FELD 01/2022

patchCROP patchCROP

patchCROP patchCROP First and foremost it must be profitable for the farmers — then they can embrace the new developments. KATHRIN GRAHMANN exchange ideas and information. »First and foremost it must be profitable for the farmers«, Kathrin Grahmann is emphasizing, »then they can embrace the new developments«. This year, the first field robot will be used at the experimental site. The robot will initially remove weeds from the maize patches. At the same time, the research team is testing other potential applications: Does the robot work to manage unwanted herbs in other crops like sunflowers or soybeans? How can it be used for other tasks, such as seeding? In the future, there will be a small fleet of robots in the machinery shed that will independently take over several field worktasks. When their battery is empty, they could drive back to the charging station which is supplied with solar power from the shed roof. »In a few years’ time, a group of small field robots will be doing the work here, rather than large, heavy agricultural machinery«, says Kathrin Grahmann. Text: Heike Kampe In a few years, a fleet of field robots will be doing a lot of work at the patchCROP landscape laboratory. For the first time, the research team is currently testing a robot at the experimental site. Podcast on the project Explanatory video clip 10 11