WO2025225358A1 - Information processing device, information processing method, information processing system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program that enable appropriate control of irrigation of a field. A plurality of test ridges in which plants are planted in a field are each irrigated under different irrigation conditions, sensing results of growth conditions of the plants of the plurality of test ridges irrigated under different irrigation conditions are acquired, the sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants of the plurality of test ridges that are detected are presented, and irrigation conditions of non-test ridges of the entire field are determined on the basis of evaluation by a user with respect to the sensing results that are presented. This can be applied to a field management system.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, information processing system, and program

This disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program, and in particular to an information processing device, an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program that enable appropriate control of irrigation in a farm field.

Irrigation control is essential for the proper growth of plants grown in fields with little rainfall during the growing season. If the plants are irrigated too much, they may suffer from root rot, and conversely, if they are not irrigated enough, they may wither due to lack of moisture.

Furthermore, particularly when managing large farm fields, managing the amount of irrigation water used can result in a huge amount of wasted water being supplied to the entire field, even if only a small amount is wasted per unit area, which can lead to unnecessary increases in costs, increased costs for maintaining irrigation channels, and environmental problems such as land subsidence caused by pumping groundwater for irrigation.

Various proposals have been made for field management technologies, including a technology that divides a field into multiple areas, uses the water stress in an area where water is irrigated abundantly and water stress does not generally occur as a standard, and calculates the difference in water stress between that and other areas where the amount of irrigation is varied (see Patent Document 1).

It is therefore conceivable to apply the technology described in Patent Document 1 to control irrigation based on the difference from the water stress standard.

International Publication No. 2018/150691

However, when it comes to plants grown in fields, if the focus is on increasing yield, irrigation control is required to increase the amount of water just before harvest, thereby increasing yield. Also, if the focus is on improving quality, such as the acidity or sweetness of the taste, irrigation control is required to increase the acidity or sweetness by deliberately reducing the amount of water according to the cultivation stage, thereby increasing water stress during specific periods.

For this reason, whether the growth conditions of plants grown in a field are in line with the main objectives of cultivation cannot be determined by water stress alone, and irrigation cannot be appropriately controlled based solely on the difference from a baseline water stress.

This disclosure has been made in light of these circumstances, and in particular, enables appropriate control of irrigation in farm fields.

An information processing device, information processing system, and program according to one aspect of the present disclosure include an irrigation control unit that irrigates a plurality of test rows in a field in which plants are planted, each under different irrigation conditions; a sensing result acquisition unit that acquires sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions; and a presentation unit that presents the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows.

An information processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an irrigation control process for irrigating a plurality of test rows in a field, in which plants are planted, under different irrigation conditions, a sensing result acquisition process for acquiring sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions, and a presentation process for presenting the detected sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a plurality of test rows in a field in which plants are planted are irrigated under different irrigation conditions, sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions are obtained, and the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows are presented.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a basic method for determining the amount of irrigation water. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating whether plants cultivated in a field can grow or cannot grow depending on the amount of irrigation water. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a farm field management system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the control device of FIG. 4 . FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the user terminal of FIG. 4. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a farm field. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the evaluation of test ridges by capturing an image of a farm field. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of determining the amount of irrigation water from a growth index. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a field registration process. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a farm field registration image. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the inspection furrow position display and registration process. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an inspection furrow position display image. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the process of registering initial irrigation conditions for a test furrow. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an initial irrigation condition registration image. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating other examples of the initial irrigation condition registration image. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an initial irrigation control process. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the non-test furrow irrigation process. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a growth status presentation image. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a rating input popup. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a contribution degree setting display image. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the evaluation input popup. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a general-purpose computer.

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

The following describes how to implement this technology. The explanation will be given in the following order:

1. Overview of the present disclosure 2. Preferred embodiment 3. Modifications 4. Examples of implementation by software

<<1. Overview of the Disclosure>>
The present disclosure is particularly directed to enabling appropriate control of irrigation in a farm field. Therefore, as an overview of the present disclosure, a basic method for determining the amount of irrigation water will first be described.

As shown in Figure 1, in field plants, water evaporates into the atmosphere mainly through the stomata in the leaves, and roots absorb water from the soil, creating an imbalance in water potential between the leaves and roots, which acts as the driving force behind the movement of water through the xylem.

For example, if the sun shines and the temperature rises during the day, evapotranspiration increases, causing a greater imbalance, and the amount of water absorbed by the soil increases. On the other hand, if the stomata close at night, evapotranspiration decreases, and the water potential within the plant returns to equilibrium, causing a decrease in the amount of water absorbed by the soil. In this way, plants repeat evapotranspiration between day and night, and the equilibrium state of water potential also changes.

The imbalance in water potential within a plant can be determined by measuring tree water tension (leaf water potential). Knowing this tree water tension makes it possible to determine the timing of irrigation for the plant. However, tree water tension must be measured in advance by covering the leaves with a bag and leaving them for a certain period of time, then cutting the leaves, applying pressure, and measuring in the daytime when fluctuations in tree water tension have settled. Furthermore, the measurement is often carried out outdoors to minimize the time between cutting the leaves and measuring, which places a significant burden on the measurement process.

Tree water tension can be estimated from the soil moisture content, which is related to the water potential between the soil and roots, and the amount of evapotranspiration, which is related to the water potential between the stomata and the atmosphere.

Here, soil moisture can be detected using a soil moisture sensor or similar. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation can be measured at a weather station equipped with the respective sensors, so evapotranspiration can be estimated based on the Penman-Monteith equation.

Therefore, the timing of irrigation in a field can basically be determined based on the tree water tension estimated from the soil moisture content detected by a soil moisture sensor, and the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation detected by a weather station.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, if the amount of irrigation is insufficient, the plants in the field will wither due to a lack of soil moisture. On the other hand, if the amount of irrigation is too much, the plants in the field will be unable to grow properly due to diseases caused by high humidity. In other words, whether the amount of irrigation is insufficient or too much, the plants in the field may be unable to grow.

In other words, by setting the amount of irrigation water appropriately, neither too much nor too little, the plants in the field will be maintained in an appropriate state of growth.

However, even for the same plant, the amount and timing of irrigation required to maintain appropriate growth conditions varies depending on the target quality and yield. In other words, there is a certain degree of variation within the range in which growth is possible, so when setting the appropriate amount of irrigation, adjustments must be made according to the target quality and yield of the plant being grown in the field.

In this disclosure, as shown in Figure 3, some of the ridges in which plants are planted within field F are set as test ridge groups, and initial irrigation is actually carried out under different irrigation conditions for each of the multiple test ridges that make up the test ridge group, allowing the plants to grow.

Next, after a certain amount of time has passed during which the plant growth status following the initial irrigation can be confirmed to a certain extent, aerial photographs of the field F are taken using a drone D or a satellite, and a plant growth index map for each test row is generated based on the aerial photographs and presented to the user, the producer.

Then, the user, the producer, evaluates the growth conditions for each irrigation condition of the test rows using aerial images and growth index maps, and sets the irrigation conditions for the entire field from the initial irrigation onwards based on the evaluation results and the irrigation conditions for each test row set for the initial irrigation.

In this case, there is no evaluation based on growth indices by the user (producer). For example, when irrigation control that minimizes the amount of irrigation is simply desired, the irrigation conditions for the entire field are set to the irrigation conditions that minimize the amount of irrigation among the irrigation conditions for test rows where the growth conditions are higher than a specified threshold, based on the growth index map, and the irrigation amount and timing are controlled semi-automatically.

In Figure 3, test ridges Ft1 to Ft4 have been set up in field F, and initial irrigation is performed under irrigation conditions 1 to 4, respectively.

Furthermore, for ridges other than test ridges Ft1 to Ft4, the irrigation conditions may not be optimal, for example, when using conventional methods for determining irrigation conditions, but they are assumed to be normally irrigated under conditions that allow growth.

In Figure 3, after a certain amount of time has passed during which the plant growth status following initial irrigation can be confirmed to a certain extent, the entire field F is photographed from the air using a drone D or a satellite, and a growth index map is generated from the aerial images and presented.

Farm field F in Figure 3 is shown as a growth index map created after being photographed from the air by drone D. Furthermore, Figure 3 shows that, among test ridges Ft1 to Ft4, the growth index is high in the area of test ridge Ft3. For this reason, in Figure 3, for example, the third irrigation conditions set for test ridge Ft3 may be set as the irrigation conditions for the entire field.

Furthermore, the growth index map presented to the user may be able to select and present a growth index map suitable for checking the growth status of target plants, such as the quality (acidity, sugar content, etc.) and yield of plants grown in the field. In this way, it becomes possible to set appropriate irrigation conditions for the quality and yield of target plants, such as the quality (acidity, sugar content, etc.) and yield of plants grown in the field, based on the various growth index maps presented.

Furthermore, the aerial images of field F taken by drone D (or satellite) may be converted into high-resolution RGB images, for example, and based on such high-resolution RGB aerial images, the irrigation conditions for the test rows preferred by the producer may be set as the irrigation conditions for the entire field F, based on the size and color of the leaves and flowers.

Furthermore, if the producer's evaluation of the growth indexes for multiple test rows is superior or inferior, the weighted average of the irrigation conditions for the multiple test rows according to the superior or inferior may be set as the irrigation conditions for the entire field F.

In this way, with this disclosure, a test ridge group consisting of multiple test ridges is set out from the ridges in the entire field, and each test ridge is irrigated under different irrigation conditions. After growing for a specified period of time, the ridges are photographed from the air using a drone or similar device, and a growth index map can be generated and presented from the aerial images.

As a result, it becomes possible to automatically or manually set appropriate irrigation conditions according to the target quality and yield of plants grown in the field, based on a growth index map of plants in test rows irrigated under multiple irrigation conditions.

<<2. Preferred embodiment>>
Next, a configuration example of a farm land management system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .

The farm field management system 11 in Figure 4 is composed of a farm field 31, a control device 32, a network 33, a weather database 34, and a user terminal 35.

The field 31 is a place where agricultural crops (plants) are cultivated by producers. The field 31 is equipped with an irrigation device 41 that waters the cultivated plants, and a sensor unit 42 that detects various conditions to set the amount and timing of irrigation performed by the irrigation device 41.

The irrigation device 41 is controlled by the control device 32, which controls the amount and timing of irrigation for each furrow, and irrigates through irrigation tubes 203 (Figure 7) buried as underdrains.

The sensor unit 42 consists of a group of various sensors for controlling the amount of irrigation water applied to the field 31, and is composed of a growth status sensor 51, a weather station 52, and a soil sensor 53.

Growth status sensor 51 is an image sensor mounted on a drone or satellite that captures images of the entire field 31 in various wavelength bands, and transmits the sensing results, images captured (aerial photographs) by the imaging device mounted on the drone or satellite, to control device 32. Note that since growth status sensor 51 is only required to be able to sense the growth status, it may not only be an image sensor mounted on a drone or satellite, but may also be mounted on a patrol robot that moves autonomously within the field.

