Robots could help farmers more quickly assess the health of soil,scientists hope as a technology trial takes place in Cornwall.
A gamma ray derector on a divice developed by a Cornish company is being used to assess soil quality.
Farmer Malcolm Barrett, a tenant farmer from St Tudy near Bodmin, is working with scientists from ta University of Plymouth, who are using a gamma ray detector mounted on a robot to map the health of the soil in his fields.
He said he hoped the technology,which was better and faster than conventional analysis, could make farms more profitable.
Jaka Shaw- Sutton said about the robot dog: “He’s got a top speed of 5m [16ft] a second -which is a tad faster than I am- and he weighs about 15kg [33Ib].
” The key advantage is because of those legs he’s able to climb up really difficult terrain and really difficult surfaces.
The £25,000 gamma detector measures naturally occorring levels of radiation in the soil.
Mr Barrett said: “Usually I’d use a trowel to big out soil from five areas in a field.
” Then I’d have to send this to a labboratory and wait for ta results. ”
Will Blake, from the University of Plymouth, said:”The ultimate goal is to provide a map of soil properties that are relevant to the farmer and his dscision-making.
“Tje problem that you have with traditional Conventional soil assessments is that they are very time consuming and expensive.
” Normally, a farmer can only offord to have a few samples taken from any one field, then have to wait some days or weeks for the date to come Through. ”
On a lush, green patch of rolling farmland in Australia ‘s Queensland, cows are quietly grazing in a scane that is replicated around the world.
A closer inspection, however, would reveeal that these particular bovines are a bit more high tech than normal.
Behind one ear, each carries a device roughly the size of a matchbox a tamper proof, solar – powered, satellite connected smart “tag” that is constantly transmitting real time date back to the farmer.
“It tells us where the animal is with GPS,and also what condition the animal is in explains David Smith, the chief executive of Ceres Tag, the Brisbane based firm behind the technology.
We have a very sophisticated algorithm for things like pasture feed intake, so we know what the feed efficiency of the animal is.From that,we can start making some genetic selections.
These tags which also monitor rumination, or re-chewing, levels and other health and fitness factors are just one way in which the latest technology are finding their way into agriculture.
From autonomous harvesting robots and drone that can spray crops, to artificial intelligence and the use of big date, farmers around the World are turning to high tech solutions to address issues ranging from food insecurity, to climate change, and pandemic induced staff cuts.
Collectively, this increase use of technology in agriculture is known as ” precision farming ‘and it is a booming industry. One report suggests that its global value will reach $12.9bn (£9.1bn)by 2027, with average annual growth of 13% between now and then.
