Intelligent crop production

Saving costs and protecting the environment! – Quo vadis?

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The answer to this question is the driving force behind all AMAZONE innovations. The need for precision and automation in agricultural machinery will continue to increase in the future in order to ensure the optimum development of crops with reliable yields and good quality, whilst reducing the use of pesticides and fertilisers. This means: Maintaining yields, saving costs and conserving the environment. For Agritechnica 2019, we have set three important targets for ourselves and our customers, which are naturally interlinked:

• Digitalisation of the processes

• Reducing resources consumed

• More flexible technique

1.  Logical digitalisation for more precision, user-friendliness and transparency

AMAZONE 4.0 is our keyword for the rapidly increasing digitalisation and networking of all operational methodology in agriculture. It encompasses our current and future contribution in the fields of software, electronics and sensor systems. Part-area, site-specific, part-width section control and individual nozzle switching and the use of application maps are already state of the art, and have contributed to a considerable reduction in fertiliser and pesticide usage in recent years. In this area, AMAZONE already offers a solution with the UX-AmaSpot crop protection sprayer, which can recognise and handle individual plants in a targeted fashion, thanks to sensor technology and special nozzle technology. Over several years in practical use, this has enabled savings of up to 80 %. New developments for the recognition of individual plants and expanded spot applications, including field robotics, will be presented at Agritechnica.

Planning and documentation systems record and process large amounts of machine data and work data for increased transparency. Starting from Agritechnica 2019, the Agrirouter data hub will be easy and free for all farmers and contractors to use, thanks to our myAgrirouter App. While doing so, farmers always retain full control of their data. Of course, we are also open to all other platforms and work together with other manufacturers.

To acquire further information about the condition of the soil during soil tillage, we will be offering the Cenius ZoneFinder in collaboration with exatrek at Agritechnica. Using the information acquired about the soil, the instensity of cultivation can be adjusted according to the soil structure during the next pass – deep as necessary and as shallow as possible.

Pesticides have different effects in changing weather conditions. That’s why it’s important to know the exact temperature and humidity – the AmaSense weather sensor can be used to record the temperature and humidity on location. The integration of the sensor as a feature in the Nevonex system provides the option of sharing the data with consultants and expert systems, such as the xarvio^TM FIELD MANAGER. This enables the further optimisation of plant protection measures and pesticide usage.

We will also be presenting our simplified machine controls, via our new App concept. Our new AgApp (Agricultural Apps) concept creates tangible added value for our customers. Thanks to tools like the mySpreader App, it is now possible to spread fertiliser, including blended fertilisers, to the crop even more precisely.

With SmartService 4.0, AMAZONE is continuing to expand its learning and training processes in technical customer service, and supporting its sales partners and customers with repair and maintenance work via virtual and augmented reality technology.

2.  Further reduction of resources such as plant protection agents and fertilisers

From an agricultural point of view, there is no clear boundary between eco agriculture and conventional agriculture. The lines are blurred. Agriculture will start to focus more heavily on “integrated crop production” again: Taking into account biological, biotechnological, cultivation and cultural measures, the use of chemical plant protection agents and fertilisers should be limited to the amount necessary.

We see the future of plant protection as a combination of many different measures. Starting from modernised planting and sowing processes, variety selection, more varied crop rotations and the growing of catch crops and nurse crops, all the way through to new technologies in precision agriculture.

Mechanical crop protection technology is growing in importance in Europe, thanks to extremely precise camera, GPS and control technology, and the resulting increased efficiency: This combination of hoeing and band spraying facilitates a clean crop with a pesticide saving of 40 to 60 %. With Schmotzer hoeing technology, the AMAZONE Group is able to offer this leading technology with many different tool options for various crops and applications.

In the field of chemical crop protection technology, AMAZONE has developed a series of innovations to reduce the consumption of pesticides. For example, the AmaSelect spot nozzle switching system enables part-area, site specific, weeding based on high-precision drone imaging. Thanks to the SmartSprayer joint project, it is now possible to identify weeds automatically in real time with cameras (Bosch), to select an application based on damage thresholds and expert knowledge using software (xarvio^TM), and to perform a part-area application using the latest spot application technology (AMAZONE), right down to the individual plant. Since the herbicide is only sprayed where it is needed, according to the damage threshold principle, a potential saving of 20 to 60 % is possible.

The new precision air seeder Precea not only sets new benchmarks in user-friendliness, accuracy and speed in the precision seeding of various crops, but is also able, with the FertiSpot system, to place fertiliser exactly with the seed and thus save fertiliser.

3.  More flexible machine and methodology concepts specific to different farm sizes and climate zones

After harvest, even greater importance is being placed on shallow soil tillage in order to prevent volunteer grain and weeds from taking root to the greatest possible extent. Deep soil cultivation will also become more intensive in several areas of agriculture, and ploughing may increasingly be used in the front line in plant protection again. We are currently expanding our portfolio with the Catros compact disc harrow, the Cenio and Cenius mulch cultivators, and the Cayros and Hektor ploughs.

When sowing, optimum sowing conditions and precise seed placement play an important role in promoting seedling development. In certain conditions, a narrower row spacing for faster canopy closure and targeted under-sowing can play an important role in preventing the growth of weeds. Another approach, however, is to increase the row spacing to allow mechanical weeding between the rows. For every possible application in different climate and soil zones, we have developed different single disc, double disc and tine coulter systems for conventional, mulch and direct sowing.

The use of our water-saving and erosion-reducing technology, which is available for direct seeders and drilling systems with strip-wise reconsolidation, for example, will become increasingly important in many regions and will determine the right arable farming system.

Our new Cirrus-CC with a second conveying system and an additional FerTeC single disc coulter in front of the tyre packer, is a perfect example of a versatile seed drill. This allows two different materials to be metered and positioned differently. For the farmer, this enables many different uses of land. Thanks to the combined delivery of seed and fertiliser, fertiliser can be placed directly where it’s needed and fertiliser consumption is reduced. Especially in regions with a short growing season, with higher water shortage during the growing season and for spring sowing, this method is growing in importance worldwide. Another interesting option is the combination of the fertiliser delivery in a single-shoot and double-shoot process. This allows a small amount of fertiliser to be supplied to the grain directly via the single shoot, which supports seedling development immensely. What’s more, the Cirrus-CC can be used to establish feed mixtures, mixed crops and ground cover for effective weed and erosion management. If needed, the new GreenDrill 501 catch crop seeder box can also be used to meter and dispense a third crop. Everything is controlled via ISOBUS via the AmaTron 4. With the introduction of the Minimum TillDisc cutting disc element, the Cirrus also can be equipped with a variety of preparatory tools. Soil, harvest residues and living crop residues can be cut by the cutting discs directly in front of the sowing coulters at a row spacing of 16.6 cm. With the cutting discs, there is considerably less soil movement than with a conventional 2-row cultivator disc element.

With this innovation in all areas of expertise, it is our goal to continue to serve as the global specialist in “intelligent crop production” and the first port of call for farmers, contractors and machinery rings. That is why we are continuously working on the development of our technology, all the way through to international system chains for farm businesses of all sizes: On the one hand, we develop machines for increased efficiency (UX 11201 Super trailed sprayers, larger front tanks FT 1502 and FTender) and for special plant production methods (e.g. FDC Fertiliser Delivery Cart for dry farming regions). On the other hand, we also develop new machinery to expand our product portfolio at the lower end, such as the Cenio mulch cultivator and the Cataya seed drill with mechanical drive.

We are eagerly anticipating Agritechnica and cordially invite you to join us on our stand in Hall 9. We look forward to seeing you!