Yverdon-les-Bains VD – Ecorobotix’s selective and organic spraying method is effective against weeds in agriculture. This was proven in the EU project agROBOfood. For this purpose, the company has developed a 6-meter-wide intelligent precision field sprayer that is hitched to a tractor.
The pulled ARA precision sprayer from Ecorobotix has successfully completed the EU-funded field trial called agROBOfood. Sugar beet crops were used over two seasons to test how effectively ARA technology can detect, classify and spray individual weeds without unnecessarily impacting the entire field and crop. One organic herbicide and two organic insecticides were used.
The results showed satisfactory weed control results and a reduction in the amount of insecticide used, according to a news release from Ecorobotix. Herbicide savings of 70 to 95 percent can reportedly be achieved. Further agronomic testing is needed to confirm the exact efficacy of these new biocontrol agents and to fine-tune the machine for this application, he said.
The company calls the ARA intelligent and 6-meter-wide precision field sprayer “a revolutionary, highly accurate technology that is capable of using artificial intelligence to treat plant by plant with unprecedented 6 x 6 centimeter accuracy – a breakthrough in targeted herbicide and pesticide application.” This precision and the way of application distinguish ARA from other sprayers, he said.
ARA was created from the autonomous spraying robot AVO. That’s because, according to CTO Steve Tanner, the ARA trailed field sprayer, which is three times the size, is “easier for farmers to handle and more economical.” mm
