A technical opportunity index adapted to zone-specific management

Ten years after the introduction of zone-based management to take into account within-field phenomena in agronomic practices, several methodological developments have progressed to the operational level. However, this raises a new scientific question: how can the relevance of this type of management be evaluated? This paper adapts the concept of a technical opportunity index to zone-specific management. Based on the characteristics of machinery, zoning opportunity is introduced through a new index (ZOI) adapted specifically to zone-based management. This index takes into account the operational conditions in which zoning is applied, together with its associated risks. The results obtained on simulated and real field data highlight the relevance of this index.