Autonomous Agri Solutions and Sentry farming have teamed up to use a fully autonomous robot to successfully drill and weed a 150ha area of sugar beet across Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.

This season the Robotti LR robot, developed by Danish manufacturer Agrointelli and kitted out with RTK-GPS, was used to precision plant the crop of sugar beet in 50cm-row spacings.

Founder of Autonomous Agri Solutions Tom Beach, who imports innovative technologies into the UK market, either for sale or for a robot contracting service, says the operation has been hugely successful.

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“We contract drilled the 150ha of sugar beet for Sentry and reduced chemical input use by 80% through Robotti’s precision band sprayer. The areas that we didn’t spray were then destroyed with an inter-row hoe,” says Tom.

The Robotti LR joins its sister robot, the 150D, which is equipped with a standard three-point linkage and pto, allowing a seamless integration on farm. 

The robot is compatible with inter-row hoeing, spraying and drilling, with an average output of 1.2ha/hour, and runs for up to 60h non-stop before refuelling the diesel engine.

Controlled by a computer, users can create a field plan and monitor progress.

A crop-eye camera system also collects images while the machine is at work. Images are then uploaded to the portal where users can virtually “walk” fields and even allow advisors remote access.

After success using Robotti in a range of root and vegetable crops including carrots, broccoli and onions, Tom is now focusing on expanding operations into row crops.

“It’s been a successful operation that we’re now hoping to expand to bring on board for more farmers, so they can use Robotti without the burden of machinery ownership,” he says.

Alternatively, machines are available to purchase outright, costing about £200,000.