16 February 2023 - Flipbook - Page 45
FARMWEEK
OCTOBER 28 2021
45
GLOBALNEWS
CLAAS cooperates
with start-up AgXeed
C
LAAS has entered into
a
cooperative
venture
with
Dutch
start-up
AgXeed B.V. and acquired
a minority shareholding
in the company’s international
funding round as a mark of their
commitment.
The aim is to cooperate
on
the
development
and
commercialisation of autonomous
agricultural machines.
The farming industry must
further increase productivity in the
decades ahead to meet the needs
of a growing global population.
At the same time, the number of
people employed in the industry,
measured in terms of land area,
continues to decline, while skilled
labour is increasingly difficult to
find in some regions and farmers
still work longer hours than many
other sectors.
The
agricultural
machinery
industry has come up with
various solutions to address
these challenges, ranging from
operator assistance and machine
optimisation systems to precision
farming technologies, and even
autonomous machines in different
size and performance classes.
For Claas, collaborating with
and investing in AgXeed marks a
logical step towards future-proof
technologies.
Netherlands-based AgXeed offers
a smart, sustainable and fully
autonomous system with scalable
hardware, virtual planning tools
and extensive data models, making
it one of Europe’s leading companies
in this sector today.
To this end, AgXeed will be
bringing its autonomous AgBot to
fields, pastures and specialty crops
alongside a full suite of vehicle
peripherals. The aim is for this
autonomous field robot with dieselelectric drive, wheels or crawler
tracks, up to 156hp and standard
COLLABORATION: Claas has said that collaborating with and investing in AgXeed marks a logical step
towards future-proof technologies.
three-point linkage to assist farmers
with a wide range of tasks in future.
“Our
involvement
provides
Claas with access to innovative
technologies in a familiar market
segment and complements our
own expertise in autonomy and
robotics”, explains Thomas Böck,
CEO of the Claas Group.
“In turn, AgXeed benefits from our
extensive expertise and networks
in many areas such as data transfer,
interfaces and drivetrain solutions.
“It’s a win-win situation in our
view, and one reason why we
decided to invest in this start-up
company, as well as the fact that the
targeted AgXeed technologies are in
an advanced state of development.
This solution offers farmers and
contractors concrete economic
added value, and what’s more, it
will soon be available.”
“This type of cooperation reflects
exactly what we stand for at
AgXeed”, adds Joris Hiddema cofounder of AgXeed B.V. “And this
means setting up future-orientated
alliances
between
innovative
companies striving for sustainable
agriculture where farmers are
able to optimize productivity,
while preserving the soil and the
environment. In CLAAS we have a
partner on board that believes in
and shares our ideas on the future
of agriculture and will accelerate
bringing our solutions to the fields
of farmers”.
AgBot,
together
with
the
associated
software
solutions
and platforms, is expected to be
launched in 2022. The product and
services offer customers sustainable
added value. The AgBot takes care
of the monotonous, tedious and
in some cases dangerous tasks,
leaving farmers more time to deal
Perennial plants
among almond
trees helps beat
climate change
A
team from the European Diverfarming
project have analysed the potential of
diversification in woody crops (almond
and mandarin trees), determining that the
introduction of perennial plants such as thyme
and caper in rainfed almond trees favours
the mitigation of climate change through the
increase in soil carbon sequestration.
The team formed by the researchers form the
CEBAS, together with the researchers from the
Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, evaluated
the short-term effect of the crop diversification
on the soil carbon balance for a system of
rainfed and of irrigated woody crops in semiarid Mediterranean conditions.
Specifically, they quantified the gains and
losses of soil carbon to calculate the balance
and evaluated the impacts of crop diversification
with the challenges they face today.
In concrete terms, the ecosystem
surrounding the central, web-based
planning and analysis tool boosts
efficiency
through
automated,
optimised route planning and
machine settings. Optional crawler
tracks with belt widths from 300
to 910mm, combined with a low
maximum weight of 6.0t (without
ballast) makes the AgBot very soilfriendly.