The growth status sensor 51 captures visible light images such as general RGB images, as well as near-infrared light images and red light images required to generate growth index maps such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and images in multiple wavelength bands required to generate other growth index maps.

In addition, growth indices other than NDVI can be used, such as PRI (Photochemical Reflectance Index), SIF (Solar-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence), NDRE (Normalized Difference Red Edge Index), VARI (Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index), TGI (Triangular Greenness Index), SIPI2 (Structure Intensity Index), etc. The vegetation index may be at least one of the following: Forest Dense Pigment Index 2 (LCI), LCI (Leaf Chlorophyll Index), BNDVI (Blue Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), GNDVI (Green Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and MCARI (Modified Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflective Index).

The weather station 52 detects various weather-related data such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation in the field 31, and transmits the detected weather information, including the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation in the field 31, to the control device 32.

The soil sensor 53 consists of a group of sensors that detect various information related to the soil of the field 31, including, for example, a moisture sensor that detects soil moisture, an EC sensor that detects porewater conductivity (EC), and a soil temperature sensor that detects soil temperature. The soil sensor 53 supplies soil information consisting of the detected moisture, porewater conductivity (EC), soil temperature, etc. to the control device 32.

The control device 32 manages field information registered by users operating the user terminal 35. Field information includes the location of each field 31, the type of plant (crop species name) cultivated in each field 31, the amount and timing of irrigation for each, as well as the location of test rows set within each field 31 and the amount and timing of irrigation for each test row.

The control device 32 calculates the standard evapotranspiration (ETc) for each type of plant under standard conditions, i.e., when there is no water stress or pests, from weather data in the weather database 34, which can be obtained via the network 33, and sensor data from the sensor unit 42, and determines the standard irrigation amount, which is the standard amount of irrigation water, based on the standard evapotranspiration (ETc).

The control device 32 determines a test irrigation amount, which is a different test irrigation amount for each of the multiple test ridges in the test ridge group, based on the standard irrigation amount, and controls the irrigation device 41 to irrigate the test ridges at the test irrigation amount.

In addition, for ridges that are not test ridges (non-test ridges), the control device 32 controls the irrigation device 41 to initially irrigate with the standard irrigation volume. Furthermore, hereafter, irrigation based on the standard irrigation volume that is performed on these initial non-test ridges will also be referred to as initial irrigation.

Then, after performing initial irrigation for a predetermined period, the control device 32 acquires image information (aerial images) of the entire field 31, which serves as sensor data supplied from the growth status sensor 51, and supplies this to the user terminal 35 for display. At this time, if the images captured by the growth status sensor 51 are visible light images, the visible light images are divided into test rows and supplied to the user terminal 35 for display. Furthermore, if the image information serving as sensor data supplied from the growth status sensor 51 is, for example, a near-infrared light image and a red light image, the control device 32 generates a growth index map consisting of NDVI, divides it into test rows, and supplies it to the user terminal 35.

When the user terminal 35 acquires the aerial photographs and growth index maps divided into test rows after initial irrigation supplied by the control device 32, it presents them to the user (producer). Furthermore, when the user (producer) operates the user terminal 35, it accepts input of an evaluation of the growth status of each test row based on the presented aerial photographs and growth index maps divided into test rows, and supplies this to the control device 32.

Here, the evaluation of the growth status of each test row may be, for example, selected by the user from three levels of evaluation such as "good," "average," or "poor" for each test row, or a score may be assigned according to the evaluation, or a circle, triangle, or cross may be selected.

Furthermore, when evaluating the growth conditions of each test ridge, you can, for example, decide that you want the amount of irrigation for the entire field to be the same as test ridge A, or somewhere between test ridges A and B, or that test ridges A, B, and C are all comparable, so you want to leave it to the discretion of the irrigation system, or that you want to avoid a situation like test ridge C.

The control device 32 determines the amount of irrigation water to be applied to the entire field based on the evaluation of the test rows, and controls the irrigation device 41 to irrigate the entire field 31.

In this case, if the irrigation conditions for test ridges A, B, and C are such that the irrigation amounts are greatest for A, B, and C in that order, and the evaluation of the test ridges is "good" for test ridges A and B and "bad" for test ridge C, the control device 32 may control the irrigation of the entire field 31 using the irrigation conditions of test ridge B, which has the lowest irrigation amount of test ridges A and B and has the highest evaluation.

In other words, the control device 32 may determine the amount of irrigation water for the entire field 31 based on the producer's evaluation of each test row, the growth index, and the amount of irrigation water. In this case, the overall amount and timing of irrigation water for the field 31 will be heavily influenced by the evaluation of the growth index manually input by the user, and will be determined almost entirely by manual operation (manually) by the user.

Furthermore, if the user's evaluation does not include information specifying the irrigation amount, such as when test ridges A, B, and C are all comparable and the user wishes to leave it to the irrigation system, the control device 32 may, for example, set the irrigation amount to the test ridge with the smallest irrigation amount among those test ridges with a growth index higher than a predetermined value. Similarly, if the user wishes to avoid test ridges being evaluated as test ridge C, the control device 32 may set the irrigation amount for the entire field 31 to the smallest irrigation amount among those test ridges with a growth index higher than the irrigation amount for test ridge C.

In other words, as in the two cases above, the control device 32 may determine the irrigation amount for the entire field 31 based on the growth index and irrigation amount for each test row, rather than on the producer's evaluation of the test row. In this case, the overall irrigation amount and timing for the field 31 are determined semi-automatically (automatically), with the growth index itself taking a stronger influence than an evaluation manually entered by the user.

The user terminal 35 is owned by the user (producer), and is, for example, a smartphone or tablet.

An application program (field management app 171 (Figure 6)) for controlling the field management system is installed on the user terminal 35, and by executing the application program on the user terminal 35, the user communicates with the control device 32 and edits field information for managing the field, such as the location within the field 31, the type of plant, and the location and irrigation amount of the test furrow group.

The user terminal 35 also acquires and presents sensor data supplied by the control device 32 via the farm field management app 171 (Figure 6), and accepts input of an evaluation of the presented sensor data and transmits it to the control device 32.

<Example of hardware configuration of control device>
Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 32 will be described with reference to FIG.

The control device 32 is composed of a control unit 101, an input unit 102, an output unit 103, a storage unit 104, a communication unit 105, a drive 106, and a removable storage medium 107, which are interconnected via a bus 108 and can send and receive data and programs.

The control unit 101 is composed of a processor and memory, and controls the overall operation of the control device 32. The control unit 101 also includes a weather information acquisition unit 131, a soil information acquisition unit 132, a growth status acquisition unit 133, a field information management unit 134, and an irrigation control unit 135.

The weather information acquisition unit 131 acquires weather information such as the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation of the field 31 supplied from the weather station 52.

The soil information acquisition unit 132 acquires soil information consisting of soil moisture, pore water conductivity (EC), and soil temperature supplied by the soil sensor 53.

The growth status acquisition unit 133 acquires, for example, RGB images captured by drones or satellites, and images of various wavelength bands used to generate growth index maps, and generates growth index maps using images of various wavelength bands as needed. When near-infrared light images and red light images are supplied, the growth status acquisition unit 133 uses the near-infrared light images and red light images to generate a growth index map consisting of NDVI (= (NIR - RED) / (NIR + RED): NIR is the near-infrared light image, RED is the red light image).

Furthermore, the aerial images consisting of RGB images acquired by the growth status acquisition unit 133 and images of various wavelength bands used to generate other growth indices are captured in chronological order at predetermined intervals by drones or satellites, and the images are stored in chronological order as they are supplied. In response to a request from the control unit 101, multiple aerial images captured at predetermined time intervals and multiple images of various wavelength bands are output together.

The field information management unit 134 stores and manages in the memory unit 104 as field information 141, the location of each field among multiple fields, the type of plant (crop species name) cultivated in each field, the amount of irrigation water for non-test ridges in each field, as well as the location of each test ridge that makes up the test ridge group in each field and the amount of irrigation water for each test ridge, etc., which are edited by operating the user terminal 35.

The irrigation amount information included in the field information 141 managed by the field information management unit 134 is the irrigation amount determined by the irrigation control unit 135 based on information edited by operating the user terminal 35.

For initial irrigation of non-test rows, the irrigation control unit 135 sets the standard irrigation amount based on the standard evapotranspiration (ETc) for each plant type, and after the initial irrigation, sets the irrigation amount based on the evaluation by the producer user.

More specifically, the irrigation control unit 135 calculates the standard irrigation amount based on the soil moisture content in the soil information and the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation amount in the meteorological information, calculates the irrigation amount for non-test rows based on the standard irrigation amount, and updates the irrigation amount in the field information 141.

On the other hand, with regard to the amount of irrigation for each test furrow, the irrigation control unit 135 estimates the tree water tension based on the soil moisture content in the soil information and the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation amount in the meteorological information, and sets a threshold value for each test furrow that determines when to start irrigation and a threshold value that determines when to stop irrigation based on the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension. Hereinafter, the threshold value that determines when to start irrigation will also be referred to as the irrigation start threshold, and the threshold value that determines when to stop irrigation will also be referred to as the irrigation stop threshold.

The watering initiation threshold may be set to the same value for all test rows, for example, as a threshold for water stress determined from the tree water tension at which the plant will not wither.

In this case, the irrigation stop threshold is set to a different value for each test row, which changes the threshold for the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension, making it possible to set different irrigation amounts for each test row.

For this reason, when the watering stop threshold is lowered, watering will continue until the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension reaches a low level, and the amount of watering will be set high.

On the other hand, if the watering stop threshold is high, watering will be stopped even when the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension is high, so the amount of watering will be set low.

Furthermore, the watering initiation threshold can be set to any value within the range that does not cause root rot due to excessive humidity, as long as it is lower than the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension at a level that will not cause the plant to wither.

For this reason, the lower the watering start threshold is set below the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension at a level that will not cause the plant to wither, the more watering will begin even when there is no water stress, and the higher the overall amount of watering will be set.

Conversely, the closer the watering initiation threshold is set to the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension at which the plant will not wither, the lower the overall amount of water irrigation will be set, as watering will not begin unless the plant is subjected to water stress close to withering.

Therefore, by setting the irrigation stop threshold for each test furrow to a constant value and setting the irrigation start threshold to a different value for each test furrow, the threshold for the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension changes, making it possible to set different irrigation amounts for each test furrow.

The irrigation control unit 135 sets the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold so that at least four different irrigation amounts can be set for each test furrow.

In this embodiment, the irrigation control unit 135 sets the irrigation start threshold for each test row to a constant value equal to the maximum water stress that minimizes the amount of irrigation. The irrigation control unit 135 also sets at least four or more irrigation stop thresholds for each test row, between the maximum water stress that becomes the irrigation start threshold and the minimum water stress that is considered sufficient for plant growth.

Furthermore, the irrigation control unit 135 calculates the amount of irrigation water for each test furrow for initial irrigation during the initial irrigation period as a percentage (e.g., a percentage) of the standard irrigation amount based on the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc), which is commonly used among users (producers and experts).

