Swiss cooperative fenaco and the German tech start-up crop.zone have concluded a cooperation agreement. fenaco will introduce crop.zone’s electrical weed control system onto the Swiss market and adapt the solution to local conditions.
The weed control solutions from crop.zone are being brought into use for the first time in Switzerland. Their use on Swiss fields will be under scientific supervision. In addition, farmers interested in doing so will have the opportunity to try out the new technology under real conditions.
Within the framework of the cooperation contract, Michael Feitknecht, Head of Plant Production and member of the Board of Management at fenaco, is taking a seat on the advisory board of crop.zone and advising the start-up on strategic issues.
Kill weeds with electrical charge
The technology from crop.zone kills weeds with an electrical charge, creating an innovative and sustainable method of weed control. The width of application is up to 12 metres. With a speed of spread of 4 km an hour, the machinery solution can treat around 3 hectares an hour.
Low energy consumption
The crops are pre-treated, in an initial step, with a conductive liquid. The weeds are then killed in a targeted way through an electrical charge. This means that energy consumption is lower and the method is much more effective than other electrical technologies. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) is, at present, clarifying whether the procedure can be authorised for organic farming.
The method will be presented to the public for the first time at the opening of the new beneficial organisms production facility in Aesch (Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland) in spring 2021.
