The Robocrop weeder, manufactured by Garford Farm Machinery and developed in partnership with Tillett & Hague Technology, uses mounted video cameras to help it distinguish crops from weeds.
In trials, the machine achieved weed control of almost 99 per cent without any help from herbicides or other forms of weed control.
"We've had a fantastic response from growers, and all of those who have used it so far have got on really well," said Garford managing director Philip Garford.
Fifteen weeders have been sold since it was launched last year. Most are being used on lettuce and brassica crops, and some on speciality crops such as courgettes and celery. "We even sold one in Hungary, where it is being used on tobacco," said Garford. "There is a lot of interest from abroad as everyone is facing the same problem of a lack of suitable herbicides.
"When we were developing the machine we thought most of the interest would be from organic growers, but now well over half is from conventional growers who don't have enough herbicide tools for their crops."
- RASE awarded the Health & Safety Executive Award, which recognises an entry that improves safety through design, to Case IH for its 10 series Axial-Flow com-bine harvester, which can be used for pulse crops.
The awards will be presented at the Royal Show next week, where the machines will be on display.