However, the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold for each test row may be set differently, as long as the irrigation amount for each test row is set to vary as described above. Furthermore, an irrigation stop threshold may be set so that the irrigation amount is greater than the standard irrigation amount, to the extent that root rot or the like does not occur, allowing the growth conditions at an irrigation amount that is excessive compared to the standard irrigation amount to be compared with the growth conditions when plants are grown at the standard irrigation amount or even less. In this way, it is possible to confirm the growth conditions when plants are intentionally made blistered to increase yield, or when the growth conditions are confirmed when a shortfall in irrigation amount is compensated for in anticipation of a possible decrease in the standard evapotranspiration (ETc).

The irrigation control unit 135 estimates tree water tension based on the soil moisture content in the soil information and the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation amount in the meteorological information, and controls the irrigation device 41 based on the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension and the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold in the field information 141, thereby controlling the irrigation amount by controlling the start and stop timing of irrigation supplied to each irrigation tube 203 (Figure 7) for each test furrow for only the period set as initial irrigation. The irrigation control unit 135 also controls the irrigation device 41 to calculate the irrigation amount for initial irrigation for each test furrow by multiplying the irrigation amount per unit time by the time from the irrigation start timing to the irrigation stop timing for each test furrow.

Furthermore, for non-test rows, during the period set as initial irrigation, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the irrigation amount at a standard irrigation amount based on the soil moisture content in the soil information and the temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation amount in the weather information. Hereinafter, the period during which initial irrigation is carried out will also be simply referred to as the initial irrigation period.

The irrigation control unit 135 controls the growth status acquisition unit 133 after a predetermined time (initial irrigation period) has passed during which the plants cultivated in the field 31 have grown to a predetermined level based on the initial irrigation, and acquires an RGB image and growth index map showing the growth status of the plants for each test row in the field 31.

The irrigation control unit 135 supplies RGB images and growth index maps showing the growth status of each test row to the user terminal 35, which then presents them to the producer user and obtains the user's evaluation of the images.

The irrigation control unit 135 determines the amount of irrigation water to be applied to the non-test rows in the entire field 31 based on the user's evaluation of the RGB image and growth index map showing the growth status of each test row, and controls the irrigation device 41 to irrigate.

The input unit 102 is composed of input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and touch panel for inputting various information, and supplies various signals corresponding to the input information to the control unit 101.

The output unit 103 is controlled by the control unit 101 and includes a display (not shown) and an audio output unit (not shown). The display displays various processing results.

The audio output unit consists of an audio output device such as a speaker, and outputs various sounds, music, sound effects, etc. as audio.

The storage unit 104 consists of a hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or semiconductor memory, and is controlled by the control unit 101 to write and read various data and programs.

The communication unit 105 is controlled by the control unit 101, and realizes wired or wireless communications such as those typified by LAN (Local Area Network) and Bluetooth (registered trademark), and transmits and receives various data and programs to and from other information processing devices via the network as necessary.

The drive 106 reads and writes data from and to removable storage media 107, such as magnetic disks (including flexible disks), optical disks (including CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs)), magneto-optical disks (including MDs (Mini Discs)), or semiconductor memories.

Note that while the control device 32 in Figure 5 shows an example configuration implemented by an information processing device such as a personal computer, other configurations are possible as long as the same functions are provided. For example, it may be implemented by multiple servers on a network, or it may be implemented by cloud computing.

<Example of user terminal hardware configuration>
Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 35 will be described with reference to FIG.

The user terminal 35 is composed of a control unit 151, an input unit 152, an output unit 153, a memory unit 154, a communication unit 155, a drive 156, a removable storage medium 157, and a GPS 159, all of which are interconnected via a bus 158, allowing the transmission and reception of data and programs.

Note that the control unit 81, control unit 151, input unit 152, output unit 153, memory unit 154, communication unit 155, drive 156, removable storage medium 157, and bus 158 correspond to the input unit 102, output unit 103, memory unit 104, communication unit 105, drive 106, removable storage medium 107, and bus 108, respectively, and therefore descriptions will be omitted where appropriate.

In addition, the input unit 152 and output unit 153 function as a user interface 181 consisting of a touch panel that has both functions.

The control unit 151 is equipped with a farm field management app (application program) 171.

The field management application 171 is installed by the user and registers information such as the location of the field, the type of crop being cultivated, the location of the test furrows, and the amount of irrigation water as field information 141 based on information input by the user operating the user interface 181.

When the field management application 171 acquires RGB images and growth index maps for each test row in the field 31 sent from the control device 32, it displays them on the user interface 181, and also accepts evaluation input for each test row based on operation input from the user (producer) on the user interface 181, and supplies this to the control device 32.

The GPS (Global Positioning System) 159 acquires information about the user terminal 35's location on Earth based on radio waves from satellites (not shown) and outputs this information to the control unit 151.

<Example of test and non-test row layout in a field>
Next, an example of the arrangement of test ridges and non-test ridges in a farm field will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in Figure 7, the field 31 has ridges on which crops are planted at predetermined intervals to form horizontal rows, and irrigation tubes 203 that function as irrigation channels are provided below each ridge (toward the back of this page).

In Figure 7, the irrigation tubes 203 are represented by multiple rectangular frames extending horizontally with dashed lines, each connected to an irrigation device 41 and buried as culverts at the bottom of the ridges.

The irrigation tube 203 has holes at predetermined intervals that drain water into the soil, and is designed as an underdrain, so that irrigation water supplied from the irrigation device 41 is supplied to the soil through the holes on a furrow-by-furrow basis.

The irrigation tubes 203 are arranged in units of ridges, so that the irrigation device 41 can adjust the amount of irrigation water supplied to the irrigation tubes 203, thereby making it possible to adjust the amount of irrigation water on a ridge-by-ridge basis.

The ridges are divided into test ridges 201 and non-test ridges 202, and in Figure 7, for the purpose of explanation, test ridge 201-1, non-test ridge 202-1, test ridge 201-2, non-test ridge 202-2, test ridge 201-3, non-test ridge 202-3, test ridge 201-4, and non-test ridge 202-4 are set from top to bottom.

When there is no need to particularly distinguish between the test ridges 201-1 to 201-4 and the non-test ridges 202-1 to 202-4, they will simply be referred to as test ridges 201 and non-test ridges 202, and the same will be used for other configurations.

In addition, in Figure 7, each test ridge 201 is made up of one row of ridges, and each non-test ridge 202 is made up of two rows of ridges, but this is not limited to this. In other words, it is sufficient that the test ridges 201 have several rows of test ridges arranged in part for every predetermined number of non-test ridges 202.

Note that the number of ridges that make up the non-test ridges relative to the number of ridges that make up the test ridge 201 is generally set to be greater than that shown in Figure 7, but here, to simplify the explanation, we will assume that the number of ridges in the test ridge 201 and the non-test ridge 202 is one row and two rows, respectively.

Each of the test ridges 201-1 to 201-4 has a test tree 201a-1 to 201a-4 at the left end in the figure, and soil sensors 53-1 to 53-4 are installed below each of the test trees 201a-1 to 201a-4.

In other words, in reality, the soil information detected by the soil sensor 53 is only information about the test tree 201a in the test ridge 201, but the soil in the same ridge can be considered to have almost the same soil information, and the same irrigation control can be performed using the same irrigation tube 203.In addition, to take into account the effects of individual differences in the plants being cultivated, the soil information detected by the soil sensor 53 in the test tree 201a is applied to the same ridge.

Therefore, the soil information detected by the soil sensor 53 on the test tree 201a of the test furrow 201 is treated as a representative value for the test furrow 201, and multiple plants planted in the same test furrow 201 are managed in the same way.

The irrigation control unit 135 calculates the standard evapotranspiration (ETc) under standard conditions, i.e., when there is no water stress or pests, from the soil moisture information detected by the soil sensor 53, the weather information supplied by the weather station 52, the weather data in the weather database 34 obtainable via the network 33, and the sensor data from the sensor unit 42, and determines the amount of water to be irrigated during the initial irrigation based on the standard evapotranspiration (ETc).

Furthermore, the irrigation control unit 135 determines the amount of irrigation water for each test ridge according to the allocation of irrigation water amounts set via the field management app 171 by the producer operating the user interface 181 on the user terminal 35. The allocation of irrigation water amounts set via the field management app 171 means, for example, setting four or more different irrigation stop thresholds for each test ridge. If the irrigation start threshold is the same for all test ridges, as in this embodiment, for example, four different irrigation stop thresholds are set for the four irrigation ridges, and four different irrigation amounts are set for each test ridge during initial irrigation.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, for test ridge 201-1, the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold are set to the irrigation amount when the evapotranspiration rate is 100% of the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc); for test ridge 201-2, the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold are set to the irrigation amount when the evapotranspiration rate is 83% of the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc); for test ridge 201-3, the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold are set to the irrigation amount when the evapotranspiration rate is 66% of the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc); and for test ridge 201-4, the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold are set to the irrigation amount when the evapotranspiration rate is 50% of the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc).

The irrigation control unit 135 supplies the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold for the test ridges 201-2 to 202-4 for initial irrigation determined in this manner to the field information management unit 134. The field information management unit 134 registers the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold for the initial irrigation of the test ridges 201-2 to 202-4. Furthermore, the field information management unit 134 determines that the irrigation amount for the non-test ridges 202-1 to 202-4 for initial irrigation is the irrigation amount when the amount is 100% of the reference evapotranspiration rate (ETc).

Then, based on this field information 141, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the irrigation device 41 so that, during initial irrigation, irrigation is performed at the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold set for each of the test ridges 201-1 to 202-4.

In this embodiment, the irrigation start threshold is the same for all test rows, so the irrigation amount is essentially set by the irrigation stop threshold. Furthermore, while the above explanation has been given that the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold are set so that the irrigation amount is a predetermined ratio to the reference irrigation amount, it is difficult to set a specific irrigation amount from the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold, and it is difficult to control a specific irrigation amount from the irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold. However, as will be described in detail later, it is sufficient to be able to set four or more different irrigation amounts. Therefore, when the irrigation start threshold is set to the same for all test rows, four different irrigation stop thresholds are set for the four or more test rows between the minimum and maximum water stress levels at which plants can grow, and the four different actual irrigation amounts for each initial irrigation can be measured as a ratio to the reference irrigation amount.

For example, the threshold for stopping watering based on the water stress value obtained from tree water tension may be set to a value that satisfies four of the five conditions of withering, low, moderate, standard, and high, excluding withering.

<Setting the amount of irrigation based on the initial irrigation>
Next, setting of the amount of irrigation water based on the initial irrigation water will be described with reference to FIGS.

As described above, the amount of irrigation water for each test ridge 201 and the amount of irrigation water for the non-test ridges 202 during initial irrigation is set, and irrigation is performed for a predetermined period of time at the set amount of irrigation water. After this, the growth status acquisition unit 133 of the control device 32 controls the growth status sensor 51, which may be a drone or satellite, as shown in FIG. 8, to acquire RGB images of the field 31 captured by the camera 51a of the growth status sensor 51, as well as images in a predetermined wavelength band for generating various growth indices.

