Lighter autonomous farm machinery improves soil quality
Heavy agricultural machinery compacts soil, degrading its quality. If soil is compacted, plant roots have difficulty reaching the nutrients in the deeper layers in the soil which impacts crop growth, and hence yields. The EU-supported Autonomous Lightweight Agricultural Vehicle (ALAV) project has come up with a novel solution. They have developed a complete, modular system of farm vehicles planning tools. The patented suspension system ensures there is always maximum contact with the soil while at the same time significantly reducing the amount of compaction.
Protecting the soil to increase arable yields naturally
As Rienk Landstra, co-founder of AgXeed which hosted the project, explains: “Where conventional wheeled equipment often exceeds a pressure level greater than 1.0 kg/cm2, our ALAV platform is in the range of 0.3 kg/cm2. This is well under the irreversible soil compaction limit of 0.5 kg/cm2. Under that level the soil, as a living organism, has the capacity to restore itself.” The electric drive train developed by the company enables farmers to gauge the amount of pressure their land is under. It measures the torque needed by the ALAV to pull an implement through the soil, so a map can be generated to show the level of compaction at every point within the field. Safety is, of course, key: “We use a system of lidar, radar and ultrasonic sensors, as well as physical bumpers, that work in all conditions and will guarantee a controlled stop,” says Landstra.
A modular automated system to relieve pressure on soil and farmers
The ALAV system is autonomous, which means the operator is out of the equation so the machinery can be smaller and lighter, and, as in the past, jobs can be separated. Currently, several tasks have to be performed in one sequence by what Landstra describes as ‘huge factory-like machines’ simply because one person needs to do a whole sequence of jobs which then stresses the soil. AgXeed wanted to bring true autonomous driving to agriculture – completely driverless vehicles. This means not only being able to programme the complete route up front, at a moment that is convenient for the farmer, but also that all ‘unplanned’ obstacles are recognised, and appropriate countermeasures are taken by the ALAV platform. “Using our system can save farmers a substantial amount of time which can then be spent on what they do best; make the right decisions to optimise yields. The wealth of data that is collected by the sensors on our machines also contributes to that,” notes Landstra. The platform works with existing implements farmers are already using, obviating the need for major investment in completely new equipment. As he explains: “It also ensures that the quality of the job done is similar to the result using other methods, if not even better.” After the track version for arable applications, the team built a version for use in orchards and vineyards, as well as a machine focused on dairy farmers or weeding applications. “We supply the software needed to plan fields and tasks autonomously. More than half of our resources are spent on the development of our portal which gives farmers access to the planning software.”
Evolution of a truly autonomous system for crop farmers
Landstra co-founded the company in 2018 and by 2019 they had the first full-scale prototype running in their test field. “That was an amazing moment and in 2020 we completed the prototype and did extensive testing, both at our own test field as well as at neighbouring farms. In 2021 we took the prototype on a tour to farmers in Germany and the Netherlands and made our first sales.” Two more evolutions followed, based on user feedback. Now the company has machines running from North America to Australia, with the majority of ALAVs running in Europe. Soil compaction is a process that takes time to reverse and is dependent on a lot of factors. The team has set up a partnership with Wageningen University to assess how the soil’s condition rebounds. “One interesting and direct measurable example is that, for the first time ever, one of our customers was able to plant cover crops on all his fields at the end of 2022 season, autonomously, overnight. Cover crops are not harvested but left on the field over winter and used as a natural fertiliser. This prevents erosion of the soil during winter and leads to considerable savings on fertiliser use,” adds Landstra. While customers clearly appreciate the convenience and practicality of the ALAVs, Landstra is clear that receiving the Horizon grant from the EU is a very useful stamp of excellence. “It’s opened a lot of doors and brought us in contact with a whole new group of people, from industry experts to venture capitalists. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it hadn’t been for the Horizon funding!”
Keywords
ALAV, agricultural machinery, autonomous, modular automated, arable yields, soil, pressure, crop farmers, farms, AgXeed