"Putting a Corn Seed Rate Trial in the Ground"
This video was taken by a Central Illinois farmer with his smart phone as his planter implemented the DIFM seed rate trial shown in the adjacent figure. The farmer was able to implement the trial design on his field by uploading the trial design “prescription” as a shapefile into his variable-rate applicator, and just driving. That is, putting this trial in the ground was any more difficult for him than was his usual practice of applying N variably across his field.
Note that at the beginning of the video that targeted planting rate is 30,000 seeds per acre, and the as-planted monitor shows that the planter is sowing at rates close to the targeted rate. But soon after the planter moves to into a new trial plot the targeted rate jumps to 42,000 seeds per acre, and the as-planted rates jump towards that level. That is, this farmer was able to implement the field trial while taking a video of the procedure with his smart phone.