FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS OF FLUTED ROLLER DISPENSER APPLICATION FOR PRECISION FERTILIZATION

With depleting resources, it is essential to increase the application of Agriculture 4.0 principles and technologies. Blueberry cultivation includes various operations, one of them being fertilization. To precisely discharge the correct amount of fertilizer, a volumetric dispenser utilizing a straight fluted roller could be considered as an option. The aim of this research is to verify whether such a dispenser could be used for precision fertilization with solid granular fertilizers. The output of the dispenser was measured on different conditions with three NPK fertilizers. Based on statistical analysis, the required 10% discharge uniformity cannot be achieved and it is necessary to modify the dispenser or use another one.