Configuration

Make sure everything is set up correctly before using this module

Before you start

Make sure you have the following configuration in place before starting with the chemical and fertiliser module.

Employees

The supervisor employees that will be capturing the data in the field must be registered as employees with the role "Chemical Supervisor". Administrators and Farmer users will be creating the instructions on the portal Dashboard. For more information on user and employee roles please visit:

pageUsers & Employees

Assets

Make sure all the equipment that is used for applying instructions is loaded under assets. This will be needed when configuring the calibrations in the next steps.

pageAssets & Consumables

Blocks

Each block must have the correct size in hectares. Hectares are used to calculate the dosages of chemicals. For applying fertilisers with hand we will also need the number of plants or trees that are planted in every block. This will also be used for dosage calculations.

Be aware: If the hectares of blocks are incorrect, the calculations WILL be wrong and there may be a chance that the dosages can damage or destroy your crops. Proceed with caution.

pageAreas, Blocks & Farms

Products

A complete list of all fertilisers and chemicals that will be applied needs to be configured on Agrigistics. The fastest way to start is only to add the products that they will be used for the next couple of instructions. The following information needs to be captured before you can start:

  • Inventory code: Unique identifier per product. Please ensure that there are no duplicates as this may cause issues when updating and importing products in the future. If you do not have inventory codes for your products, use the product registration number in this field or generate new codes.

  • Product registration number: This is referred to as the L-Code. This is the legal registration number used for audits.

  • Trade name: For fertilisers this can be any readable / understandable name

  • Fertiliser or Pesticide: Fertiliser can be used for any product that provides nutrients. Pesticides are used for any product that is used to control pests i.e. weeds, insects, fungi etc.

  • Unit: KG, L, UNIT or CUBES

The following information will be required if you intend to use the captured data for audits:

  • MRL/PHI: Needs to be specified for each produce on which this product is registered for

  • Justifications: Each product has one or multiple justification for use

  • Active ingredients

Add a chemical or fertiliser product

Navigate to Management / Chemicals & Fertilisers. Click on the tab "Products".

All fields in bold are required for GlobalGAP.

  1. Click on "+ Add" button

  2. Provide the following fields

    1. Inventory Code: Custom identifier for this product, this can also be used as a inventory code. If you do not have any use for this field, type in the registration number here

    2. Registration Number: The product registration number, if it is a fertilizer with no official registration number, create your own number

    3. Name: Trade name of the product

    4. Description: Provide any additional information. For Pesticides use this field for the type of pesticide i.e. herbicide, insecticide, fungicide etc.

    5. Justification: Provide all the justification for applying this product. After typing in a justification, press enter to add more than one

    6. Type: Fertilizer or Pesticide

      • The term Pesticide refer to any substance that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide etc. Use the description field to differentiate between different types of pesticides.

    7. Unit: Kilograms, Litres or Cubes

  3. Click on save

Importing products

All the information in the previous step can also be imported in bulk by clicking on the "Import" button. Select the Excel file that you want to import and match the fields with the correct columns.

Ensure all the fields in the excel file are in the following format. All fields in bold are required when importing.

Please note that the headers are in the first row of the Excel file. If the headers are not in the first row you will not be able to match the columns to the correct fields.

Refer to the previous step for detailed explanations of each field.

  • Inventory code - Must be unique. Use registration numbers if you don't have inventory codes. If you don't have registration numbers, generate unique codes in excel.

  • Registration Number

  • Trade Name

  • Description

  • Justification - Multiple justifications can be imported. Separate each justification with a semi-colon " ; ". For example: Justification 1; Justification 2; Justification 3;

  • Active Ingredient

  • Unit: This field must contain the text KG, L, UNIT or CUBE

  • Type: This field can only contain the text FERTILIZER or PESTICIDE. Use the term PESTICIDE for all chemicals. Differentiate between pesticide by providing a the type of pesticide in the description field. Refer to the example image above.

Use unique inventory codes when importing your products. When you need to make bulk changes to all your chemical products you can export the list, make changes in excel and reimport the list. Agrigistics will automatically update each product if the inventory code exists.

MRL and PHI

MRL and PHI values can be configured for each chemical or fertiliser product per crop. Click on a product in the table. In the popup menu click on "Info". Here you can view all the information for this product and also manage the MRL and PHI values.

  1. Click on the + icon next to MRL and PHI

  2. Select the target crop

    • You can add these values for multiple crops

  3. Optional: Select the Export Market

    • If the MRL and PHI values are different for export markets, create separate markets and configure these values for each market.

