pacu: Precision Agriculture Computational Utilities - FAQ

FAQ

  1. The pa_yield() function expects an sf object, but my data is in .csv format. How should I proceed?

    Data stored in CSV format can be read into R as a data frame and then converted to an sf object. See the example below.

    x <- 40:45
y <- -90:-95
yield <- 100:105
dat <- data.frame(x = x, 
                  y = y,
                  yield = yield)
class(dat) ## data.frame
    ## [1] "data.frame"
    dat <- sf::st_as_sf(dat,
             coords = c('x', 'y')) 
class(dat) ## sf and data.frame
    ## [1] "sf"         "data.frame"

  2. How do I silence warnings and messages within the package?

    To silence warnings and messages, use pacu_options().

    pacu_options(suppress.warnings = TRUE,
             suppress.messages = TRUE)

  3. I got an error from pa_yield(). How can I diagnose it quickly?

A practical sequence is:

1. Run `pa_check_yield(input, algorithm = "all")`.
2. Confirm that expected variables were detected and units look correct.
3. If needed, provide `data.columns` and `data.units` explicitly in `pa_yield()`.

Common messages and typical fixes:

| Message (or similar) | Typical cause | Typical fix |
|:--|:--|:--|
| `unable to find column(s): ...` | Required variables were not identified from input names | Rename columns to common names or supply `data.columns` explicitly |
| `"lbs.per.bushel" argument is needed ...` | U.S. standard yield units require a bushel-to-mass conversion | Set `lbs.per.bushel` (e.g., 56 corn, 60 soybean) |
| `When formula contains explanatory variables, grid must be supplied.` | Formula includes predictors not available in the default geometry-only setup | Supply `grid` with required predictor columns |
| `formula should only be used when smooth.method = krige` | Formula provided with `none` or `idw` smoothing | Use `smooth.method = "krige"` when passing formula predictors |
| `when remove.crossed.polygons is true, grid needs to be supplied` | Crossed-polygon filtering needs trial/grid context | Provide `grid` when `remove.crossed.polygons = TRUE` |