The growth status acquisition unit 133 generates a growth index map P1, such as that shown in Figure 8, based on the RGB image or an image in a specified wavelength band.

Growth index map P1 in Figure 8 is a growth index map consisting of NDVI calculated from, for example, an infrared image and a red image. Note that when checking leaf attachment and leaf color based on an RGB image, the RGB image itself can be used in the same way as growth index map P1.

The irrigation control unit 135 divides the growth index map P1 thus acquired into ranges Z1 to Z4 corresponding to the test rows 201-1 to 201-4, and sets the amount of irrigation water for normal irrigation after the initial irrigation.

As a more detailed example, consider the case where the growth conditions in each of the ranges Z1 to Z4 on the growth index map P1 are distributed as shown in Figure 9.

In this case, the growth condition is lowest at the irrigation amount of 50% of the standard irrigation amount at the standard evapotranspiration (ETc), which is in range Z4, followed by the growth condition at the irrigation amount of 66% of the standard irrigation amount at the standard evapotranspiration (ETc), and the growth conditions are almost identical and highest at the irrigation amounts of 83% of the standard irrigation amount at the standard evapotranspiration (ETc) and 100% of the standard irrigation amount at the standard evapotranspiration (ETc).

In such cases, when determining the irrigation amount using only the growth condition as an indicator, the irrigation control unit 135 sets the irrigation amount for the entire field 31 to the irrigation amount when the growth condition is the highest and the irrigation amount is the lowest, that is, 83% of the standard irrigation amount for the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc).

This process makes it possible to set the amount of water used for regular irrigation almost automatically, without requiring evaluation by the producer user.

Furthermore, if both the growth index map P1 and the RGB image are acquired, supplied to the user terminal 35, and presented to the user on the user interface 181 by the field management application 171, and the user gives the highest rating to range Z3 because the leaf color or leaf attachment is good, the irrigation control unit 135 may set the irrigation amount for the entire field 31 to the irrigation amount when it is 66% of the standard irrigation amount for the standard evapotranspiration (ETc), which is the irrigation condition set for the test furrow corresponding to range Z3.

In other words, in this case, the amount of water for normal irrigation will be set manually based on the evaluation of the user (producer).

Furthermore, if the user inputs an evaluation indicating that they would like to avoid growth conditions in range Z4, the irrigation control unit 135 may set the irrigation amount for the entire field 31 to a value that is greater than the irrigation amount when the irrigation amount is 50% of the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc) for range Z4, and is the lowest irrigation amount when the irrigation amount is 66% of the standard evapotranspiration rate (ETc).

In other words, in this case, it becomes possible to semi-automatically set the amount of water for regular irrigation based on the evaluation of the user (producer).

<Field information registration process>
Next, the farm field information registration process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S31, the farm field management app 171, which is controlled by the control unit 151 of the user terminal 35, determines whether the user interface 181 has been operated to instruct the farm field information registration process.

If it is determined in step S31 that a command to register farm field information has been issued, processing proceeds to step S32.

In step S32, the field management app 171 controls the communication unit 155 to request field information from the control device 32.

In step S51, the field information management unit 134, which is controlled by the control unit 101 of the control device 32, controls the communication unit 105 to determine whether field information has been requested by the user terminal 35.

If a request for field information is made in step S51, processing proceeds to step S52.

In step S52, the field information management unit 134 reads the field information 141 registered in the memory unit 104 and controls the communication unit 105 to send it to the user terminal 35. Note that if no field information is registered, empty field information may be sent to the user terminal 35.

If no request for field information is made in step S51, processing in step S52 is skipped.

In step S33, the farm field management app 171 controls the communication unit 155 to acquire the farm field information transmitted from the control device 32.

In step S34, the field management application 171 displays a field information registration image on the user interface 181 based on the field information.

The field information registration image is, for example, a display image such as that shown in the user interface 181 in Figure 11. In the field information registration image in Figure 11, fields are set in areas Z1 to Z3, each surrounded by a dashed line, and field information display columns 251-1 to 251-3 are provided and displayed in each area.

In other words, in Figure 11, area Z1 is displayed in the field information display column 251-1, with "Field A," "XXX," and "Soybean" written from top to bottom, indicating that the field name is "Field A," the soil type is "XXX," and the crop species name is "Soybean."

Furthermore, as shown in the field information display column 251-2, area Z2 is written from top to bottom as "Field B," "XXX," and "Soybean," indicating that the field name is "Field B," the soil type is "XXX," and the crop species name is "Soybean."

Furthermore, as shown in the field information display column 251-3, area Z3 is written as "Field C," "YYY," and "Corn" from top to bottom, indicating that the field name is "Field C," the soil type is "YYY," and the crop species name is "Corn."

If there is a new field that the user wants to register, the user operates the user interface 181 to set the area on the map that they want to register, similar to the areas Z1 to Z3 surrounded by dashed lines, and then edits and registers the field name, soil type, and crop species name displayed in the field information display area 251.

Furthermore, if the user wishes to update existing field information or change its location on the map, the user can update it by editing the shape of the modified dashed lines in areas Z1 to Z3 on the map displayed on the user interface 181. Furthermore, if the user wishes to change the field name, soil type, and crop species name, the user can update them by editing the field name, soil type, and crop species name displayed in the field information display area 251.

In Figure 11, the information displayed in the field information display field 251 is the field name, soil type, and crop species name, but other information may also be displayed and registered.

Now, let's return to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 10.

In step S35, the field management app 171 determines whether the field information has been edited.

If the field information is edited in step S35, processing proceeds to step S36.

In step S36, the field management application 171 accepts edited input for the field information and temporarily stores it in the memory unit 154.

If no edits to the field information are made in step S35, the processing in step S36 is skipped.

Furthermore, if the field information registration process is not instructed in step S31, steps S32 to S36 are skipped.

In step S37, the field management app 171 determines whether the user interface 181 has been operated to instruct the end of the field information registration process.

If an instruction to end the field information registration process is not given in step S37, processing returns to step S31, and the subsequent steps are repeated.

If an instruction to end the field information registration process is given in step S37, processing proceeds to step S38.

In step S38, the field management app 171 determines whether the field information has been edited.

If it is determined in step S38 that the field information has been edited, processing proceeds to step S39.

In step S39, the field management app 171 controls the communication unit 155 to transmit the edited field information, which is temporarily stored in the memory unit 154, to the control device 32.

In step S53, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to determine whether the edited field information has been transmitted from the user terminal 35.

If it is determined in step S53 that the edited field information has been sent from the user terminal 35, processing proceeds to step S54.

In step S54, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to acquire the edited field information that has been transmitted, and then updates and registers the pre-update field information 141 stored in the memory unit 104 with the acquired field information.

If it is not determined in step S53 that the edited field information has been sent from the user terminal 35, the processing of step S54 is skipped.

In step S55, it is determined whether an instruction to end the process has been issued, and if an instruction to end the process has not been issued, the process returns to step S51 and subsequent steps are carried out.

Then, in step S55, if an instruction to end the process is given, the process ends.

The above process allows the producer user to register new field information or edit already registered field information by operating the user interface 181 of the user terminal 35.

<Inspection ridge position display and registration process>
Next, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 12, a description will be given of the inspection ridge position display and registration process for displaying the positions of the inspection ridges or for registering or editing the positions of the inspection ridges.

In step S71, the farm field management app 171 determines whether the user interface 181 has been operated to instruct the inspection ridge position display and registration process.

If it is determined in step S71 that the inspection furrow position display and registration process has been instructed, processing proceeds to step S72.

In step S72, the field management application 171 controls the user interface 181 to present an image requesting the user to specify the name of the crop species to be subject to the test row position display and registration process, and accepts input of the crop species name.

In step S73, the field management application 171 controls the communication unit 155 to notify the control device 32 of the name of the crop species that is the subject of the inspection furrow position display and registration process.

In step S91, the field information management unit 134, which is controlled by the control unit 101 of the control device 32, controls the communication unit 105 to determine whether the name of the crop species to be subject to the test row position display and registration process has been specified by the user terminal 35.

If the name of the crop species to be subject to the test row position display and registration process is specified in step S91, processing proceeds to step S92.

In step S92, the field information management unit 134 reads out the field information for the crop species name that is the target of the specified test row position display registration process from the field information 141 registered in the memory unit 104.

In step S93, the field information management unit 134 determines whether or not a test furrow has been set in the field information for the specified crop species name.

If it is determined in step S93 that the test furrow has not been set, processing proceeds to step S94.

In step S94, the field information management unit 134 sets a recommended layout for the test ridge, using the ridge in which the test tree on which the soil sensor 53 is located and planted as a reference, and then places (re-locates) the test ridge.

Note that the recommended layout referred to here is a layout in which a minimum number of ridges (for example, four) on which soil sensors 53 are placed are randomly selected within the field 31 of the specified crop species. The reason the minimum number is four is because, as explained with reference to Figure 9, it becomes difficult to select appropriate conditions unless there are four or more types of test ridge conditions. In other words, for example, if there are three types of test ridges, it becomes difficult to select appropriate conditions if any one of them exhibits an outlier. However, the minimum number of test ridges is not limited to four, as long as it is four or more.

Furthermore, if the test ridge position display and registration process is repeated when the position of the test ridge has not yet been set, a different ridge may be set as the recommended placement of the test ridge, as long as a ridge on which another soil sensor 53 is present can be selected.

In step S95, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to transmit to the user terminal 35 the layout information of the test ridges in which the specified crop species name is registered, and the positions of the ridges in which the soil sensors 53 are set to identify the positions of ridges that can be selected as test ridges.

If the test ridge has not yet been set, the recommended placement information set by the processing in step S94 is sent to the user terminal 35 as the position of the test ridge. If the placement information for the test ridge has been set, the placement information for the registered test ridge is sent.

If the name of the crop species to be subject to the test ridge position display and registration process is not specified in step S91, steps S92 to S95 are skipped. Also, if test ridge position information is registered in step S93, step S94 is skipped.

In step S74, the field management application 171 controls the communication unit 155 to acquire the test ridge placement information for the specified crop species name sent from the control device 32, as well as the location of the ridge where the soil sensor 53 is set to identify the location of the ridge that can be selected as the test ridge.

In step S34, the field management application 171 generates a test ridge position display image showing the registered test ridge placement information or the recommended test ridge placement based on the test ridge placement information for the acquired crop species name, and displays it on the user interface 181.

The test ridge position display image is, for example, a display image such as that shown in the user interface 181 of Figure 13. In the test ridge position display image of Figure 13, fields are set in areas Z1 and Z2, each surrounded by a dashed line, and test ridges are set in areas Z11 and Z12, each surrounded by a dot-dash line, within each field, and test ridge registration information display fields 261-1 and 261-2 are provided and displayed, respectively.

