Noud introduced the ARA precision sprayer for the first time this season, which he employs alongside his existing two hoeing machines. "Mechanical weed control, together with a little chemistry," as he describes it, has proven to be a highly effective approach for his chicory crops. By targeting weeds with Ecorobotix's spot-spraying technology, he conserves spray products and lowers costs. Additionally, the plant-specific application means that chicory plants remain unaffected by the herbicide, promoting better growth and reducing crop stress.
Noud estimates an 80-90% reduction in herbicide use, leading to significant cost savings and environmental benefits. He expressed enthusiasm for the ARA sprayer, noting that he is pleased with the chicory algorithm and the resulting decrease in chemical application frequency.
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Three different procedures were utilized. The first approach entailed leaving the sugar beets untreated, allowing weeds to grow freely. The second, applying herbicides using a broadcast sprayer. Lastly, employing our ARA to precisely target and spray the weeds.
After a growth period of 10 weeks, it was concluded that ARA could successfully eliminate weeds and greatly reduce herbicide consumption by around 85% (compared to conventional broadcast spraying methods).
The untreated sugar beets exhibited satisfactory growth initially, but the excessive weed presence would have eventually overtaken and suppressed the crop. The utilization of ARA on sugar beets proved advantageous, leading to an almost twofold increase in crop biomass compared to broadcast spraying. This outcome strongly suggests the effectiveness of ARA's sugar beet algorithm in preserving the health and abundance of crops by mitigating phytotoxicity.
These results not only show potential economic advantages for farmers by enhancing crop yield through phytotoxicity suppression but also support the adoption of environmentally sustainable approaches.
Note: It's important to note that the results mentioned may not be representative of all situations and conditions. Local factors such as soil health, field history, herbicide choice, and growing conditions can influence the effectiveness of ARA. To further validate ARA’s capability, additional studies are currently underway, and results will be published later this year.
Project Biospray is an industrial challenge project: the goal is to adapt Ecorobotix's ultra-high precision technology to meet the needs of biocontrol applications and conduct field trials.
‘Natural’ herbicides can be used to treat weeds but can also harm the crops if they are broadly sprayed so they are best delivered by an ultra-high precision sprayer which targets individual plants, spraying only weeds but not crops.
Steve Tanner, CTO Ecorobotix
Sugar beet was selected as the crop for the trials because few chemical synthetic herbicidal active ingredients are available today and further reductions are expected in the coming years.
Therefore, the Biospray project targeted three crop care applications in sugar beet: selective application of pelargonic acid (organic herbicide), azadirachtin and spintor (two organic insecticides).
The field test results across two seasons showed satisfactory weeding results and a reduction in insecticide use. Furthermore, herbicide savings of ~70-95% can be made using ARA's Ultra-High Precision Sprayer.
More agronomic tests are needed to validate the exact efficiency of these new biocontrol products and fine-tune machine performance for this use-case.
Biocontrol products can be used both in conventional farming and bio/organic farming. However, the formal homologation of these biocontrol products is still ongoing for use in organic/bio farming.
Project Biospray is supported by the agROBOfood programme. This EU initiative promotes the effective adoption of robotic technologies and accelerates digital transformation to make the European agri-food sector more efficient and competitive.
New trials have just tested the third generation of Ecorobotix' robotic weeder: the ARA. Their mission was to improve the performance of this new robotic system as part of the work carried out on beet cultivation by the Tereos agronomy department. For the cooperative, the final objective is to enable its cooperators to benefit from the latest technologies contributing to the improvement of sustainable cultivation practices and the reduction of production costs.
Developed thanks to exchanges between experts from Tereos and Ecorobotix, a Swiss manufacturer, the ARA is a completely autonomous machine equipped with a 6-metre wide, folding boom that is attached to a tractor. Its three very high definition cameras detect weeds thanks to a recognition algorithm that is perfected with each use.
The nozzles, positioned every 4 cm, ensure high precision spraying and a reduction in the use of weedkillers of up to 95%.
With the new traction system, the SCBA moves at a speed of about 5 km/h. It can weed up to 30 ha/day. Its use has become very intuitive thanks to the development of a touch-sensitive tablet that can be used from the tractor cab, which will facilitate the future marketing of this system.
During the ARA trials, Jérôme Hary, member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Tereos Sugar beet Commission, said:
« More than ever, productivity issues are essential to maintain the place of sugar beet in our farms. This requires innovation throughout the value chain to achieve optimum agricultural competitiveness. The work carried out by Tereos' agronomy department will enable us to support our cooperators in meeting these challenges. »
Jérôme Hary, member of the Supervisory Board and Chairman of the Tereos Sugar Beet Commission
« The role of the agronomy department is to identify and rapidly implement areas of progress and agronomic innovation for Tereos cooperators. Our mission is to ensure that knowledge is shared with our cooperators, to support them in their crop management and to anticipate with them the challenges facing their agricultural production. »
says David Sergent, Director of the Tereos Cooperative Division.
About Tereos
With a long-term vision of adding value to agricultural raw materials and developing quality products for the food, health and renewable energy sectors, Tereos is a leader in the sugar, alcohol and starch markets. The Group's social and environmental commitments contribute to the company's long-term performance while strengthening its contribution as a responsible player. Tereos is a cooperative group with 12,000 members and recognised expertise in the processing of sugar beet, cane, alfalfa, cereals and potatoes. Thanks to its 48 industrial sites, a presence in 18 countries and the commitment of its 22,300 employees, Tereos supports its customers as closely as possible to their markets with a wide and complementary range of products. In 2019-20, the Group generated sales of €4.5 billion.
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