Their collective goal is to make the application of crop protection products more effective and efficient by reducing crop input costs while driving farm and environmental sustainability.
With Global agriculture focusing on reducing herbicide use, US Machinery Company AGCO has collaborated with other specialists to develop new targeted sprayer technology.
Targeted sprayer technology can reduce herbicide use as it is applied to only necessary areas, instead of the conventional blanket treatment.
AGCO entered into a proof of concept partnership with BASF Digital Farming GmbH, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Raven Industries Inc.
To ensure herbicide application is reduced, the targeted spraying proof of concept will focus on real-time sensing technology to make crop protection decisions. It can detect weeds in fallow grounds and growing crops, day or night. The technology will make precise targeted product placement down to the individual plant level.
Additionally, the targeted spraying improves the profitability of farmers by spraying herbicide only where necessary. This allows the use of more effective herbicide affordable for better weed control. It provides a cost and volume reduction to areas optimal herbicides are already in use.
The main concept is being evaluated on a Fendt Rogator sprayer in Europe to extend to North America in 2022.
The senior vice president and general manager, precision Ag and Digital for AGCO, Seth Crawford said: “Farmers have been in search for innovative ways to reduce the use of chemicals and reduce passes via the field to attain their crop protection goals.
“In combination with possible further regulatory pressure, we believe this partnership spraying effort projects our farmer first focus and is further evidence that we will work with the best in class partners to serve farmer’s needs.
This effort plans on validating targeted spraying solutions, delivering a reduction in the use of the product to attain the same result as broadcast spraying in both post and pre-emergence with the flexibility of spraying day or night’’.
In addition to AGCO’s application equipment expertise, Bosch contributes its abilities in machine learning, hardware, and artificial intelligence, and digital technologies.
Xarvio digital farming solutions provide automated, in the field, real-time agronomic decision-making engines for weed management and crop optimization.
Raven Applied Technology adds it is committed to sprayer efficacy and operational efficiencies that further enable precision control of chemicals for targeted spraying applications.
The combined power of the technologies that this collaboration is focused to deliver will empower farmers to drive greater efficiency in their operations while helping to protect the environment through reduced chemical usage in line with AGCO’s commitment to providing farmer-focused solutions to sustainably feed the world.