As mentioned above, it is assumed that four or more test ridges are set for each field 31, but in the notation of Figure 13, for simplicity of explanation, an example is shown in which only one test ridge is displayed in each of ranges Z1 and Z2 representing field 31. Therefore, in reality, four or more test ridges are set in each of ranges Z1 and Z2 representing field 31, and four or more areas similar to areas Z11 and Z12 surrounded by dashed lines are set in each of ranges Z1 and Z2 representing one field 31.

In more detail, in Figure 13, area Z11 is labeled "Test Ridge P" and "Irrigation Amount Lv1/4" from top to bottom, as shown in the test ridge registration information display field 261-1, indicating that the test ridge name is "Test Ridge P" and that the irrigation stop threshold is set to "Irrigation Amount Lv1/4" so that the irrigation amount is the smallest of the four irrigation amounts. In other words, the "x/4" in "Irrigation Amount Lvx/4" is the irrigation stop threshold that sets the xth smallest irrigation amount of the four irrigation stop thresholds used to set the four irrigation amounts; in other words, it is the (5-x)th largest irrigation stop threshold.

As shown in the test ridge registration information display field 261-2, area Z12 is labeled "Test Ridge Q" and "Irrigation Amount Level 3/4" from top to bottom, indicating that the test ridge name is "Test Ridge Q" and that the irrigation stop threshold is set to "Irrigation Amount Level 3/4," which is the third lowest irrigation amount among the four types of irrigation amounts.

Furthermore, below that are buttons 271 to 273 labeled "Display," "Confirm," and "Relocate."

The button 271 labeled "Display" is pressed (tapped) by the user to display the placement information of registered test ridges, or the recommended placement when test ridges have not yet been registered.

The button 272 labeled "Decide" is pressed (tapped) by the user when editing of the placement information of the test ridge is completed and the placement information of the test ridge is decided based on the editing results.

The button 273 labeled "Re-arrangement" is pressed (tapped) by the user when the test ridge has not been set and other recommended layouts are to be displayed. In other words, in this case, the farm field management app 171 randomly selects the positions of the other four ridges where soil sensors 53 are shown to be installed, and displays them as recommended layouts.

Furthermore, when deciding on the placement of a test ridge among the test ridges displayed as recommended placements, such as areas Z11 and Z12 in Figure 13, by pressing within the area indicated by the dashed dotted line, it may be displayed as grayed out, for example, to indicate that it has been provisionally selected as a test ridge.

Furthermore, when some test ridge positions have been provisionally determined and the button 273 labeled "Relocate" is pressed when setting the remaining test ridges, the field management app 171 may treat the grayed-out provisionally determined ridges as having been set as test ridges, and may randomly change the positions of the remaining test ridges that have not been provisionally determined to other ridge positions that indicate that soil sensors 53 are located, and display them as recommended placements.

Furthermore, ridges on which soil sensors 53 are located that can be selected as test ridges may be displayed as candidate test ridges, for example, all in white, and the user may operate the user interface 181 to select four of these as test ridges, with the selected ridges then displayed in gray as provisionally determined test ridges.

Now, let's return to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 12.

In step S75, the farm field management application 171 determines whether the placement of the test ridges has been set.

If the placement is set in step S75, such as by temporarily determining the test furrows, processing proceeds to step S76.

In step S76, the farm field management application 171 registers the placement information of the test ridges whose placement has been set, such as by performing a provisional determination operation for the test ridges, and temporarily stores this information in the memory unit 154.

In step S77, the farm field management app 171 determines whether a confirmation operation has been performed by operating the user interface 181, for example, by operating the button 272 labeled "Confirm" as described above.

If it is determined in step S77 that a confirmation operation has not been performed, processing returns to step S75, and the subsequent processing is repeated.

If it is determined in step S77 that a confirmation operation has been performed, processing proceeds to step S78.

In step S78, the farm field management application 171 reads the layout information of the test ridges for which layout settings have been made from the memory unit 154, and controls the communication unit 105 to send it to the control device 32.

If the placement of the test ridges is not set, the processing of step S78 may be skipped.

Also, if the inspection furrow position display and registration process is not instructed in step S71, steps S72 to S78 are skipped.

In step S79, the farm field management application 171 determines whether the user interface 181 has been operated to instruct the end of the inspection ridge position display and registration process.

If an instruction to end the inspection furrow position display and registration process is not given in step S79, processing returns to step S71.

If an instruction to end the inspection furrow position display and registration process is issued in step S79, the process ends.

In step S96, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to determine whether or not the placement information of the test ridges has been transmitted from the user terminal 35.

If it is determined in step S96 that the placement information for the test ridges has been sent from the user terminal 35, processing proceeds to step S97.

In step S97, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to acquire the transmitted test ridge layout information, and then updates and registers it with the test ridge layout information before the update stored in the memory unit 104.

If it is not determined in step S96 that the placement information for the test ridges has been sent from the user terminal 35, the processing of step S97 is skipped.

In step S98, it is determined whether an instruction to end the process has been issued, and if an instruction to end the process has not been issued, the process returns to step S91 and subsequent steps are carried out.

Then, in step S98, if an instruction to end the process is given, the process ends.

The above process allows the producer user to display and check or edit the placement information of test ridges by operating the user interface 181 of the user terminal 35, and also allows the user to register the placement of unset test ridges. Furthermore, when registering the placement information of test ridges, if there are unset test ridges, a recommended placement will be presented, so the producer user can set the placement without having to set the placement of each test ridge individually, thereby reducing the burden on the user associated with setting test ridges.

In the above, we have explained an example in which one test ridge group is set up in a part of the field 31. However, this is based on the assumption that even if the field 31 is large, there will be no variations in soil characteristics, geology, topography, climate, etc. depending on the location. Therefore, the growth index for the initial irrigation conditions of one test ridge group can be used to determine the irrigation for the entire field 31.

However, if the field is large and the soil characteristics, geology, topography, and weather conditions vary depending on the location, the standard evapotranspiration (ETc) and soil moisture content will differ, so it is necessary to set up individual test rows and set initial irrigation conditions for each test row.

For this reason, if the field 31 is large and contains areas with different soil characteristics, geology, topography, weather conditions, etc., it is possible to divide the fields 31 into areas with different soil characteristics, geology, topography, weather conditions, etc. in advance, and present recommended placements of test furrow groups for each divided area.

In this case, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the irrigation of the test ridges for each area using the initial irrigation conditions set by the test ridge group set for each area. The irrigation control unit 135 then sets normal irrigation conditions based on the growth index obtained by irrigating under the initial irrigation conditions for each area, and controls the irrigation of the non-test ridges.

<Registering test ridge initial irrigation conditions>
Next, the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S111, the field management application 171 determines whether the user interface 181 has been operated to instruct the test ridge initial irrigation condition registration process.

If it is determined in step S111 that the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process has been instructed, processing proceeds to step S112.

In step S112, the field management application 171 controls the user interface 181 to present an image requesting the user to specify the name of the crop species to be targeted for the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process, and accepts input of the crop species name.

In step S113, the field management application 171 controls the communication unit 155 to notify the control device 32 of the name of the crop species that is the subject of the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process.

In step S131, the field information management unit 134, which is controlled by the control unit 101 of the control device 32, controls the communication unit 105 to determine whether the name of the crop species to be subject to the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process has been specified from the user terminal 35.

If the name of the crop species to be subject to the test row position display and registration process is specified in step S131, processing proceeds to step S132.

In step S132, the field information management unit 134 reads out the field information for the crop species name that is the target of the specified test ridge initial irrigation condition registration process from the field information 141 registered in the memory unit 104.

In step S133, the field information management unit 134 determines whether the initial irrigation conditions for the test ridge in the field information for the specified crop species name that is the target of the test ridge initial irrigation condition registration process are unregistered.

If it is determined in step S133 that the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow are not registered, processing proceeds to step S134.

In step S134, the field information management unit 134 sets recommended initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow placement information.

Note that the recommended initial irrigation conditions referred to here are randomly set irrigation conditions that are different for each of the multiple test rows set within the field 31 of the specified crop species.

Furthermore, if the test ridge position display and registration process is repeated when the initial irrigation conditions for the test ridges have not yet been registered, the irrigation conditions set for multiple test ridges may basically be changed randomly.

In step S135, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to transmit to the user terminal 35 the registered initial irrigation conditions if they have been registered for the specified crop species, or the initial irrigation conditions set as recommended conditions if they have not been registered.

If the name of the crop species to be subject to the test row position display and registration process is not specified in step S131, steps S132 to S135 are skipped. Furthermore, if the initial irrigation conditions are not unregistered in step S133, step S134 is skipped.

In step S134, the field management application 171 controls the communication unit 155 to acquire the registered initial irrigation conditions or the initial irrigation conditions consisting of recommended conditions for the test rows of the specified crop species name transmitted from the control device 32, and generates an initial irrigation condition registration image and displays it on the user interface 181.

The initial irrigation condition registration image is, for example, a display image such as that shown in the user interface 181 of Figure 15. In the initial irrigation condition registration image of Figure 15, fields are set in areas Z1 and Z2, each surrounded by a dashed line, and test ridges are set in areas Z11 and Z12, each surrounded by a dot-dash line, with test ridge registration information display fields 281-1 and 281-2 provided and displayed for each. Note that the test ridge registration information display fields 281-1 and 281-2 are basically the same as the test ridge registration information display fields 261-1 and 261-2 of Figure 13.

In other words, in Figure 15, area Z11 is labeled "Test Ridge P" and "Irrigation Amount Level 1/4" from top to bottom, as shown in the test ridge registration information display field 281-1, indicating that the test ridge name is "Test Ridge P" and that the initial irrigation conditions are set to the smallest irrigation amount of the four types of irrigation amounts.

As shown in the test ridge registration information display field 281-2, area Z12 is labeled "Test ridge Q" and "ETc 75%" from top to bottom, indicating that the test ridge name is "Test ridge Q" and that the initial irrigation conditions are set to the third-lowest irrigation amount of the four types of irrigation amounts.

Furthermore, below that are buttons 291-293 labeled "Display," "Confirm," and "Re-set conditions."

The button 291 labeled "Display" is pressed (tapped) by the user to display the initial irrigation conditions for the registered test furrows, or the initial irrigation conditions as recommended conditions.

The button 272 labeled "Decide" is pressed (tapped) by the user when editing of the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow is completed and the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow are determined based on the editing results.

The button 273 labeled "Re-set conditions" is pressed (tapped) by the user when the initial irrigation conditions for the test ridge have not been registered and other recommended conditions are to be displayed. In other words, in this case, the farm field management app 171 randomly selects different initial irrigation conditions from the initial irrigation conditions for the multiple test ridges that have been set, and displays these as recommended initial irrigation conditions.

Furthermore, when tentatively deciding on one of the initial irrigation conditions for the indicated test furrows, such as areas Z11 and Z12 in Figure 15, by pressing within the area indicated by the dashed dotted line, it may be displayed as grayed out, for example, to indicate that the initial irrigation conditions for the selected test furrow have been tentatively decided.

