Smart Autumn Harvest | Want to know the secret of rice fields' "breathing"? Smart AI assistant is here to help!

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Yang Yang (Institute of Intelligent Machinery, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Producer: China Science Expo

Editor's note: To showcase the latest trends in intelligent technology, the China Science Popularization Frontier Technology Project has launched a series of articles on "Artificial Intelligence" to provide a glimpse into the latest progress in artificial intelligence and respond to various concerns and curiosities. Let us explore together and welcome the intelligent era.

AI Farmer Assistant Business Card

Assistant : Paddy Field Ammonia Volatilization Assessment System

Two magic weapons: "You ask me, I answer" interactive experience and "from point to surface" all-round evaluation

Three key technologies : the “driver” of ammonia volatilization from rice fields, the multivariable driven ammonia volatilization algorithm, and the multi-scale ammonia volatilization assessment model

Energy value : 5 stars

ID photo:

Assessment of ammonia volatilization from rice fields at the single field scale

(Photo source: provided by the author)

AI Farming Assistant Self-introduction

Hello everyone, I am the Rice Field Ammonia Volatilization Assessment System, a member of the green smart agricultural technology family of the Institute of Intelligent Machinery, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

I am the "You ask me, I answer" interactive rice field ammonia volatilization assessment system. I can not only tell you the ammonia volatilization of a single field, but also the ammonia volatilization of the whole province and the whole country. If you want to know the ammonia volatilization of rice fields under different fertilization conditions, you can find me.

Everyone should be familiar with ammonia. The pungent smell in some toilets is largely from the ammonia released by the decomposition of excrement. Ammonia is a nitrogen-containing substance. Ammonia is the raw material for the production of nitrogen fertilizer and is an important nitrogen resource.

Ammonia volatilization from paddy fields refers to the phenomenon of ammonia emission from paddy field soil. Ammonia in paddy fields mainly comes from nitrogen fertilizer conversion and decomposition of nitrogen-containing organic matter in the soil. Ammonia volatilization not only causes loss of soil nitrogen resources, but also harms the ecological environment, such as inducing haze. Therefore, we must find ways to reduce ammonia volatilization from farmland.

Ammonia volatilization is the "enemy" of green agricultural production. In order to defeat it, we need to fully understand it. First, we need to know what conditions promote ammonia volatilization. Through big data analysis, I found out the "driver" of ammonia volatilization in rice fields, laying a key foundation for evaluating ammonia volatilization. I found that the amount of nitrogen applied, the number of nitrogen applications, soil temperature and powder content are the key factors that determine ammonia volatilization in rice fields. Then I calculated the contribution rate of each factor to ammonia volatilization in rice fields and formed a multivariable driven ammonia volatilization algorithm.

I constructed a national database of rice field soil properties, and after substituting it into a multivariate-driven ammonia volatilization algorithm, I calculated the amount of ammonia volatilization from rice fields at different geographical scales in my country (single field, the entire province, and the entire country), and established a multi-scale ammonia volatilization assessment model to achieve a comprehensive evaluation "from point to surface."

I am a very user-friendly software system, using 3 language modes (Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English), and I can communicate with friends at home and abroad without any obstacles; my interface is very simple, and it also comes with various operation prompts, so it is easy for users to get started. I have now passed the computer software copyright registration, and will soon officially meet you.

Identifying the drivers of ammonia volatilization from rice fields

(Image source: drawn by the author)

Rice Field System and Ammonia Volatilization from Rice Fields

In order to let you feel my strength more deeply, I will first briefly introduce the rice field system and the problem of ammonia volatilization in rice fields. Rice is a very important food crop in my country, with a large planting area and a wide coverage. Rice can be found in the humid and hot south, the cool northeast, and the northwest and central plains irrigation areas. Whether the huge rice field system can reduce emissions in a green way has a great impact on my country's ecological environment and agricultural development.

Ammonia volatilization from paddy fields refers to the emission of ammonia from paddy fields. Nitrogen fertilizers applied to farmland and nitrogen-containing organic matter in the soil may be converted and released into ammonia. Many factors can affect ammonia volatilization, such as higher fertilizer application and higher temperatures, which usually increase ammonia volatilization.

Farmers working in rice fields

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Rice growth requires the support of soil nitrogen, and ammonia volatilization leads to a reduction in effective nitrogen in the soil, which may cause "nitrogen starvation" and "malnutrition" of rice. Therefore, ammonia volatilization is a nitrogen resource loss phenomenon and is not conducive to rice yields.

