Multi-Year Trial Data On Individual Tree Level Demonstrated Positive Impact On Yield And Decreased Cost Of Data Collection
“Utilizing Agerpoint’s technology was really helpful in the data analysis. When you work with cutting edge growers, it is difficult to see with the naked eye ‘success’. Agerpoint not only shows you the field improvements, but its verified in the final data. Proud to work with them.”
CHALLENGE
Goal to evaluate current soil amendment to verify and validate positive impact of yield
Prime Dirt has been applying a soil amendment and rather than continue blindly, they’d like to confirm that this application has had a positive impact on yield.
In addition, they want to confirm they reducing the cost of data collection for field trials. Yield is measured on a per variety basis and is attributed down to each tree. This data collection has historically included a significant amount of man-hours measuring each individual tree growth and monitoring harvest operations.
SOLUTION
Collected data annually for over three years on 2 blocks (202 acres and 76 acres) on a tree by tree basis for a total of 35,592 trees
Agerpoint® collected data points on tree height, canopy diameter, trunk diameter, canopy volume, canopy density down to the individual tree level. Yield data was also collected during the almond harvest season by attaching the Agerpoint collection system to grower supplied vehicles and collecting data at the same time the windrow was being picked up from the ground.
Data was collected and specialized agronomic services were used to process and operationalize data across 3 concurrent growing years from 2016 to 2018. Post collection, the yield data is transformed into representative volume indices and matched to a give plant and its associated row within a block. Final client data is extracted from the Agerpoint’s SaaS service and visualized into year-over-year yield graphs and maps on a variety basis.
RESULTS
Data collection demonstrated a 14.6% increase in yield 2.3% increase in density of foliage by using Prime Dirt products
By using Agerpoint’s products Prime Direct was able to efficiently, and effectively, show a positive increase in both yield and density of foliage by using their products.
Historically being able to collect and analyze this much data would have been extremely time consuming and costly. Because of using Agerpoint’s products, full data sets were able to be used instead of samples – providing incredible detailed and accurate data for decision making.
