Tube Stamp for mechanical intra-row individual Plant Weed Control

Weeds are competitors against crop plants for resources such as water, light and nutrients. Consequently, weeds are responsible for a decrease in yield. In organic farming, only nonchemical weed reduction is possible. Many practicable techniques for mechanical inter-row weed treatment are available; however, options for intra-row treatment are more limited. In particular, there is no method for individual plant weed control for dense row crops such as carrots, due to the high risk of damaging the culture plant. Therefore, in organic farming of dense row crops this task is still conducted manually which leads to high labour costs. As part of the research project RemoteFarming.1 “web-based interactive crop farming at the example of robotic weed control in vegetables” a new tool for intra-row individual plant weed control was developed as component of an autonomous field robot. The field robot possesses all devices necessary for mechanical individual plant weed treatment cameras, a manipulator arm and a weeding tool (tube stamp), as well as mobile network capabilities. The detection/identification of weeds is using a webbased approach assisted remotely by a human remote worker. In first studies, the tube stamp was tested regarding its efficiency in the field and its efficiency on various weed species under defined conditions. Weed plants treated with the novel tube stamp show none or very few remaining vegetation in BBCH-scales (Bundessortenamt, Biological Federal Institute, Chemical Industry) up to 12 allowing the crop plant to advance. Furthermore, this weed treatment technique does not introduce cuts in the soil nor causes broad soil loosening, which would stimulate the germination of new weed plants. Consequently, its very low impact zone of 11 mm of diameter allows reducing weeds in dense row crops and close to crop successfully.