Furthermore, when there are test ridges for which initial irrigation conditions have been provisionally determined and the button 293 labeled "Re-set conditions" is pressed when setting the initial irrigation conditions for the remaining test ridges, the field management app 171 may treat the grayed-out ridges for which initial irrigation conditions have been provisionally determined as having registered initial irrigation conditions, and may randomly change the initial irrigation conditions for the remaining test ridges so that they are different, and display them as re-set recommended conditions.

Furthermore, for test ridges for which initial irrigation conditions have not been registered, all may be displayed in white, for example, so that test ridges for which initial irrigation conditions are to be set and provisionally determined can be selected, and the selected ridge may be displayed in gray as a provisionally determined test ridge.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16, when the irrigation amount display section 281a in the test ridge registration information display field 281'-1 is pressed (tapped), a pull-down menu 281b is displayed, and the user may be able to set the irrigation amount by selecting a value in the pull-down menu 281b.

In Figure 16, the pull-down menu 281b lists, from top to bottom, "Irrigation Amount Level 1/4," "Irrigation Amount Level 2/4," "Irrigation Amount Level 3/4," and "Irrigation Amount Level 4/4," with "Irrigation Amount Level 1/4" selected and displayed in gray. Also, since the irrigation amount can be selected directly in Figure 16, the button 291 labeled "Re-set conditions" has been omitted.

Now, let's return to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 14.

In step S115, the field management application 171 determines whether the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow have been set.

If the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow are set in step S115, processing proceeds to step S116.

In step S116, the farm field management application 171 registers the set initial irrigation conditions and temporarily stores them in the memory unit 154.

In step S117, the farm field management app 171 determines whether a confirmation operation has been performed by operating the user interface 181, for example, by operating the button 292 labeled "Confirm" as described above.

If it is determined in step S117 that a confirmation operation has not been performed, processing returns to step S115, and steps S115 to S117 are repeated.

If it is determined in step S117 that a confirmation operation has been performed, processing proceeds to step S118.

In step S118, the farm field management application 171 reads the registered initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow from the memory unit 154 and controls the communication unit 105 to transmit them to the control device 32.

Furthermore, if the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow are not registered, or if the registered initial irrigation conditions are not edited, the processing of step S118 may be skipped.

Furthermore, if the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process is not instructed in step S111, steps S112 to S118 are skipped.

In step S119, the field management application 171 determines whether the user interface 181 has been operated to instruct the end of the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process.

If an instruction to end the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process is not given in step S119, processing returns to step S111, and subsequent processing is repeated.

If an instruction to end the test furrow initial irrigation condition registration process is issued in step S119, the process ends.

In step S136, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to determine whether the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow have been transmitted from the user terminal 35.

If it is determined in step S136 that the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow have been transmitted from the user terminal 35, processing proceeds to step S137.

In step S137, the field information management unit 134 controls the communication unit 105 to acquire the initial irrigation conditions for the test ridge that have been transmitted, and then updates and registers the initial irrigation conditions for the test ridge in the pre-update field information 141 stored in the memory unit 104.

If it is not determined in step S136 that the initial irrigation conditions for the test furrow have been transmitted from the user terminal 35, processing in step S137 is skipped.

In step S138, it is determined whether an instruction to end the process has been issued, and if an instruction to end the process has not been issued, the process returns to step S131 and subsequent steps are carried out.

Then, in step S138, if an instruction to end the process is given, the process ends.

The above process allows the producer user to display, confirm, or edit the initial irrigation conditions for the test rows by operating the user interface 181 of the user terminal 35, and also allows the producer user to register the initial irrigation conditions for unregistered test rows.

Furthermore, when registering initial irrigation conditions for test rows, if there are any test rows that have not been set, recommended conditions will be presented. This allows the user (producer) to set the initial irrigation conditions without having to set them for each test row individually, reducing the burden on the user associated with setting the initial irrigation conditions.

Furthermore, the conditions that must be set for the initial irrigation conditions are not the specific amount of irrigation water, which would be impossible to know without knowledge and experience, but rather the user simply selects one of four irrigation amounts from Level 1/4 to Level 4/4 to set four irrigation stop thresholds based on the water stress value obtained from the tree water tension. This makes it possible to set four different initial irrigation conditions within a safe range that will not cause the plants being cultivated to wither, regardless of the knowledge or experience of the user/producer.

<Initial irrigation control process>
Next, the initial irrigation control process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S151, the irrigation control unit 135 reads the field information 141 registered in the memory unit 104 and reads the initial irrigation conditions.

In step S152, the irrigation control unit 135 sets the unprocessed test ridge as the ridge to be processed.

In step S153, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the soil information acquisition unit 132 to measure the soil moisture content using the soil sensor 53 of the test tree in the treatment target ridge.

In step S154, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the weather information acquisition unit 131 to detect and acquire various weather-related data, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation in the field 31, from the weather station 52.

In step S155, the irrigation control unit 135 estimates the tree water tension of the test tree based on various meteorological data such as soil moisture content, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation.

In step S156, the irrigation control unit 135 determines the amount and timing of irrigation for the test tree in the processing target furrow based on the tree water tension and the weather database 34. That is, if irrigation has not started, the irrigation control unit 135 compares the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension with the irrigation start threshold to determine whether it is higher than the irrigation start threshold, and if it is higher than the irrigation start threshold, it determines that it is time to start irrigation. Also, if irrigation has started, the irrigation control unit 135 compares the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension with the irrigation stop threshold to determine whether it is lower than the irrigation stop threshold, and if it is lower than the irrigation stop threshold, it determines that it is time to stop irrigation.

In step S157, the irrigation control unit 135 adjusts various parameters of the irrigation device 41 to adjust the irrigation amount and timing of the entire treatment target ridge based on the irrigation amount and timing of the test trees in the treatment target ridge.

In step S158, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the irrigation device 41 using the adjusted parameters to start or stop irrigation of the test ridge that is the target ridge for treatment. When starting irrigation, the start time is stored, and when stopping irrigation, the irrigation time is calculated from the elapsed time from the stop time to the start time, and the irrigation amount for each test ridge is calculated based on the irrigation amount per unit time.

In step S159, the irrigation control unit 135 determines whether there are any unprocessed test rows, and if there are any unprocessed test rows, the process returns to step S151 and repeats the subsequent steps.

If it is determined in step S159 that there are no unprocessed test rows and that all test rows have been irrigated, processing proceeds to step S160.

In step S160, the irrigation control unit 135 sets the standard irrigation amount for all non-test ridges, i.e., ridges other than the test ridge, to, for example, a standard irrigation amount based on the maximum standard evapotranspiration (ETc) of all test ridges, and controls the irrigation device 41 to irrigate.

In step S161, the irrigation control unit 135 determines whether the initial irrigation period, during which initial irrigation is performed for a predetermined time, has ended. If the initial irrigation period has not ended, processing returns to step S152. In other words, steps S152 to S161 are repeated until the initial irrigation period ends, and irrigation control is repeated for each test furrow based on a comparison of the water stress value calculated from the tree water tension with the set irrigation start threshold and irrigation stop threshold, and the irrigation amount according to the irrigation time is accumulated. Then, if it is determined in step S161 that the initial irrigation period has ended, processing proceeds to step S162.

In step S162, the irrigation control unit 135 calculates the ratio of the irrigation amount to the standard irrigation amount from the integrated value of the irrigation amount during the initial irrigation for each test ridge. In other words, the irrigation amount for each test ridge during the initial irrigation period is calculated as a ratio to the standard irrigation amount.

Through the above process, irrigation treatment will be carried out based on the initial irrigation conditions set for each test row.

In addition, tree water tension is affected not only by soil moisture but also by weather; for example, if the temperature is high and the sun is strong, more soil moisture is needed to maintain tree water tension; conversely, if the temperature is low and the sun is weak, less soil moisture is needed to maintain tree water tension; and because the actual amount of water irrigation depends on weather conditions, it will not be the same every year.

In contrast, the initial irrigation control process described above makes it possible to appropriately determine the amount of irrigation in a realistic plant cultivation environment by practically controlling irrigation using four types of irrigation stop thresholds for water stress values calculated from tree water tension, which are set in correspondence with the four types of irrigation amounts selected as initial irrigation conditions: irrigation amount Lv1/4 to irrigation amount Lv4/4.

As a result, even in the same field where plants are grown, it will be possible to achieve initial irrigation treatment with an appropriate amount of water based on actual weather conditions, such as years with prolonged drought or heavy rain.

<Non-test furrow irrigation treatment>
Next, the non-test ridge irrigation process will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 18. This process is a normal irrigation process that is performed after the initial irrigation control process has been performed and irrigation has been performed under the initial irrigation conditions set for each test ridge.

In step S171, the irrigation control unit 135 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous processing. Initially, the predetermined time is the period from when irrigation control based on the initial irrigation conditions begins until the plants cultivated in the field 31 have grown to a predetermined level.

If it is determined in step S171 that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the previous processing, processing proceeds to step S172.

In step S172, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the growth status acquisition unit 133 to acquire growth indices based on images of various wavelength bands, including RGB images, captured by drones or satellites, and information obtained from the images. At this time, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the growth status acquisition unit 133 to generate and acquire growth index maps, such as NDVI images, from near-infrared images and red images. Furthermore, it is assumed that images captured by drones or satellites are captured repeatedly at predetermined time intervals, separate from this processing, and what is acquired here are multiple image results captured repeatedly at predetermined time intervals from the previous processing up to the present.

In step S173, the irrigation control unit 135 registers the acquired growth index in chronological order, along with previously acquired growth indexes, etc., as necessary.

In step S174, the irrigation control unit 135 divides the growth index detection results by the position of the test furrow.

In step S175, the irrigation control unit 135 sets a default irrigation amount based on the growth index, for example, as described with reference to Figure 9. That is, as in the case of Figure 9, for example, the irrigation amount for the initial irrigation condition, in which the growth status is higher than a predetermined value and the irrigation amount is the lowest, may be set as the default irrigation amount.

In addition, regarding the method for setting the default irrigation amount, other irrigation amounts can be set by setting in advance how the growth index will be used to determine the amount.

For example, if the target for plants grown in field 31 is yield, the irrigation condition with the least amount of irrigation among the irrigation conditions that result in a yield greater than a predetermined yield based on a predetermined growth index may be set as the default irrigation amount.

Furthermore, for example, if the target for plants grown in field 31 is the intensity of sweetness or sourness, the irrigation condition with the lowest irrigation amount among the irrigation conditions that result in a sweetness or sourness that is stronger than a predetermined value based on a predetermined growth index may be set as the default irrigation amount.

In step S176, the irrigation control unit 135 generates presentation information on the growth status of each test row based on the growth index.

In step S177, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the communication unit 105 to send presentation information on the growth status of each test row to the user terminal 35.

In step S201, the farm field management application 171 of the user terminal 35 controls the communication unit 155 to determine whether or not information presenting the growth status for each test row has been transmitted.

