. Because the genetic element data is provided, the research system can use the genetic element data as one way of indexing data from growers or other disparate sources.
Referring now to
A number of program modules comprising computer-readable instructions may be stored on computer-readable media that may include an operating system 1035, one or more application programs 1036, other program modules 1037 and program data 1038. Computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 1020 and includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media may include both volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM 1025, ROM 1024, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage 1031, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage 1029 or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by computer 1020. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.
Upon execution by the processing unit, the computer-readable instructions cause the actions described in more detail below to be carried out. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 1020 through input devices such as a keyboard 1040 and/or pointing device 1042. These and other input devices may be connected to the processing unit 1021 through a serial port interface 1046 that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port or universal serial bus (USB). A display 1047 or other type of display device can also be connected to the system bus 1023 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1048. In addition to the display 1047, computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and printers. The exemplary system of
Additionally, the computer 1020 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer 1049. The remote computer 1049 may be another computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically can include many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 1020, although only a memory storage device 1050 has been illustrated in
When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1020 may be connected to the LAN 1051 through a network interface or adapter 1053. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1020 can typically include a modem 1054 or other means for establishing communications over the wide area network 1052, such as the Internet. The modem 1054, which may be internal or external, can be connected to the system bus 1023 via the serial port interface 1046. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1020, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used. Moreover, while it is envisioned that numerous embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly well-suited for computerized systems, nothing in this document is intended to limit the disclosure to such embodiments.
Methods and systems for capturing and reporting relevant crop genotype-specific performance information to plant scientists or other researchers have been disclosed. Numerous variations, alternatives, and options are contemplated. These include variations in the type of crop, variations in the data collected, variations in the manner in which data is collected and/or transferred, variations in how the data is used by researchers, and other variations.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/224,228 filed Jul. 9, 2009 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61224228 | Jul 2009 | US |
