Agritechnica 2019

••• 13••• Innovationen Soil is the basis for everything. Photo: Paul Mocan, Unsplash Soil under pressure Approaches for its protection S oil is the basis for everything. “Get the soil in shape”, says Dr. Jana Epperlein summarising the objective of all protective measures. The focus is on the system concept, adds the expert of the Society for Soil and Water Conserving Tillage (Gesellschaft für konservierende Bodenbearbeitung e.V. – GKB) located in Neuenhagen near Berlin, and that means: “Covered soil is protected and alive”. Harvest residues, says Ep- perlein, are not sufficient for this protection; it would have to be vegetation. The scientist sees intercrops as one, however not the only method and calls for more creativity in crop production, for example mixed crops. Systematic soil protection combined with tech- nical solutions with horticultural measures, such as un- dersowing, which reduce or prevent inner erosion in arable crops. The list could be continued indefinitely and could still be extended a great deal in detail, as depending on the soil type and crops grown, another strategy is required. The “World Reference Base for Soil Resources” distinguishes 32 reference soil groups, which are further differentiated with additional char- acteristics. This diversity of soil types is reflected in the guiding theme of Agritechnika 2019: Global Farming – Local Responsibility. Mobile autonomous field robot FH Aachen presents alternative for physically demanding eld work The FH Aachen Zacho Group presents at the Agritechnica the project ETAROB – mobile plat- form for field robots in the show special “Protecting Yield and Na- ture”, Hall 15, stand G30. The field robot ETAROB is an autonomous mobile platform, which was specially developed for use in agriculture. It is char- acterised by its high robustness and intelligent control.This intel- ligence enables a variety of selec- tive processes such as weed con- trol with electricity or targeted fertilisation, which can greatly reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture. Based on approaches of machine learning, prediction models are generated which support the farmer in efficient planning and resource conservation.The hy- brid electric drive enables the ETAROB to operate for long peri- ods with very low fuel consump- tion in a variety of agricultural applications. ETAROB’s design reduces soil consolidation so that time-critical field work can be planned and carried out regardless of weather conditions. Autonomous systems operate driverless and can theo- retically work 24 hours a day. The compatibility of the sensor mod- ule with various cultivation tools allows adaptation to any work processes, such as weed control, fertilisation or harvesting. ETAS field robot software con- trols the autonomous operation and supports the quality control of every single plant. The analy- sis is based on industrial imaging sensors such as thermography, radar and stereo vision. Replace machines by robots? Photo: Johny Goerend, Unsplash Impressum AGRITECHNICA 2019 Verlag: CONNEX Print & Multimedia AG Lavesstraße 3 · 30159 Hannover Telefon: +49 511 830936 · Telefax: +49 511 56364608 E-Mail: connex@die-messe.de · Internet: www.die-messe.de Auflage IVW-geprüft. Auflagengruppe: P Redaktion: Claudia Ballhause Verantwortlich für den Anzeigenteil: Tina Wedekind Druck: Druckzentrum Neckar-Alb, 72764 Reutlingen MESSEJOURNAL DIE MESSE Messehighlight Besuche unsere Webseite: www.brigade-elektronik.de Besuchen Sie uns an Stand 17F56 Das neue ZoneSafe-System mit Hochfrequenz- 0KLU[PÄaPLY\UN 9-0+ PZ[ LPUL 2VTIPUH[PVU H\Z ]LYZJOPLKLULU ,SLTLU[LU ^PL -\NpUNLY \UK (ZZL[ ;HNZ a\T :JO\[a KLY 4P[HYILP[LY \UK a\Y >HYU\UN KLY -HOYLY ILPT )L[YL[LU LPULZ :WLYYILYLPJOZ >HZ NPI[»Z 5L\LZ& ZoneSafe RFID