Scientists developing laser robot that can zap weeds without using pesticides

A team of researchers from the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation at the University of Bonn in Germany are currently developing a robotic tool that readily identifies weeds and shoots laser to eliminate them, thus reducing the need to use herbicides. The project received an EXIST Business Start-up Grant from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

The robotic system is slated to use deep learning algorithms to carry out the weeding task. The researchers also look into the possibility that the system might require cameras mounted on an all-terrain robot vehicle to do the weeding. The system might also serve as an add-on equipment to tractors for the same reason. According to researcher Dr. Julio Pastrana, the robotic system will shoot the leaves of unwanted weeds with short laser pulses, which in turn will weaken their vitality. Using the robotic system may potentially reduce the need for herbicides on fields, thus protecting the environment, said researcher Tim Wigbels.

The researchers are currently working on the specifics of their robotic system, and are also moving to establish their startup business Escarda Technologies for one year at the university through the EXIST grant. “It is now a case of finding investors and further developing the business plan for the start-up,” Wigbels noted in Science Daily. Both researchers look into participating in the start-up round tables carried out by Technology Transfer. “Our aim is to contribute to achieving more sustainable agriculture,” Pastrana quoted in United Press International. The laser-blasting technology may have legitimate commercial potential, said transfer advisor Rüdiger Wolf.

Potential implications in herbicide use

The development of the new robotic system may have positive implications in herbicide use around the world, which has shown significant growth over the years. In fact, a study published in 2015 revealed that the U.S. has already applied a whopping 1.6 billion kilograms of the herbicide glyphosate since 1974. This accounted for 19 percent of estimated global glyphosate use.

According to the study, two-thirds of the total glyphosate volume applied in the U.S. between 1974 and 2014 has been used during the past decade alone. This accounted for 72 percent of the global glyphosate use. The researchers also found that in 2014 alone, farmers used enough glyphosate to apply 1.0 kg/ha on every hectare of cultivated cropland across the U.S. and nearly 0.53 kg/ha on all cropland around the world. (Related: Glyphosate contamination might be apparent in food too)

In addition, the study showed that the global glyphosate use showed a 15-fold increase since 1996, around the same time when genetically engineered, glyphosate-tolerant crops were introduced.

“Genetically engineered herbicide-tolerant crops now account for about 56 percent of global glyphosate use. In the U.S., no pesticide has come remotely close to such intensive and widespread use. This is likely the case globally, but published global pesticide use data are sparse. Glyphosate will likely remain the most widely applied pesticide worldwide for years to come, and interest will grow in quantifying ecological and human health impacts. Accurate, accessible time-series data on glyphosate use will accelerate research progress,” the researchers concluded in Environmental Sciences Europe.

Follow more discoveries on technology and food production at FutureScienceNews.com.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

UPI.com

EnvEurope.SpringerOpen.com

Dangerous monopoly on the horizon as five of the “Big 6” agricultural corporations now looking to merge

Six of the world’s biggest agricultural companies known as the “Big 6” may soon form a dangerous monopoly as interest in proposed mergers has become more pronounced in the last few years. For instance, Dow Chemical and DuPont proposed a merger in December 2015, but are slated to eventually separate their merged agriculture, materials science, and specialty products businesses into three independent and specialized firms. On the other hand, state-owned Chinese firm ChemChina offered to buy out Syngenta at a whopping $43 billion early last year. In September 2016 Bayer proposed to acquire Monsanto for $66 billion.

Antitrust authorities in the U.S. and the European Union (EU) are set to review each merger. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also noted that all three proposed mergers are also slated to undergo assessments from antitrust agencies in Australia, Canada, India, and Mexico. Both the reviews and the financial aspect of the transactions are expected to defer the completion of the mergers. The FTC noted that the U.S. antitrust law gives the agency and the Department of Justice authority to review and block mergers and acquisitions that may substantially compromise competition.

Dow and Dupont executives met with the EU competition authorities in March this year, and noted that their merger may be completed in August. A spokesperson from Syngenta gave a similar target date for their merger. On the other hand, Bayer may complete its acquisition of Monsanto later this year.

The proposed mergers and acquisition did not sit well within the agricultural sector, prompting a nationwide concern over competition and fewer choices in the marketplace.

“The reduction in competition that would be brought by a Dow-DuPont merger will result in less innovation, higher prices and less choice for farmers. The merge of Dow and DuPont, the fourth and fifth largest firms in the country, would give the resulting company about 41 percent of the market for corn seeds and 38 percent of the market for soybean seeds,” National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson said in SummitDaily.com.

“If these posed mergers work like all of the past ag [sic] supply mergers that we have already experienced, it will mean that we have fewer choices in the market place. Less competition has always meant fewer buyer choices and higher prices for farmers. I don’t know of any merger, ever, in the last 40 years that has produced a benefit to a farmer…Our antitrust laws need to be updated and our enforcement needs to be brought to levels that it has not seen for a long time for us to try to begin to put competition back into the market. That is not going to be done by an administration that wants to turn big business loose from government oversight…we are now facing the most concentrated set of markets that agriculture has seen since the early 1900s, when the antitrust acts were finally implemented,” Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen added.

“Big 6” holds majority of global, U.S. agricultural market

The “Big 6” currently holds 60 percent of the global market for agricultural products including seeds, pesticides, and herbicides. In the U.S., four of the largest agricultural firms accounted for a 25 percent increase in corn seed sales across the country, from only 60 percent in 2000 to 85 percent in 2015. These firms were also responsible for a significant increase in soybean sales between 51 to 76 percent during the same period.

Should the merger between Dow Chemical and DuPont come into play, the resulting company is expected to hold 41 percent of the market for corn seeds and 38 percent of the market for soybean seeds.

Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service also revealed that the “Big 6” accounted for a 91 percent share in cotton sales, with Monsanto and Bayer being the two biggest sellers of cottonseed. (Related: This is how the Bayer-Monsanto merger will affect the market)

Sources include: 

ERS.USDA.gov

SummitDaily.com