Bosch and xarvio Digital Farming Solutions from BASF are intensifying their successful collaboration in the development of digital farming solutions. For this purpose, the companies have founded a project house in Curitiba, Brazil. It enables the two partners to combine their joint research and development activities at the same location. The goal of the collaboration is to develop an intelligent system for demand-based application of fertiliser and intelligent seed placement of seeds.
“With our innovative solution, farmers can consider the local conditions such as field topography, soil quality, and precipitation in their work in the future. This minimises costs, increases yield and protects the environment,” explains Andrew Allen, who is responsible for the Commercial Vehicles and Off-Road business unit at Robert Bosch GmbH.
Digital solutions for optimal crop production
The basis of the joint development provided by Bosch is the IPS – Intelligent Planting Solution (IPS) system for automatic seeding control, which was presented in 2018. The foundation of the intensified collaboration for xarvio is the FIELD MANAGER, available since 2019, with field zone-specific nutrient management and variable application maps for seeds.
xarvio FIELD MANAGER is a digital solution that assists farmers to improve and automate their crop production in a sustainable way. Farmers can view the status of their fields and get notifications and recommendations for the individual field zones. “In daily practical use, the xarvio FIELD MANAGER determines exactly which and how much seed and fertiliser will provide the optimal yield while preserving the environment,” explains Carvin Scheel, Product Engineer at BASF Digital Farming. For this purpose, xarvio brings its profound digital agronomic expertise to the project.
Smart soil sensor enables direct fertiliser dosage
For the IPS system Bosch will develop the necessary components and interfaces and handle the integration of the entire system for use in planting or seeder machines. The currently available system supports farmers working in the field with four functions: Based on the information collected by the respective sensors and digital maps for variable application, the system controls the optimal seed amount, through distance control of each plants for each row. If the fertility of the soil fluctuates across the field, IPS automatically regulates the amount of seeds without the farmer having to intervene.
The IPS system also ensures an optimal distribution of seeds on curving topography by adjusting the amount of seeds for the inner and outer furrows in a targeted manner. Double sowing is avoided since the system reliably recognizes previously planted furrows and deactivates line-by-line application when passing over them again.
The components of the IPS system – the control unit, the seed/fertiliser actuators, the sensors, and the power box – are all based on proven components from the automotive area. The control unit, which has been adapted specifically for IPS requirements, regulates the amount of inputs applied by the dosing units based on data from speed and seed sensors and from the satellite navigation system.
How the Intelligent Planting Solution works
In the Intelligent Planting Solution, Bosch combines dust- and water-resistant components from high-volume automotive production to form a modular concept. The hydraulic system of the tractor supplies the Intelligent Planting Solution with hydraulic energy, which is converted into electrical energy by the power box in order to supply the components assembled in the seeder. The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) receives information from the implement, speed and seed sensors, as well as from the GNSS. On the basis of this digital data, the ECU sets the rotational speed of the electric motor, which in turn determines the seed quantity dispensed per rotation.
The ECU also provides the information to be shared with the user via the display inside the driver’s cab and – by means of the Connectivity Control Unit (CCU) – to connected devices via applications and websites. This includes such important parameters as speed, singulation, seed count, seed tank level, total working hours, and a navigation map. If the system detects any outlying parameters during the process (e.g. missing seed), it issues an immediate warning to the user, who can then react accordingly.
