Since agXtend’s XPower electrophysical weed control technology was first revealed three years ago, the system has been continuously developed to the stage where the first machine for row crops, the XPR model, is now being trialled.
The latest machine joins two solutions that are already on the market: the XPS for vineyards and orchards; and the XPU for urban applications.
The XPR is the first high-voltage, non-chemical weeding equipment for non-selective weed control between the crop rows at competitive working speed. The XPR concept features a generator and a brand-new applicator specifically adapted to the requirements of all row crops.
Working widths of up to 3.7m will be available, and the machine will be easily adjustable for row widths from 25cm to 40cm. The modular XPower design means the multifunctional power supply unit uswed onthe XPR will be compatible with other XPower solutions.
The Xpower XPR row crop weeder, built with Zasso, offers several unique user benefits:
- systemic and long-lasting action down into the roots preventing regrowth;
- safety and efficacy confirmed by private and government research institutes;
- no soil movement minimising erosion risk and maximising soil conservation;
- pure physical mode of action – no toxic residues, no legal restrictions, no resistances; and
- no impact on soil life – without lasting impact on the ecosystem or the harvested product.
The XPR inter-row solution guarantees safe and effective weed management in row crops, with no negative impact on the environment, and providing a better planning reliability to farmers.
The use of Xpower technology in general respects the soil, fauna and carbon footprint, makes the XPR a real alternative to chemical herbicides and mechanical weed control. It also helps achieve the European Green Deal’s target of 50 per cent pesticides reduction by 2030.
The agXtend and Zasso teams are working hand-in-hand on this project, combining their know-how and expertise to develop a robust and flexible solution for farmers and to intensively test the XPR in the field in 2023, with the aim of being market-ready for the start of the 2024 season.
The market opportunity is significant. Row crops, such as sugar beets, are an important pillar of agricultural food production. In the juvenile stage, row crops are characterised by wide row spacings and often by low competitive strength against simultaneously emerging weeds. Tremendous yield losses due to inadequate or delayed weed control can be reduced by 60 per cent, as is the case with sugar beets yields.
More than 90 per cent of the weed management market still relies on the use of herbicides, in which glyphosate is still an active ingredient. Alternatives (for example mechanical, thermal weed control) are appearing, but don’t address the roots of the problem or generate unwanted issues of soil disturbance, stimulation of new seeds and erosion risks.
New solutions are required to resolve challenges of efficiency, costs and productivity, and to address the health concerns and regulatory constraints increasingly faced by herbicides.