If information presenting the growth status for each test row is transmitted in step S201, processing proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the farm field management application 171 controls the communication unit 155 to receive the transmitted information presenting the growth status of each test row.

In step S203, the farm field management application 171 controls the user interface 181 to generate and present a growth status presentation image based on the transmitted presentation information on the growth status for each test row.

The growth status presentation image is, for example, as shown in Figure 19. In the growth status presentation image in Figure 19, test row presentation columns 301-1 to 301-4 are set from top to bottom, with the test row name written on the left side of each column, and growth index representative value columns 311-1 to 311-4 and growth index map columns 312-1 to 312-4 provided to the right.

More specifically, in the test ridge presentation column 301-1, the test ridge name is displayed as "Test ridge P," and to the right of that, in the growth index representative value column 311-1, "23" is displayed, indicating that the growth index representative value for "Test ridge P" is 23. Further to the right of that, there is a growth index map column 312-1, in which the growth status of "Test ridge P" is displayed using a growth index map.

In the test ridge presentation column 301-2, the test ridge name is displayed as "Test ridge Q," and to the right of that, in the representative growth index value column 311-2, "70" is displayed, indicating that the representative growth index value for "Test ridge Q" is 70. Further to the right of that, there is a growth index map column 312-2, where the growth status of "Test ridge Q" is displayed using a growth index map.

In the test ridge presentation column 301-3, the test ridge name is displayed as "Test ridge R," and to the right of that, in the representative growth index column 311-3, "50" is displayed, indicating that the representative growth index value for "Test ridge R" is 50. Further to the right of that, there is a growth index map column 312-3, in which the growth status of "Test ridge R" is displayed as a growth index map.

In the test ridge presentation column 301-4, the test ridge name is displayed as "Test ridge S," and to the right of that, in the representative growth index column 311-4, "45" is displayed, indicating that the representative growth index value for "Test ridge S" is 45. Further to the right of that, there is a growth index map column 312-4, in which the growth status of "Test ridge S" is displayed as a growth index map.

Furthermore, when you want to enter an evaluation for one of the test row presentation fields 301-1 to 301-4, you can display an evaluation input pop-up by pressing (tapping) the test row display field 301 where you want to enter the evaluation.

For example, when the inspection ridge presentation field 301-1 is pressed (tapped), the inspection ridge presentation field 301-1 is grayed out as shown in the left part of Figure 20, and further, as shown in the right part of Figure 20, evaluation input popups 331-1 to 331-3 are displayed. The desired evaluation can be entered by pressing (tapping) one of the three levels of evaluation from top to bottom: "Good ★★★," "Average ★★," and "Bad ★."

For example, if the user wants to enter a rating of "average" for the test ridge P in the test ridge presentation field 301-1, the user can enter the corresponding rating by pressing (tapping) the rating input pop-up 331-2.

Furthermore, a time series slider 302 is provided below the test furrow presentation columns 301-1 to 301-4, and by moving the slider left or right in the figure, the representative growth index values and growth index maps can be displayed in a time series.

In addition, for the rating input popups 331-1 to 331-3, different ratings may be input in chronological order by changing the time series using the time series slider 302.

Furthermore, to the right of the time series slider 302, the top row is labeled "Map" and the bottom row is labeled "Aerial Photo." Switch radio buttons 303-1 and 303-2 are provided on the right side of each, allowing the display of growth index map fields 312-1 to 312-4 to be switched between an aerial photo image consisting of an RGB image and a growth index map.

In Figure 19, switch radio button 303-1 is turned on and switch radio button 303-2 is turned off, indicating that the display of growth index map fields 312-1 to 312-4 has been switched to the growth index map.

Below the time series slider 302, a contribution setting display switch button 304 is provided, which is operated to switch back to the contribution setting display for setting the contribution degree.

When the contribution setting display switch button 304 is operated, a contribution setting display image such as that shown in the user interface 181 of FIG. 21 is displayed.

The contribution setting display image in Figure 21 is a display image for setting the contribution to the evaluation for each test ridge. Next to the columns labeled test ridges P to S from top to bottom, sliders 351-1 to 351-4 for setting the contribution are provided. To increase the contribution, move the slider up; to decrease it, move it down.

Furthermore, at the bottom of Figure 21, a button 352 labeled "Back" is provided, which can be operated to return to the growth status presentation images of Figures 19 and 20.

Now, let's return to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 18.

In step S204, the farm field management application 171 controls the user interface 181 to determine whether an evaluation has been entered for any of the test rows.

In step S204, for example, as described with reference to FIG. 20, if it is determined that one of the test ridge presentation fields 301-1 to 301-4 is tapped, evaluation input popups 331-1 to 331-3 are displayed, one of the fields is pressed (tapped), and an evaluation of the test ridge is entered, processing proceeds to step S205.

In step S205, the farm field management application 171 registers the evaluation input corresponding to the selected evaluation input pop-up 331-1 to 331-3 as the evaluation of the corresponding test ridge.

If no evaluations for any test ridges are entered in step S204, the processing of step S205 is skipped.

In step S206, the field management application 171 controls the user interface 181 to determine whether the contribution of any test furrow has been entered.

In step S206, if the contribution is set, for example, by operating sliders 351-1 to 351-4 on the contribution setting display image described with reference to Figure 21, it is determined that the contribution of the test furrow has been entered, and processing proceeds to step S207.

In step S207, the field management application 171 registers the contribution rate entered for each test row as the contribution rate of the corresponding test row.

If the contribution of any test furrows is not entered in step S206, the processing of step S207 is skipped.

In step S208, the field management application 171 controls the user interface 181 to determine whether the evaluation and contribution rate for each test row have been determined.

If it is determined in step S208 that the evaluation and contribution rate for each test furrow have not been determined, processing returns to step S203, and the subsequent processing is repeated. In other words, steps S203 to S208 are repeated until the evaluation and contribution rate for each test furrow have been determined.

If it is determined in step S208 that the evaluation and contribution rate for each test furrow have been determined, processing proceeds to step S209.

In step S209, the field management application 171 controls the communication unit 155 to transmit the evaluation and contribution rate information for each test row determined to the control device 32.

In step S178, the irrigation control unit 135 of the control device 32 controls the communication unit 105 to obtain evaluation and contribution information for each test furrow from the user terminal 35.

In step S179, the irrigation control unit 135 determines the amount and timing of irrigation for non-test rows throughout the field 31 based on the evaluation and contribution of each test row from the user terminal 35 and the initial irrigation conditions for each test row.

For example, if the initial irrigation conditions for test ridges P, Q, R, and S are set in order of decreasing irrigation volume, and the evaluations are "good," "good," "good," and "poor," respectively, and the contribution levels are all the same, all non-test ridges in field 31 may be irrigated with the irrigation volume and timing of test ridge R, which has a good evaluation and the lowest irrigation volume.

Also, when all evaluations are "normal" but the contribution of test ridge Q is the highest, all non-test ridges in field 31 may be irrigated with the same amount and timing as test ridge Q.

Furthermore, if neither evaluation nor contribution level is set, all non-test ridges in the field 31 may be irrigated with the default irrigation amount and timing. Furthermore, if the user does not set an evaluation or contribution level on the user terminal 35 for a predetermined period of time or longer, the processing of step S178 may be skipped.

Furthermore, by setting weights for the evaluation and contribution rate for each test ridge and calculating the sum of the respective irrigation amounts, all non-test ridges in field 31 can be irrigated with an irrigation amount that is a weighted average using the evaluation and contribution rate as weights.

In step S180, the irrigation control unit 135 controls the irrigation device 41 to irrigate all non-test rows in the field 31 at the irrigation amount and timing set in step S179.

In steps S181 and S210, it is determined whether an instruction to end the process has been issued. If an instruction to end the process has not been issued, the process returns to steps S171 and S201, respectively, and the subsequent steps are repeated.

Then, if an instruction to end the process is issued in steps S181 and S210, the process ends.

Through the above processing, growth indices for plants grown in the field 31 are acquired sequentially at predetermined time intervals, and maps and images relating to the growth indices for each test row can be presented to the user on the user terminal 35.

In addition, it is possible to accept user evaluations and contribution settings for each presented test row, and based on the evaluations and contributions for each test row, it is possible to set the amount and timing of irrigation for non-test rows other than the test rows throughout the field 31.

This allows users to manually set the appropriate amount and timing of watering to grow plants and achieve the desired results.

Furthermore, even if the user does not set the evaluation or contribution rate for each test row, it is possible to automatically set the appropriate irrigation amount based on growth indicators.

Furthermore, in the above series of processes, when determining the irrigation amount for the entire field, whether it is setting the initial irrigation conditions or evaluating and setting the contribution based on growth index maps and aerial images for each test row, producers can appropriately set the irrigation amount to achieve the target results without having to set a specific irrigation amount that would be unknown without specific knowledge and experience about irrigation.

For example, even if a user is a beginner producer with little knowledge or experience, particularly with regards to irrigation, they can appropriately control the amount of irrigation according to the target performance simply by setting an evaluation and contribution level based on a growth index map and aerial images for each test row.

Furthermore, as explained in the initial irrigation control process, actual irrigation control is performed using four types of irrigation stop thresholds for water stress values calculated from tree water tension, which are set in correspondence with the four types of irrigation amounts selected as initial irrigation conditions, from irrigation amount Lv1/4 to irrigation amount Lv4/4.This allows for initial irrigation processing with an appropriate irrigation amount that is in line with actual weather conditions, which change every year.

As a result, even in non-test furrow irrigation treatments, irrigation control is based on the amount of irrigation water required in the initial irrigation treatment, making it possible to achieve appropriate irrigation control across the entire field in accordance with actual weather conditions.

Furthermore, after the initial irrigation, the test rows may also be irrigated with the same amount and timing as the non-test rows, so that the test rows may also be irrigated with the appropriate amount and timing.

As described above, this disclosure makes it possible to appropriately control irrigation in a field according to targets such as the quality and yield of plants cultivated in the field.

<<3. Modified Examples>>
The above has described an example in which a user evaluates test rows based on images taken by drones or satellites and growth index maps, and sets the amount and timing of irrigation for the entire field 31 based on the evaluation results. However, a producer may also carry a user terminal 35, go to the field 31, directly visually inspect the test rows, and then input their evaluation.

In this case, the user's location information is acquired by the GPS 159 built into the user terminal 35, and when the acquired location information is transmitted to the control device 32, the control device 32 identifies the location of the nearest test furrow from the location information of the user terminal 35 and may display, for example, an evaluation display image consisting of evaluation input pop-ups 371-1 to 371-3 as shown in FIG. 22.

In the evaluation display image of Figure 22, from the top of the image, "Current location estimated from GPS" is written as "Test ridge Q," indicating that the user is visually checking the test ridge Q based on the location information obtained by the GPS 159 of the user terminal 35.

Below that, "Above rating" is written, and below that, rating input popups 371-1 to 371-3 are displayed. Rating input popups 371-1 to 371-3 correspond to rating input popups 331-1 to 331-3 in Figure 20, respectively, and users can enter their desired rating by tapping one of the three levels from top to bottom: "Good ★★★," "Average ★★," and "Bad ★."

