Optimal use of agricultural robot in arable crop rotation : A case study from the Netherlands

Acute shortages and rising costs of labour in the food and farming sector across Europe exhibit the fragility of agrifood systems. Agricultural robots present an opportunity to strengthen agrifood systems by addressing labour shortages and reduce CO2 emissions. This study proposes a method to investigate the potential use of an autonomous robotic system based on a case study on a typical high-tech Dutch farm that implements both an agricultural robot (AGR) and a conventional tractor (TRC) on a farm of 200 hectares in the region of Oldambt. To demonstrate the optimal use of an AGR, five farming... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Ørum, Jens Erik
Tamirat, Tseganesh Wubale
Pedersen, Søren Marcus
Stratton, Andrew David Harold
Veldhuisen, Bram
Hilbrands, Han
Dokumenttyp: article/Letter to editor
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Schlagwörter: Agricultural robot / Crop farming / Field operation / Fuel saving / Labour saving / Optimal use / Tractor / the Netherlands
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27223954
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/optimal-use-of-agricultural-robot-in-arable-crop-rotation-a-case-

Acute shortages and rising costs of labour in the food and farming sector across Europe exhibit the fragility of agrifood systems. Agricultural robots present an opportunity to strengthen agrifood systems by addressing labour shortages and reduce CO2 emissions. This study proposes a method to investigate the potential use of an autonomous robotic system based on a case study on a typical high-tech Dutch farm that implements both an agricultural robot (AGR) and a conventional tractor (TRC) on a farm of 200 hectares in the region of Oldambt. To demonstrate the optimal use of an AGR, five farming operations (seeding, catch crop seeding, tine weeding, harrowing, inter-row hoeing, and spot spraying) in a crop rotation system of five crops (sugar beets, pumpkins, onions, spring barley and winter wheat) was chosen. The agricultural robot is here considered as a supplement (not substitute) to the farms overall cropping capability. It is found that price of fuel and labour are critical factors where higher fuel and labour price increases the benefit and use of the robot. Besides, time needed for remote supervision of the robot plays an important role.