Agrimotion’s service-offering is built on 6 pillars, each specialising on a specific area of crop production. Our focus is on achieving the best possible results for our clients.
Where & what to plant
A service designed to analyze the climate suitability of a farm to a single or set list of crops under consideration.
Our climate analysis includes:
- Climate suitability assessments of the prevailing climates
- Details of the climate parameters relevant to crop suitability
- A clear delineation of crop specific climatic requirements and risks
- Graphs to display the climate of the requested location and the production area of the crop
- Access to a 30 year historical weather data set of the location under consideration
- A best-fit output to find the most suitable crop for your location
Establishing perennial crops is a capital-intensive investment that has significant risk if proper due diligence is not performed. The income and profitability of such projects are closely related to the size and sustainability of yields i.e. the production potential. If production potential is not realised, the return on investment is low. For perennial crops, the production potential at any given site is determined by the combination of soil, climate and water (quantity & quality).
We offer:
Water quality and quantity
- Although Agrimotion does not specialise in bulk water supply we are able to provide insight into basic crop water requirements and we can assist in interpreting water listings to determine how many hectares can be established.
- To evaluate water quality, we collect, analyse (at an accredited laboratory) and interpret water quality parameters and provide recommendations on crop and irrigation system suitability.
Climatic suitability
- As part of a climate screening, the climate of the site under consideration is run against a broad match filter of existing fruit and nut-producing regions to disqualify crops that are unsuitable for obvious reasons. The generated crop list then serves as a guideline for a more precise climate suitability analysis.
- A climate suitability analysis evaluates the climatic conditions at the site under considerations against the specific requirements of a potential crop. The ranges for various climatic parameters like temperature, rainfall, humidity, etc. that can influence crop performance is established and the climatic suitability of a crop is then evaluated.
Soil suitability
- Understanding the general soil distribution across an area as well as the range and intensity of limiting features is important for proper site selection.
- Agrimotion uses a reconnaissance soil survey for this initial purpose.
- Soils at each observation position are evaluated and classified based on physical and morphological features (e.g. depth, colour, texture, structure, expression of signs of wetness, etc.). Chemical suitability is determined from isolated representative soil samples.
- The process is initiated through a desktop study using aerial imagery, topography and landscape scale soil information to allocate random but representative soil observation positions.
- After gaining an understanding of the soil distribution across an area, proposals are made with regards to the extent of suitable soils and how such soils should be surveyed in more detail. This will entail making soil observations on a predefined grid.
Financial modelling
- Although Agrimotion does not provide this service as an in-house offering, we do have associates in the industry that specialises in business models for (new) agricultural ventures.
- Ideally, irrigation water availability and climatic suitability must be determined before any business models can be accurately compiled.
Reconnaissance soil mapping
- Evaluation of the agricultural potential of farms for sale and purchase purposes.
- Identification of high potential soils for cultivation.
- Evaluation of land usability for sustainable horticultural crop cultivation.
- Identification of soil limiting factors.
Detailed soil mapping
- Identification of soil limiting factors
- Determination of soil potential for perennial crop cultivation
- Maps with details regarding soil potential, soil physical and chemical preparation and ideal orchard design
- Orchard development report which includes advice on ideal soil preparation, soil amelioration, crop, cultivar and/or rootstock selection, ideal row spacing, irrigation planning, drainage design , soil moisture probe placement, windbreak designs, fumigation, young tree soil and foliar nutrition and covercrops.
Orchard designs
- Terroir advice – selection of the correct crop/cultivar and rootstock for a given soil and landscape.
- Identification and alleviation of limiting factors.
- See Soil Precision Services above.
Precision application recommendations
- Soil sampling of existing orchards or new agricultural developments
- Recommendations on ideal soil amelioration
- Conversion of recommendation into shape file format
- Application of nutrients variably using GPS technology (in association with Agribalance™)
Independent crop nutrition & cultivar-rootstock selection
Our nutrition programmes are based on orchard history including foliar and soil analysis, irrigation systems as well as crop and cultivar type. Recommendations are crop-based and are completely independent of product sales. Our nutrition programmes provide maximum fertilizer-use efficiency and accommodate a variety of management styles.
We offer:
Fertilizer programs
- Fertilizer, fertigation and high tech fertigation programs on drip and micro-sprinkler and flood irrigated orchards.
- Independent of product sales and thus crop and client based.
- Orchard history is collected in order to develop nutrition trends (soil and foliar analysis, age, rootstock etc.)
- Programs are adjusted throughout the season based on field observations.
Foliar spray programs and analysis
- A foliar analysis service is offered to administrate the process of sampling at accredited laboratories.
- Independent of product sales and thus crop and client based.
- Orchard history is collected in order to develop nutrition trends (soil and foliar analysis, age, rootstock etc.)
- Programs are adjusted throughout the season based on field observations.
Cultivar and rootstock selection
- Site, soil and existing orchards are taken into account to recommend what crops, cultivars and rootstocks to consider in future.
- Such discussions are best held in collaboration with the grower and professionals involved on the farm in irrigation design, horticulture and soil management.
- See the soil management services above, as a precursor service to crop, cultivar and rootstock selection.
Plant manipulation
- Action programmes for better fruit quality
- Action plans to address poor orchard uniformity
- Pruning advice by horticultural and viticulture consultants on selected crops
Irrigation probe audits & crop specific irrigation scheduling
State of the art technology is used to integrate remote sensing, soil and crop information, weather predictions and irrigation systems in order to optimise irrigation scheduling. Advanced irrigation monitoring, probe audits and drought management strategies are incorporated within this offering.
We offer:
Probe audits
- Assess the placement and installation of capacitance probes.
- Adjusting graph setup on software and monitoring strategy accordingly.
- Collect data to guide data interpretation for better scheduling.
Irrigation monitoring
- The Agrimotion IRIS app integrates irrigation related data to one place to be viewed in the office or in field using hardcopies or the Android app.
- Data is used to make weekly irrigation recommendations based on site specific crop demand.
- Irrigation monitoring systems are put in place for stricter control.
- The probe audit is a precursor service for effective irrigation scheduling.
Water budgets / Drought strategy
- Evaluate the optimal use of water based on water availability, income potential and crop requirement.
- This service is offered ad hoc to help growers in challenging seasons, or in conjunction with the irrigation monitoring service.
Data capture in IRIS app
- The IRIS app is designed to capture data infield, and report back to the office.
- Data that is captured is processed and reported as valuable information for irrigation scheduling.
- Soil moisture is integrated via probe graph and field observations, which is compared to the applied schedule and weather data to evaluate the week’s irrigation.
- IRIS is thus a powerful tool to the mitigate risk of irrigating without insight.
Crop specific skills development
Agrimotion strives to set the standard for best practices through effective, practical and scientific training. Workshops and short courses on fruit production are offered to a variety of audiences across the country. The training sessions can be tailored to suit specific needs. Our impact on farms is not limited to the advice we offer but is evident in the sharing of knowledge with management teams in order to recap old concepts and convey new ones.
Training topics include:
- Nutrition of fruit crops
- Soil management
- Irrigation strategies
- Application of technology
CROP SET EXPERIENCE
Our crop set is constantly expanding. To date we have gained invaluable experience locally, in South Africa, as well as in many African countries including Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, Morocco, Swaziland, Kenya, and Ethiopia. We are also involved globally in Argentina, Uruguay, Georgia, Turkey, and Brazil.