This type of processing allows the user to visually confirm the actual growth conditions in the test rows before entering an evaluation, making it possible to achieve a more accurate evaluation of the test rows.

<<4. Example of execution by software>>
The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software. When the series of processes are executed by software, the programs constituting the software are installed from a recording medium into a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware, or into, for example, a general-purpose computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs.

Figure 23 shows an example configuration of a general-purpose computer. This computer has a built-in CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001. An input/output interface 1005 is connected to the CPU 1001 via a bus 1004. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003 are connected to the bus 1004.

Connected to the input/output interface 1005 are an input unit 1006 consisting of input devices such as a keyboard and mouse through which the user inputs operation commands, an output unit 1007 which outputs processing operation screens and images of processing results to a display device, a storage unit 1008 consisting of a hard disk drive or the like which stores programs and various data, and a communication unit 1009 consisting of a LAN (Local Area Network) adapter or the like which performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. Also connected is a drive 1010 which reads and writes data from/to removable storage media 1011 such as magnetic disks (including flexible disks), optical disks (including CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs)), magneto-optical disks (including MDs (Mini Discs)), or semiconductor memories.

The CPU 1001 executes various processes in accordance with programs stored in the ROM 1002, or programs read from a removable storage medium 1011 such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, installed in the storage unit 1008, and loaded from the storage unit 1008 into the RAM 1003. The RAM 1003 also stores data necessary for the CPU 1001 to execute various processes, as appropriate.

In a computer configured as described above, the CPU 1001 loads a program stored in the storage unit 1008, for example, into the RAM 1003 via the input/output interface 1005 and bus 1004, and executes the program, thereby performing the series of processes described above.

The program executed by the computer (CPU 1001) can be provided by being recorded on a removable storage medium 1011, such as a packaged medium. The program can also be provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium, such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

In a computer, a program can be installed in the storage unit 1008 via the input/output interface 1005 by inserting the removable storage medium 1011 into the drive 1010. The program can also be received by the communication unit 1009 via a wired or wireless transmission medium and installed in the storage unit 1008. Alternatively, the program can be pre-installed in the ROM 1002 or storage unit 1008.

The program executed by the computer may be a program in which processing is performed chronologically in the order described in this specification, or a program in which processing is performed in parallel or at the required timing, such as when called.

Note that the CPU 1001 in Figure 23 realizes the functions of the control unit 101 in Figure 5 and the control unit 151 in Figure 6.

In this specification, a system refers to a collection of multiple components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), regardless of whether all of the components are contained in the same housing. Therefore, multiple devices housed in separate housings and connected via a network, and a single device with multiple modules housed in a single housing, are both systems.

Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

For example, this disclosure can be configured as a cloud computing system in which a single function is shared and processed collaboratively by multiple devices via a network.

Furthermore, each step described in the above flowchart can be performed by a single device, or can be shared and executed by multiple devices.

Furthermore, if one step includes multiple processes, the multiple processes included in that one step can be executed by one device, or they can be shared and executed by multiple devices.

The present disclosure can also be configured as follows.
<1> An irrigation control unit that irrigates a plurality of test furrows in a field in which plants are planted under different irrigation conditions;
a sensing result acquisition unit that acquires sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
a presentation unit that presents the sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows.
<2> The irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for non-test ridges, which are ridges other than the test ridges throughout the field, based on the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the multiple test ridges irrigated under the different irrigation conditions, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the determined irrigation conditions.
<3> The irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for the non-test ridges, which are ridges other than the test ridges, based on an evaluation set by a user of the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the multiple test ridges irrigated under the different irrigation conditions presented by the presentation unit, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the determined irrigation conditions.
<4> The irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for the non-test ridges, which are ridges other than the test ridges, based on an evaluation set by the user of the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the multiple test ridges irrigated under the different irrigation conditions presented by the presentation unit and a contribution set by the user for each irrigation condition of the multiple test ridges, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the determined irrigation conditions.
<5> The irrigation control unit sets a weight based on the user's evaluation for each of the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions and a weight based on the contribution degree, and irrigates the non-test rows with an irrigation amount that is a weighted average of the irrigation amounts under the irrigation conditions for each of the plurality of test rows.
<6> The information processing device described in <1>, wherein the different irrigation conditions for each of the plurality of test rows are threshold values of water stress values calculated from the tree water tension of the plant, which control the timing of starting and stopping irrigation.
<7> The irrigation amount under different irrigation conditions for each of the plurality of test rows is the irrigation amount actually measured in irrigation in which the irrigation start timing and the irrigation stop timing are controlled by different threshold values of the water stress value for each of the plurality of test rows.
<8> The information processing device according to <6>, wherein the plurality of test furrows is at least four or more.
<9> The information processing device described in <1>, wherein the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions are based on images captured by an image sensor mounted on a device that images the entire field.
<10> The information processing device according to <9>, wherein the image is an RGB image and a plurality of wavelength band images.
<11> The information processing device described in <10>, wherein the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions are a growth index map in which growth indices are mapped based on the plurality of wavelength band images.
<12> The information processing device according to <11>, wherein the presentation unit presents the RGB image and the growth index map as a result of sensing the growth state.
<13> The information processing device according to <11>, wherein the growth indexes include NDVI, PRI, SIF, NDRE, VARI, TGI, SIPI2, LCI, BNDVI, GNDVI, and MCARI.
<14> The information processing device according to <11>, wherein the device that captures the image of the entire farm field is a drone, a satellite, or a patrol robot that moves autonomously within the farm field.
<15> The plurality of test ridges form a test ridge group for setting one irrigation condition for the non-test ridges,
The test ridge groups are set in each area of the field that has different soil characteristics, geology, topography, and weather conditions,
The irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for the non-test ridges for each area based on the sensing results of the growth status obtained by initial irrigation of the test ridge group set for each area, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the irrigation conditions determined for each area. Information processing device described in <2>.
<16> The information processing device according to <1>, wherein the plurality of test ridges are a portion of ridges set in the field and are fewer than non-test ridges that are not the test ridges.
<17> An irrigation control process in which a plurality of test rows in which plants are planted in a field are irrigated under different irrigation conditions;
a sensing result acquisition process for acquiring sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
and a presentation process of presenting the detected sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows.
<18> An irrigation control unit that irrigates a plurality of test furrows in which plants are planted in a field under different irrigation conditions,
a sensing result acquisition unit that acquires sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
a presentation unit that presents the sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows.
<19> An irrigation control unit that irrigates a plurality of test rows in which plants are planted in a field under different irrigation conditions,
a sensing result acquisition unit that acquires sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
a program that causes a computer to function as a presentation unit that presents the sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows.

11. Field management system, 31. Field, 32. Control device, 35. User terminal, 41. Irrigation device, 42. Sensor unit, 51. Growth condition sensor, 52. Weather station, 53. Soil sensor, 131. Weather information acquisition unit, 132. Soil information acquisition unit, 133. Growth condition acquisition unit, 134. Field information management unit, 135. Irrigation control unit, 159. GPS, 171. Field management application, 181. User interface, 201, 201-1 to 201-4. Test rows, 201a, 201a-1 to 201a-4. Test trees, 202, 202-1 to 202-4. Non-test rows, 203. Irrigation tube

Claims (19)

an irrigation control unit that irrigates a plurality of test furrows in which plants are planted in a field under different irrigation conditions;
a sensing result acquisition unit that acquires sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
a presentation unit that presents the sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows. The information processing device described in claim 1, wherein the irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for non-test ridges, which are ridges other than the test ridges throughout the field, based on sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the multiple test ridges irrigated under the different irrigation conditions, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the determined irrigation conditions. The information processing device described in claim 2, wherein the irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for the non-test ridges, which are ridges other than the test ridges, based on an evaluation set by a user of the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the multiple test ridges irrigated under the different irrigation conditions presented by the presentation unit, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the determined irrigation conditions. The information processing device described in claim 3, wherein the irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for the non-test ridges, which are ridges other than the test ridges, based on an evaluation set by the user of the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the multiple test ridges irrigated under the different irrigation conditions presented by the presentation unit and a contribution set by the user for each irrigation condition of the multiple test ridges, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the determined irrigation conditions. The information processing device described in claim 4, wherein the irrigation control unit sets a weight based on the user's evaluation for each of the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions and a weight based on the contribution degree, and irrigates the non-test rows with an irrigation amount that is a weighted average of the irrigation amounts under the irrigation conditions for each of the plurality of test rows. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the different irrigation conditions for each of the plurality of test rows are thresholds of water stress values determined from the tree water tension of the plant, which controls timings for starting and stopping irrigation. The information processing device described in claim 6, wherein the irrigation amount under different irrigation conditions for each of the plurality of test rows is the irrigation amount actually measured in irrigation in which the irrigation start timing and the irrigation stop timing are controlled by different threshold values of the water stress value for each of the plurality of test rows. The information processing device according to claim 6 , wherein the number of the plurality of test furrows is at least four. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions are based on images captured by an image sensor mounted on a device that captures images of the entire field. The information processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the image is an RGB image and a multi-waveband image. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein the sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions are a growth index map in which growth indices are mapped based on the plurality of wavelength band images. The information processing device according to claim 11 , wherein the presentation unit presents the RGB image and the growth index map as the sensing results of the growth condition. The information processing device according to claim 11 , wherein the growth indices include NDVI, PRI, SIF, NDRE, VARI, TGI, SIPI2, LCI, BNDVI, GNDVI, and MCARI. The information processing device according to claim 11 , wherein the device that captures the image of the entire farm field is a drone, a satellite, or a patrol robot that moves autonomously within the farm field. the plurality of test ridges form a test ridge group for setting one irrigation condition for the non-test ridges;
The test ridge groups are set in each area of the field that has different soil characteristics, geology, topography, and weather conditions,
The information processing device described in claim 2, wherein the irrigation control unit determines irrigation conditions for the non-test ridges for each area based on the sensing results of the growth status obtained by initial irrigation of the test ridge group set for each area, and irrigates the non-test ridges under the irrigation conditions determined for each area. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of test ridges are a portion of ridges set in the field, and are fewer than non-test ridges that are not the test ridges. an irrigation control process for irrigating a plurality of test furrows in which plants are planted in a field under different irrigation conditions;
a sensing result acquisition process for acquiring sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
and a presentation process of presenting the detected sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows. an irrigation control unit that irrigates a plurality of test furrows in which plants are planted in a field under different irrigation conditions;
a sensing result acquisition unit that acquires sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
a presentation unit that presents the sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows. an irrigation control unit that irrigates a plurality of test furrows in which plants are planted in a field under different irrigation conditions;
a sensing result acquisition unit that acquires sensing results of the growth status of the plants in the plurality of test rows irrigated under the different irrigation conditions;
a program that causes a computer to function as a presentation unit that presents the sensing results of the growth conditions of the plants in the plurality of test rows.