Crop protection products and fertilizers can be applied much more efficiently. That was the message on the third day of the Agricultural Sprayer Academy course. The participants visited Jacob van den Borne's company.
At Van den Borne's company it was discussed which various techniques are used at the company, and which techniques have already been tried. An entire potato season was completed, from tillage to storage. At each step it was explained what is already possible with precision agriculture technology.
Plots clearly visible
With plots measuring an average of 3 hectares and an average cultivation of 13% overlap, Van Den Borne Aardappelen is an extremely interesting company for the application of precision agriculture. Mapping the plot is the first step. This is done with a soil sensor that measures the conductivity of a plot at different values. This soil scan produces data that is processed into a conductivity map of a plot. This clearly shows what the better and worse places are in a plot.
The Van Den Borne field sprayer has 2 tanks and a clean water tank. The tanks are both equipped with separate pipes, each with its own cap set. This allows regular spraying to be carried out in combination with a second precision spraying that can be administered independently. The pipes between the two tanks can also be exchanged, so that you can always spray with the correct nozzle.
Registration important
According to Van Den Borne, it is extremely important that you clearly write down exactly what has been carried out for all work. He also records striking spots in the crop, for example. This can of course still be done on paper, but also via a cultivation registration system. This means that later in the season, when something stands out in the crop, you can always see what happened at that location.
A similar system has been built on the company's sprayer. A camera has been installed on it that takes a photo when a red button is pressed in the cabin. Each time the sprayer is used again at that location, the camera automatically records a new photo.
Filling and rinsing area
A filling and rinsing area has been placed in the yard for filling and rinsing the field sprayer. The residual and rinse water is collected here and led to the Phytobac, where it is processed in an environmentally conscious manner. The filling point for the field sprayer is equipped with spring water, so that the correct pH can be applied for, for example, potato spraying. Next to the filling and rinsing area, there is a workbench equipped with safety measures such as gloves and aprons. There is also a compressed air mask for administering crop protection products when filling. Safety before everything.