Agriculture 4.0 is the advancement of technologies used on farms today with the goal of comprehensive digitization to optimize and document production processes. Increasingly, automatic machine communication (Internet of Things), comprehensive data storage (cloud computing), artificial intelligence methods (Big Data) and autonomous machines (agricultural robots) are being used.

Today, agriculture faces the challenge of ensuring high productivity while meeting the growing demands for sustainable environmental protection, cost reduction and product quality, as well as consideration of biodiversity and climate neutrality. This can only succeed if the complex production processes are comprehensively recorded with sensor technology and software. Using AI-based data analyses, optimized recommendations for action can be derived for the respective situations in the vegetation. The necessary measures are then carried out in a resource-saving manner using autonomous agricultural robots. Furthermore, this also strengthens the networking of the value chain from the farmer to marketing. In this way, the use of digital systems can support the production of individual farms and optimally adapt it to demand.

Modern digital technologies such as drones and field robots improve the recording of current crop requirements, for example for nutrients and crop protection measures, and thus help to use operating resources much more efficiently. They provide data and information that is stored and evaluated in a so-called Farm Information System (FMS). Networked FMSs make it possible to tailor production to market needs beyond the individual farm in terms of crop type, quantity and quality.

The NOcsPS consortium develops a new farming system that uses the aforementioned technologies to avoid the use of synthetic chemical pesticides, while at the same time optimizing the use of mineral fertilizers. This is intended to ensure the supply of high-quality food in sufficient quantities, while at the same time ensuring nature-friendly cultivation with comparatively high ecosystem services such as biodiversity, soil and water conservation. This is also achieved through the use of diverse crop rotations with resilient varieties, taking into account the respective site conditions and appropriate soil management for the most sustainable food production possible.

The field robot can be equipped for various tasks in agricultural fields. The exhibit shows a setup in which the field robot moves autonomously in fields using intelligent sensor technology and distinguishes crops from weeds. To do this, it detects the plants with camera and laser sensors and evaluates the data in real time using artificial intelligence methods. The machine-based system removes weeds mechanically using attached tools and without the use of chemical pesticides. In this way, the AI-assisted field robot contributes to sustainable agriculture. Useful accompanying flora, which promotes plant growth and provides habitat for insects, is largely spared. The electrically powered machine system can be operated with renewable electricity and thus does not emit any climate-relevant harmful gases.

Farmers can significantly reduce their inputs while maintaining the same crop yield, which reduces costs. At the same time, the soil is protected from compaction, as the machine weight is well under one ton and the robot is equipped with a belt drive that is gentle on the soil. It can be powered by self-generated electricity from an on-farm biogas plant or a photovoltaic system.

As a scientific institution, we have developed the system and demonstrated that many positive effects can be expected. The commercial application and the development to market maturity have to be taken over by the manufacturing companies. To this end, this and similar systems are already being tested by manufacturers.

Interview: Beatrix Boldt