  4. Provide the PHI and MRL values

    • If the product does not have a PHI, please provide a description in the "PHI Description" field. This will be populated on the GlobalGAP report

  5. Repeat this process for every crop this chemical or fertiliser product is registered on or intended to use.

  6. Click on save

If the MRL and PHI values for a chemical or fertiliser product is not configured, it will not appear on the GlobalGAP report.

Store Rooms

Manage stock levels for multiple store room locations.

Navigate to Management / Chemicals & Fertilisers. Click on the tab "Store Rooms".

Each store room is linked to one or more farms. All chemicals and fertilisers applied to these farms will be subrtacted from the stock of the linked Store Room. Navigate to the Chemical Inventory report to view the current stock levels and usage of each product.

To add a new Store Room, click on the "+ Add" button:

  1. Provide a descriptive name for this store room

  2. Provide an optional description

  3. Select one or more farms linked to this store room

    • A farm can only be linked to a single store room. All chemicals applied on the blocks of each of the linked farms will be deducted from the stock of the store room

Navigate to Purchases & Stocktaking to record stock takes and purchases for a specific store room.

Export Markets

Navigate to Management / Chemicals & Fertilisers. Click on the tab "Markets".

If you have multiple export markets that have different spraying requirements, create markets here and specify MRL and PHI for each product crop combination.

Application Methods

Navigate to Management / Chemicals & Fertilisers. Click on the tab "Application Methods".

The three main methods are spraying, fertigation/bulk and hand application.

  • Spraying: Tank size must be enabled and assets must be provided

  • Hand application: Per plant / tree must be enabled. Usually no assets involved

  • Fertigation/bulk: None selected.

Calibrations

Navigate to Management / Chemicals & Fertilisers. Click on the tab "Equipment Calibrations".

For every type of chemical application method, equipment is used in the process.

  • Spraying - Tractor and spray cart (mist blower, boom spray etc.)

  • Spreader - Tractor and mechanical spreader

  • Fertigation - Irrigation tank and mixer

  • Hand - Cups (This is the only type of calibration we do not cater for)

For spraying, spreading and fertigation there are specific rates at which the chemical must be applied to make sure the target dosages are achieved. With spraying and spreading the spray carts and mechanical spreaders are connected to the tractors. To achieve a specific dosage in the field, the rate at which the tractor moves and the rate at which chemicals are applied are essential. This is where a chemical calibration comes in play, the specific configuration for the tractor and applicator asset to achieve the desired dosage.

Add a Calibration

Navigate to Management / Chemicals & Fertilisers. Click on the tab "Calibrations".

  1. Specify the name and description

  2. Method - Each calibration is linked to specific application methods. You can't use the same calibration for fertigation and spraying i.e. two different methods.

  3. Tractors - One or more tractor asset can be linked to a calibration, this is when a farmer has multiple identical tractors used for applications

  4. Tractor gear - The specified gear the tractor must use

  5. Tractor RPM - The RPM of the engine

  6. Tractor speed - Km/ph of the tractor

  7. Applicator asset - The spray cart or mist blower used for this application, one or multiple can be specified if the farmer as identical equipment

  8. Capacify- The KG or L of water of fertiliser (mechanical spreader) that can be loaded into the applicator equipment

  9. Delivery volume per hectare - Rate at which the applicator applies chemicals

  10. Custom fields - Any additional information that must be visible to the operator when applying chemicals given the instruction

With the specified fields in the instruction the operator now knows how to configure the equipment to achieve the desired dosage.

Mixes

Create mixes with your own products and dosages to apply later. These mixes will allow you to setup spray schedules for your crops.

Add a Mix

Navigate to Management / Chemicals & Fertilisers. Click on the tab "Mixes".

  1. Click on the "+ Add" button

  2. Provide a name and description for the mix.

  3. Click on Save

The newly created Mix will appear in the table. Click on the Mix in the table to add products.

  1. Click on the + icon next to Products

  2. Select the desired Product out of the list

  3. Provide the dosage

    1. Product per application - The amount of product that must be used per tank or plant/tree. This option is usually provided when fertilizers are applied per plant or tree

    2. Dosage per hectare - L or KG per hectare

    3. Dosage per 100L - L or KG per 100L of mixture

  4. Select the Justification for this mixture

    1. If there is no option for a justification it is because there are no justifications configured for this product. Follow the steps under Add a Product to configure justifications.

  5. Click on Save

  6. Repeat this process for all the products you want in this mix

  7. Click on the Save button below the mixture name to save this mix.

When creating new instructions you will be able to select this mix instead of adding products one by one.

Stocktaking

As soon as your Chemical & Fertiliser module is configured you will be ready to start monitoring your stock levels. Visit the Data Capture section for further instructions.

PreviousChemicals & FertilisersNextData Capture

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