Boosting the development of disinfection solutions for flower and vegetable seeds

PETKUS-Selecta, a company for total solutions in fine seeds, and VitalFluid, active in plasma applications, have joint forces last summer with signing a key-partner agreement. This cooperation will boost the development of biological disinfection solutions for flower and vegetable seeds. Both PETKUS Selecta…

Machine brushes hands clean within seconds, drying them too

No one simply walks into a greenhouse anymore. Washing your hands first has become a habit. That is often done by putting your hands in a hygiene sluice and then disinfecting them. Scrubzone Europe has, however, introduced a new machine to the market. It eliminates the need to rub your hands while…

New hook winding machines available from stock again

Steenks Service recently produced ten new tomato hook winding machines. "This means that we can deliver the machines quickly and from stock again. After carrying out the final test on the hook winding machines, we packed the machines in special wooden transport boxes to prevent any damage during…

Eloise Bihar / University of Colorado

"Cheap sensors for smarter farmers" help farmers make better decisions

Many of the technologies showcased in this year's ARPA-E Summit were in the farming sector. Here are two that caught this writer's eyes. First up is a 3D-printed, biodegradable soil sensor that checks moisture and nitrogen levels. One of the benefits of using print electronics is being able to…

Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP

Can "cobots" transform the agriculture industry?

Today, living in the era of robotic technologies and automation fosters a heightening interest in agri-tech. Cobots remain the fastest-growing segment of industrial automation, projected to grow at a CAGR of 43.4% from 2021 to 2027. However, with the constant rise of cobot usage, existing government…

Leaf-cutting robot for high-wire cultivation of cucumbers

Another day, another robot? Well, it for sure looks like it, but today we have a different crop for you. Let's have a look at the CropTeq leaf cutting robot, which will be available for high-wire cucumber growers shortly. Dutch companies VDL Groep and Bosman Van Zaal from Aalsmeer in the Netherlands are…

Marc Bona / cleveland.com

Hudson business uses contactless approach to growing lettuce

For the folks who cultivate lettuce at Free Leafy Greens, one priority rises above all at the massive greenhouse: It’s pretty much a hands-off operation. The mission is to provide fresh lettuce that is cultivated in an almost entirely contactless way. It also drastically cuts down the growing time, by…

Carbon Robotics developed an agricultural robot capable of eliminating 100,000 weeds per hour with precision lasers

The Carbon Robotics company has developed an agricultural robot capable of eliminating 100,000 weeds an hour through the use of precision lasers and artificial intelligence…

Thirteen new pipe rail trolleys for Vitom cucumber nursery

Westland cucumber grower Vitom recently made a move  by purchasing no less than thirteen new Berkvens GL-D pipe rail trolleys from Steenks Service. Vitom, located at the Kreekrug in De Lier, now has a brand new fleet. In 2017, this cucumber grower switched from cherry tomatoes to cucumbers and is now also…

New harvest robot introduced

Since April, a multifunctional robot has been helping to harvest tomatoes in a Westland greenhouse. The robot is the result of the cooperation between greenhouse construction and greenhouse technology company Certhon and Denso, the Japanese automotive technology company that invested in the company last year. "The robot moves in…

Providing low-cost, high-functionality automation systems

“Grow-RI came together to help the vertical farming space by putting the grower first and finding pain points to develop industrial controls,” says Brian Rajotte, vice president of engineering at Grow-RI. Grow-RI is an agtech company providing affordable automation systems for greenhouses and indoor…

New system allows pointed pepper farmer to pack more efficiently

Leo Uijtdewilligen of Vergo Kwekerijen grows sweet pointed peppers on 7,5 hectares in Belguim. He also packages these peppers. Leon was looking for a more efficient packaging system. He has found it. The Dutch company, Martin Stolze, installed the packaging line at Vergo Kwekerijen. The grower uses it to…

Video: Roelands Plant Farms new logistics system in operation

This summer, Bosman Van Zaal and Crea-Tech put an advanced propagation system into operation at Roelands Plant Farms in Canada, a supplier of starting material for peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers. Roelands Plant Farms is one of the few growers of starting material for vegetables who use high-tech growing…

Flying robots with AI mechanisms can identify the right fruits for plucking

In the past decade, the introduction of cutting-edge technologies like AI, machine learning and deep learning has transformed the overall process of fruit harvesting. Now,…

Intelligent tomato harvester applied in Xinjiang

A new model of tomato harvester is working in the fields of Manas County, Changji Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Thursday. Through color resolution system, the machine picks red ripe tomatoes and removes the green immature ones, which improves the efficiency. A…

