Tech Focus: May '25
Tuckwells takes on crop.zone sales
The Tuckwell Group has taken on the sales, service and support of the crop.zone hybrid sprayer/electrical system for eight counties in the east and southeast of England.
While electrical weed desiccation isn’t new, what sets it apart is its use in conjunction with a conductive liquid pre-treatment. Called ‘Volt.fuel’ this patented non-toxic liquid, contains nitrogen and a phosphate-free mineral.
This wets the plants to increase conductivity and is applied ahead of electrical applicators that desiccate foliage. In trials to assess the alternatives to Diquat, the system outperformed other chemical and mechanical defoliation options.
It is available in either 9m or 12m working widths, with minimum power requirements of 185hp and 215hp, respectively.
Power is supplied by a front-mounted that converts delivers 112kW three-phase electrical supply, which the transformer converts to 2,000V to 5,000V. Applying the Volt.fuel is said to reduce the treatment requirement to 10kW/m compared with between 50kW/m to 65kW/m on the other electrical options.
Tuckwells will be distributing the system in Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Sussex, Surrey.
Patch spray collaboration
Kverneland, in collaboration with fellow Norwegian firm, Dimensions Agri Technology (DAT), is now offering the option of patch treatment technology on its sprayers.
DAT Ecopatch, unveiled in the UK earlier this year at LAMMA, employs boom mounted sensors, equipped with high power LED lights, to analyse the crop. Specifically designed to work in cereal crops, in green-on-brown and green-on-green modes, they can identify a range of crops and weeds, including detecting blackgrass.
The sensors scan across two to three rows, requiring up to 12 for a 24m boom. The system does not target individual weeds but uses an AI-powered algorithm to decide, according to pre-set thresholds, whether a treatment is required. This is then applied to a one-section wide patches.
As well as reducing pesticide use, the system will also help to boost yields, due to lower risk of phytotoxicity in sensitive crops compared with blanket spraying.
Wider spot sprayer
Designed in-house by SoilEssentials and built by Team Sprayers, the SKAI spot sprayer is now available with a 24m wide boom, which joins the current 12m and 15m wide versions.
The system, which is growing in popularity in the UK and Netherlands, is trained to work in a range of weed and volunteer plant situations. While it made its mark in dock infestations in grassland, it is now being put to work in high value crops, including onions and broccoli and is effective at tackling volunteer potatoes. Further models to expand and enhance the system are underway.
SoilEssentials recently earned the coveted AgriScot Product Innovation Award for the technology.
