Weed-killing robot to the rescue at eco-friendly country estate

A NATIONAL Trust estate is testing weed-killing robots in the hope that they can provide a more eco-friendly alternative to pesticides and cut carbon emissions from tractors.

Farmers at the Wimpole Estate, Cambs, are testing whether a machine called “Tom” can accurately map the location of weeds ready for them to be precision targeted with herbicides.

Two further robots, Dick and Harry, are in development – one to zap weeds with an electrical charge and the other for refined planting.

Callum Weir, the estate’s farm man- ager, said: “This robot can map every centimetre of the field and give me recommendations for different parts.

“Instead of me looking at applications from a field scale, I will go to a metre-squared scale.

“That means I can be much more precise in the applications that I apply, the operations that I do, saving fuel, saving fertiliser and increasing biodiversity.”

The 600 hectare (1,500 acre) organic farm at Wimpole grows wheat, rye, oats and barley.

The initial robot, Tom, which will visit four times per growing season, is fitted with two cameras to monitor what is in the field and has sensors to detect obstacles as it trundles around and transmits data.

It is powered by electricity, has a four-hour battery life and can map 20 hectares (50 acres) per day.

And the 330lb prototype, built by the Small Robot Company, compacts the soil far less than a traditional seventonne tractor.

Yesterday, the National Trust demonstrated the technology to some of its 1,700 tenant farmers.

“We are really keen at this quite important time of biodiversity decline, climate change mitigation and political uncertainty around farming that we support our tenants to make sure they have sustainable livelihoods,” Mr Weir said.

Rob Macklin, the National Trust’s head of farming and soils, said: “Technology needs to play a big part in solving many of the issues we currently face in farming – particularly improving soil health and carbon sequestration, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel power and fertilisers and avoiding the adverse impacts of synthetic chemicals on the environment.

“We want to encourage naturefriendly farming practices, and we have to lead by example and embrace innovations.”