The US company Cornell AgriTech from the state of New York has developed a robot that is designed to efficiently control powdery and downy mildew and other pests with UV radiation. The autonomously operating device drives through the rows of vines at night and irradiates the vines with defined amounts of UV radiation. According to Cornell, since the repair mechanisms of the pathogens are not active in the dark, they can be killed very efficiently with this technology. The technique can also be used against moths and other pests.
The robot works without any chemicals or contact with the vines and is said to achieve an efficiency that is significantly higher than that of chemical agents. The battery capacity is currently around five hours. The robot is to be produced and sold by the Norwegian manufacturer Saga Robotics at the end of the year.
(uka)