Crops and Technology Open Day

Crops and Technology Open Day takes place on Wednesday, 25 June at the Teagasc Crops Research Centre in Oak Park, Carlow. The event is organised in partnership with the Irish Farmers Journal.

The event will cover the latest research on all the main tillage crops and horticultural field crops. It will also include a major machinery demonstration, with a particular focus on sprayers and the technology available for more accurate applications.

Among the research highlights will be over 50 crop research demonstrations highlighting the on-going research programme Teagasc has with both national and international partners. The sustainability of the future tillage sector is dependent on the need to develop high value markets that exploit current and future cropping systems, but there is also a need to ensure inputs are tailored to meet regulatory challenges.  

The substantial programme of field and diagnostic work surveying diseases in oats, beans, barley, and wheat to mitigate the impact of pests and pathogens on profitability will be highlighted. The essential steps around grassweed management in all tillage establishment systems will also be presented, which is key in light of recent developments with Italian Ryegrass. 

The positive contribution of plant protein crops will be emphasised and matched with displays demonstrating the functionality of protein from these crops as an important food ingredient, based on the requirements of food processors. Attendees will also receive updates on how to calculate the carbon footprint of their farm using the new tillage AgNav app, which will be launched on the day.

The machinery working demo will have on display:

• GPS controlled spraying to facilitate  precise automated switching of sprayer boom sections.
• Automatic nozzle switching, or pulse-width-modulation nozzle control, to allow application rate to be varied according to crop needs.
• Sensor-controlled boom height to reduce drift and achieve even spray application across booms up to 36m wide.
• Sensor controlled ‘spot’ or ‘patch’ spraying where a sensor on the boom, or on a previously flown drone, is used to identify specific weeds or crop areas that need to be sprayed. The sprayer then automatically targets either individual plants (spot spraying) or areas (patch spraying).

Potato haulm (foliage) destruction will also be featured. The event will include the first public viewing of a novel system where electrical energy is used to replace herbicide use. In this case a high voltage current is passed through the plants using  a purpose-developed machine incorporating a tractor-mounted generator and a boom carrying the electrodes to contact the crop.