In addition, ammonia volatilization from rice fields can also induce a series of ecological and environmental problems. Ammonia that enters the atmosphere can combine with acidic substances to form fine particulate matter (such as PM2.5, which we often hear about), causing respiratory diseases; ammonia that enters the atmosphere may also fall back to the ground and water bodies, causing soil acidification and water eutrophication, and may also cause nitrogen-loving organisms to grow wildly, "crowding out" other organisms, resulting in a decrease in biodiversity.

In short, ammonia volatilization from rice fields is a phenomenon that causes loss of resources and harms the environment. Reducing ammonia volatilization from rice fields is of great significance to ecological environmental protection, improving nitrogen fertilizer utilization, and promoting green and high-yield crops. We need to take measures to reduce ammonia volatilization from rice fields, but the premise is that we fully understand ammonia volatilization from rice fields.

At present, researchers have achieved a lot of research results in the field of ammonia volatilization in rice fields, which provides an important basis for understanding ammonia volatilization in rice fields. However, there are some shortcomings in the existing research, such as most of the research is based on a single field, which is difficult to provide guidance for large-scale rice planting; the research results are mostly presented in a "one-way presentation" mode, in the form of paper charts, which makes it difficult to interactively answer questions of interest to users.

In this context, I came into being. In order to provide more accurate, friendly and comprehensive evaluation services, I adopted a variety of "black technologies".

First, I integrated the research data from 104 rice field sites across the country and compiled 376 sets of detailed rice field test data, covering 13 variables such as ammonia volatilization, nitrogen application methods, and soil properties. I used the multivariate data analysis method of step-by-step elimination to identify the key "drivers" of rice field ammonia volatilization and created a multivariate driven ammonia volatilization algorithm.

Then, I integrated and established a basic data set of rice soil properties in my country, covering 440,327 rice-growing fields in my country, including important parameters such as soil texture and soil temperature, which laid a key foundation for accurately evaluating ammonia volatilization from rice fields.

Furthermore, I integrated the basic data set of rice fields and the multivariate-driven ammonia volatilization algorithm to calculate the characteristics of ammonia volatilization losses in my country's rice fields, realized ammonia volatilization assessment at three geographical scales: single field, province, and country, and established a multi-scale ammonia volatilization assessment model.

Finally, through software programming methods, I integrated the multivariable-driven ammonia volatilization algorithm, the multi-scale ammonia volatilization assessment model and the paddy field basic data set into one, forming a paddy field ammonia volatilization assessment system with a simple interface, easy operation and fast calculation. It is worth mentioning that the "you ask me and I answer" interactive mode and the "from point to surface" all-round evaluation function I adopted are rare in domestic paddy field ammonia volatilization research.

With my help, you can easily predict ammonia volatilization from rice fields under different nitrogen application conditions, and thus implement more scientific nitrogen application strategies according to local conditions, to promote the reduction of ammonia volatilization and green high yield of rice.

For example, through my calculations, you can know that the risk of ammonia volatilization from rice fields in Northeast my country is relatively low, and the amount of nitrogen application needs to be appropriately increased to ensure high rice yields; the risk of ammonia volatilization from rice fields in Guangdong, Hainan and Taiwan in my country is relatively high, and the amount of nitrogen application needs to be strictly controlled; the total amount of ammonia volatilization from rice fields in Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu in my country is relatively large, because the rice planting area is large and the amount of fertilizer applied to rice fields is high, and more attention needs to be paid to promoting green emission reduction production technologies in rice fields.

Message from the Assistant

At present, important progress has been made in the assessment of ammonia volatilization from rice fields, providing important support for optimizing nitrogen fertilizer management in rice fields, promoting green emission reduction and high yield and efficiency in rice fields.

In the future, I will need to upgrade the evaluation model of rice field ammonia volatilization under variable fertilization modes, different fertilizer types, different fertilization depths, and different irrigation systems to more carefully reflect the characteristics of rice field ammonia volatilization; I also need to carry out research on plot-level refined prevention and control measures for ammonia volatilization in rice fields in different regions based on my current functions, integrate technologies such as slow-release fertilizers, high-efficiency agricultural machinery and agronomy, and integrate the establishment of a green production technology model for rice fields, to provide stronger support for my country's rice yield and efficiency improvement as well as ecological environmental protection. Stay tuned!