Agritechnica Silver medal for AMAZONE:bDirectInject direct feed system

The DLG Innovation Commission (German Agricultural Society) has announced the winners of the Agritechnica 2022 Innovation Awards. AMAZONE was awarded a silver medal for its new DirectInject. DirectInject enables the fast, flexible and needs-based metered addition of a pesticide during application.

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The demands on farmers with regard to plant protection go hand in hand with the constantly increasing technology. Flexibility in the selection of plant protection agents in the field becomes increasingly important. From a plant establishment perspective, the needs-based application of specific products and active ingredients only in part sections, or individual fields, is a frequent response. There are also restrictions relating to environmentally-sensitive fields and bodies of water which the farmer must consider when selecting plant protection agents. These requirements with respect to flexibility in plant protection are in stark contrast to the structural development towards larger sprayers for higher work rates and more economic use.

System overview

The DirectInject system has enabled AMAZONE to offer a system of direct injection of plant protection agents which solves, for the first time, the conflicting goals described above. The injection of plant protection agents can be started or stopped during application as required. The special feature of DirectInject compared to conventional systems is the fast response time of the injection process and its complete integration into the spray liquid circuit and operation of the sprayer.

With DirectInject, it is possible to respond individually to the needs of the crop in the field, reducing the usage of plant protection agents as well as the number of additional passes with the sprayer. This saves time, money and protects the environment.

DirectInject consists of an additional 50 l tank with its own metering system, which is integrated into the storage compartment of the UX 01 Super on the right-hand side of the machine. This means that the tank is also easily accessible from the ground and can be filled safely. The integration of these components into the storage compartment also provides optimum protection for all the equipment.

The major advantage of the technology is that DirectInject can work with undiluted plant protection agents. A mechanical agitator ensures that even plant protection agents which tend to separate remain homogeneous.

Application in the field

If the sprayer operator notices, for instance, a prevalence of unwanted weeds that need to be controlled in a specific part-area, they can activate the DirectInject system from the cab at the touch of a button. The supplementary product from the DirectInject tank is then added to the spray agent from the spray agent tank. The optimised reaction time compared to conventional systems is achieved by a twin-line system. Pre-mixed spray agent from the spray agent tank and the plant protection agent from the DirectInject tank are held in different feed pipes on the boom. When the direct feed system is activated, the mixture is applied through the nozzle bodies and nozzles via several injection points in the boom. These short routes for the spray agent to get directly to the boom result in short reaction times in the field. The DUS pro high-pressure recirculation system enables the spray agent in the spray line to circulate with the pre-set spray pressure at all times, even when the nozzles are closed. Circulation is stopped when the direct feed system is activated, meaning that the spray agent from the spray agent tank is not mixed with the product from the DirectInject tank.

Residual spray volumes and cleaning

Since DirectInject can work with undiluted plant protection agents, unused quantities can be returned to the original container of the product after application. As a result, the amount of plant protection agent actually needed does not have to be known before application, nor do mixed residual amounts have to be dealt with afterwards.

The entire system can be cleaned automatically and remotely from the tractor cab after application. All the elements are integrated into the Comfort-Pack on the sprayer for this purpose. This gives the user peace of mind and saves time.

Farmers who use DirectInject report that they can now react much more flexibly to individual fields and part areas with respect to plant protection. Where differentiated, immediate applications were otherwise not possible, they can now react to the situation in the field within that one pass. Time saved, a reduction in the use of plant protection agents and optimum crops are the result.

The DirectInject direct feed system can be used with the UX 01 single-axle crop protection sprayers with standard ISOBUS communication and AmaSwitch or AmaSelect single nozzle control with DUS pro high-pressure recirculation system.

The advantages at a glance:

·      Flexible, fast and needs-based use of plant protection agents

·      Saving of:

–      Working time and labour costs

–      Machinery costs

–      Plant protection agents

·      Optimum crops

·      Environmentally-friendly