Growing corn with robots
Kuhn tests own robot tractor in the field
Machine manufacturer Kuhn is growing 1 parcel of maize this year using robots. It carries out the so-called 'Centéol 2018 Challenge' in collaboration with the French company AgreenCulture. He has built an autonomously operating tracked vehicle for the project.
AgreenCulture has its own RTK GPS network, which is used to control the robot. Soil samples were taken last fall. On the basis of this data, site-specific fertilization is carried out. The soil structure is also mapped. The 50-hectare trial plot is located in the Yonne department, south-east of Paris, near the town of Sens.
The team has now completed the first operation with their 'robot tractor'. An oversized tracked vehicle with a Kuhn Striger strip cultivator behind it. Technical details of the vehicle are unknown.
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Location specific
According to the schedule of the project, the next step is to spread fertilizer and seed with the help of as many as 3 robots: 1 fertilized in the row, while 2 others sow. According to the plans, this should be possible at 8 kilometers per hour. The plant population is adjusted based on the soil type; better soil gets more seeds.
The plan of approach is to fertilize with nitrogen again later, followed by hoeing a maximum of 3 times. This should result in significant chemical savings, which is what Kuhn is aiming for. Harvesting is done manually. It is not stated whether it concerns cut or grain maize.
Financial support
AgreenCulture has already built a robot: the CEOL. It weighs 300 kilos and has 2 caterpillars. With its 75 centimetres, it can hoe between the maize rows. It is therefore a lot smaller than the Centéol. It takes its name from the Aztec god for maize.
AgreenCulture is a start-up that is financially supported by the Swiss Bucher, owner of the Kuhn Group. Kuhn already showed a glimpse of their ideas at the Agritechnica in Hanover. Telecom provider Orange and seed company are also involved in the maize project DuPont Pioneer concerned.
Niels van der Boom
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