Leaf-picking robot works well in high-wire cucumber cultivation

Lenzeel is a machine manufacturer in the Netherlands. They have successfully developed a patented leaf-picking robot. It can be used in high-wire cucumber cultivation. This innovative device picks leaves automatically. The machine was recently tested and picked at least three-quarters of the leaves low…

Hackaday.com

Using neural networks to detect ripeness in fruit and vegetables

As the industry wants to automate as much of the food production process as possible, it becomes necessary to have machines sort the ripe and ready produce from the rest at times. Turkish innovator Kutluhan Aktar claims he has found a way to do just that, using the power of neural networks. His project’s…

Hungary: Harvesting robot developed for hydroponics plants

Human-robot collaboration is at the center of a project to make hydroponic crop production more efficient. "We are still afraid to accept collaborative robots on a large scale. To promote the use of these robots, we have to focus on safety,"  says Jozsef Toth, one of the researchers. "To generate acceptance…

Hands-free farm is using AI, smart sensors and lettuce-harvesting robots

In Australia, innovators have just presented the country's first fully automated farm; it cost $20 million to set up. Conducted by researchers at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, in partnership with the Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre, the project could see robots doing almost all the…

Optimizing strawberry production with a rotating growing system

New Growing System has optimized the hydroponic production of strawberries with its new rotational system. This system is characterized by its effectiveness, efficiency,…

How to carry out a quick and easy crop rotation

For many growers, it will soon be that time again: the crop rotation. A new crop should start as optimally as possible, so good preparation and execution are of great importance. If the crop rotation is not carried out correctly, there is a good chance that pests and diseases will enter the crop, and of…

New crate washing lines at vegetable processor ready for automation

Since March this year, two new crate washing lines at Hessing Supervers in Zwaagdijk have been processing 40,000 crates every day. These are serious numbers for the vegetable processor that has grown rapidly over the past five years. That is why Hessing Supervers will open a new location next year,…

“Unique digital feedback enhances screen system accuracy and reliability”

Last year was an important year for the family-owned greenhouse grower Kwekerij Overgaag, located in the Westland region of the Netherlands. This bell pepper grower expanded its operations by adding 4.4 hectares in new-build greenhouses, taking its total surface area to over 28 hectares. Martijn Keijzer…

Increased packaging demand can also be seen in sales figures of secondhand machines

By now, the fact that the demand for packaging has increased due to the corona crisis is no longer a secret. In fact, it has become common knowledge. As a result, the people at Duijndam Machines, international buyer and seller of second-hand machines, notice an increase in the demand for packaging…

Image Credit: Burro.ai demo video

"Farming is finally ready for robots"

While vertical farming companies have received a large share of venture capital dollars, there are many other ag-ech startups emerging in the race to automate agriculture. Some of the ag-tech sub-sectors where the most potential for growth in the next five years can be seen include tiller, weeding, and…

"It gives growers a steering wheel, guarantees an even and active climate and achieves energy savings"

Research by Delphy* has shown that effective dehumidification in combination with good air movement can largely prevent botrytis in the cannabis crop. This is of course music…

"Increasing demand for smart solutions to automatically fold, unfold collapsible crates"

In Europe, the transition from rigid to collapsible crates is in full swing. "More and more companies are looking for smart solutions," says André ter Braake of Bateq, a Dutch engineering company. "They want to fold or unfold these collapsible crates automatically." "Workers were supposed to 'just' unstack, unfold, fill,…

"Well-designed logistics system helps growers get the most out of it"

Berg Hortimotive is launching an aftermarket ergonomics package for its Benomic Star pipe rail trolley. The package consists of various items that make the day to day work on this pipe rail trolley even more pleasant. Happy and healthy employeesEvery employer wants happy and healthy employees. René…

"The industry has confidence in these new cultivation methods"

HPNow and Kaneya, a Japanese distributor of horticulture inputs and solutions, are pleased to announce the signing of an HPGen distribution agreement for the Japanese market. The Kaneya team with the HPGen system Kaneya has a large international network, and its mission as a distributor of high-end…

US: fruit harvesting robot company shuts down

Abundant Robotics, a Hayward, California-based agricultural robotics company founded in 2016, has shut down. According to a memo about Abundant’s liquidation, the company “was unable to develop the market traction necessary to support its business during the pandemic.” On June 29, 2021, Abundant put up…

OVDMA dryer now available for lease

Over the last 25 years Driedfresh Ltd have developed and refined a process to dry fruit, vegetables, sea foods and other foodstuff from fresh without losing any of the nutrients. The process does not involve freeze drying, but rather is done at low temperatures, low pressure (vacuum) and oxygen free. “It…