Massive Grant for Robotic Spray Research

Farm Bill funds cooperative development of mechanized fruit spraying systems
 
  
Geneva, N.Y. -- Robotic vehicles are used in projects in outer space and under the oceans, so it should be no surprise that researchers would like to develop similar vehicles for use in vineyards and orchards. Certainly there is a need for equipment that would protect farm workers from exposure to toxic chemicals used to spray orange and apple trees or grapevines. Additionally, growers throughout the nation are increasingly concerned about the declining availability of agricultural labor, and are choosing to mechanize as many operations as possible.

After the Farm Bill was passed last summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $3.9 million grant for a three-year project, known as the Integrated Automation for Sustainable Specialty Crop Farming Project, that will develop, test and evaluate robotic tractors and sprayers so that human operators are not required. The initial phase of the project will be done in orange groves, but the results will then be adapted for use in vineyards and apple orchards.

According to Dr. Andrew Landers, a pesticide application technology specialist in the department of entomology at Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., the project is a collaboration of three universities and two companies. Cornell researchers will develop an automatic sprayer that will be able to determine the airflow and liquid flow adjustments according to the size and volume of the orange tree or grapevine canopy.

The National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University will develop the robotic tractor. Other collaborators include the University of Florida; the John Deere Co., which will supply tractors for testing; and Southern Gardens Citrus, one of Florida's largest growers, where the robotic equipment will be tested.

Landers told Wines & Vines that work started on the project on Dec. 1, 2008. A postdoctoral associate and a technician have been hired, and the actual work with the other partners will begin this spring. "Getting this project funded was huge," Landers said. "The project will focus on oranges first, but the technology should easily be adapted for vineyard sprayers." Cornell researchers will provide information on monitoring the spraying operation and the factors that affect spray output, and then will design the automatic sprayers for the robotic tractors.

For an in-depth look at precision farming and the use of automation in vineyards, see Andrew Landers' article, "Automatic Spraying is Coming," in the July 2008 issue of Wines & Vines.