The vehicle also features an
adjustable track width, loadsensing hydraulics and a linkage
with a lift capacity of up to 8.0t. An
electric PTO, independent of the
engine speed, and external highvoltage connections are optionally
available.
The electric equipment includes
all the technology required for
hazard and obstacle detection, in
addition to an RTK steering system.
STUDY: The
research team
monitored
the CO2
emissions to
the atmosphere
coming from
the soil, as well
as the carbon
loss due to
erosion and the
carbon gains to
the system by
the growth of
the plants, for
two years.
on the main components that affect the carbon
balance in two case studies of the Diverfarming
project located in Murcia.
The crops assessed were organic rainfed
almond trees and irrigated mandarin trees. In
2018, perennial crops such as capers and thyme
were planted in the alleys of the almond trees,
whilst in the alleys of the mandarin trees annual
crops were introduced in rotation: a mix of
barley, vetch and beans.
The research team monitored the CO2
emissions to the atmosphere coming from the
soil, as well as the carbon loss due to erosion and
the carbon gains to the system by the growth of
the plants, for two years.
Crop diversification affected the carbon
balance (gains and losses) in the short term.
Although in the irrigated mandarin crop
diversified with annual plants the carbon soil
carbon balance did not improve, the introduction
of perennial species in the rainfed almonds did
do so (reducing the carbon losses by between 65
and 73 per cent).
The potential of intercropping with perennial
plants in woody systems to mitigate climate
change through soil carbon sequestration could
increase in the long term, once the new crops
are fully developed and stabilised.
Plastic found
in blood of
farm animals
M
ICROPLASTICS have been
found in the blood of cows and
pigs, new research reveals.
Research led by scientists at Vrije
Universiteit Amsterdam found traces
of microplastics in the bloodstream
of farm animals.
The study is believed to be the first
in the world to show microplastic
particles are capable of being
absorbed into the blood of mammals.
Scientists believe the results could
have serious implications for overall
health given plastic particles entering
bloodstreams risk being deposited in
these organs or potentially making
their way into breast milk.
The research was presented for
the first time to the Plastic Health
Summit in Amsterdam.
The results raise serious concerns
about the presence of microplastics
throughout the food chain and air.
Speaking at the Summit, Dr
Esperanza Huerta lwanga presented
new research revealing microplastics
in soil can additionally migrate
through the soil food chain and
eventually into the crops eaten by
farm animals.
Dr Iwanga found that soil diversity
and soil ecosystem services change
due to the presence of microplastics.
She subsequently issued a serious
warning about the impact of
microplastics on food safety, calling
for further research to be conducted.
Dr Heather Leslie, of Vrije
Universiteit Amsterdam, said: “We
have uncovered preliminary evidence
of trace amounts of plastic particles
in farm animals’ bloodstreams.
“While we are waiting for
knowledge about which levels are
safe and which levels are not safe,
it is in the interest of animal and
human health protection to further
explore this nascent signal of plastic
pollution exposure in the food
chain.”
Dr Esperanza Huerta lwanga said:
“Microplastics in soil affect soil
life and crop growth. These plastic
particles can additionally migrate
through the soil food chain and
eventually into the crops.
“I have found that soil diversity
and soil ecosystem services change
due to the presence of microplastics.
So, what does this mean for the
environment and food safety?
“We need to urgently ask: what
does this mean for the environment
and food safety?”
The Summit has been organised
by environmental NGO Plastic Soup
Foundation, initiator of the Plastic
Health Coalition.
The
Summit
sees
research
and testimonials presented by
international experts from Indonesia,
Malawi, Greenland, The Netherlands,
UK, and the US.
I have found that
soil diversity and
soil ecosystem
services change
due to the
presence of
microplastics.
Dr Esperanza Huerta
Iwanga