When announcing the return of precision farming to Farming Simulator 22 in early March, Giants announced a few new features, without going into details. A month later, the developer came out of his silence and published a series of articles to summarize the functionalities of this rather special mod, which offers the player a completely different reflection on cultural practices.
Spot treatment and variable rate spray
With the Precision Farming FS 22 DLC, the growth of weeds in your fields will change. New possibilities are added by the mod, and how you control weeds will have an effect on your farm's environmental score.
Weeds will no longer appear as evenly distributed as they normally do in-game. Instead, weeds appear "in clumps" in plots as they do in real life. This means that since they don't grow all over the field, you have the potential to save a lot of herbicide, and therefore (virtual) money since you don't have to spray the whole field.
Reduced herbicide use will therefore have a positive effect on your farm's environmental score. Gone are the days when you simply turn on the sprayer and spray the entire field with crop protection products. To spot treat the plot, you will need a special sprayer using spot treatment technology. This will save you up to 90% herbicide, reduce costs and protect the environment.
That's where the John Deere R732i PowerSpray comes in. Thanks to its "See & Spray" function, each nozzle of the sprayer will turn on to apply the herbicide only if there are real weeds below.
A set of cameras using special software can distinguish crops from weeds. If enough weeds are detected, the nozzles open and the herbicide is applied. You must add the "Spot Spraying" configuration in the store when purchasing the sprayer from the dealer.
Seeding can also be at a variable rate
For some crops, the Precision Farming FS 22 DLC adds the ability to adjust the seeding rate in different areas of the field. Variable seeding has multiple advantages.
In some areas of your fields, you will be able to reduce the seeding rate while maintaining the same level of yield, while some areas will require a higher seeding rate to improve weed competitiveness and achieve full yield potential.
Three seeding rate options will be available: low, standard and high. You can either select automatic mode or manually change the seed rate. Activating the automatic seed rate always guarantees the ideal seed rate for every part of the field. In manual mode, on the other hand, a visual indicator will show which of the three possible seeding rates would be optimal for the current soil type. You should switch between seed rates accordingly.
The ideal seeding rate also depends on the soil type: while silty soil has the highest fertility and yield potential and a lower seeding rate is required, silty clay is a more demanding soil type. difficult to establish where a higher seeding rate will compensate for a weaker growth.
Take a look at the table above. It shows crops for which a variable seeding rate is available and displays their ideal seeding rates based on the type of soil they are growing on. Of course, you will need to know what type of soil you are planting in. So you'll need to start by taking soil samples from the field – or buy a soil map, if you don't want to take the samples manually.
Nitrogen content of slurry
If your farm produces slurry, the Precision Farming FS 22 DLC will make your fertilization processes more efficient, thanks to nitrogen sensors.
As slurry is never homogeneous, measuring its nutrient content when applied to the soil is important for more accurate fertilization. With the Precision Farming mod enabled, the nitrogen concentration in the slurry will always vary. This also means that the amount of nitrogen applied can differ quite significantly (up to 40%) from the intended application rate.
To compensate for this constant fluctuation, every slurry tanker in the game now has the option to install John Deere's slurry analysis system. With this information, the application rate will be dynamically adjusted as the machine moves through the field, so you can apply the precise amount of nutrients your crops need. You will be able to add the manure detection system on the setup screen at the dealership when purchasing a new manure tank. The Garant PTR 30.000 ton will also come with the Precision Farming DLC.