Revolutionizing mechanical weeding in Cotton cultivation
Precision Weed Management in Cotton PreWeM
A greek national research project in robotic weed control
At a glance
Funding Agency
Implementing Agency
Duration
Total Fund
Hellenic Foundation of Research and Innovation
Institute of Soil and Water Resources, Department of Agricultural Engineering
2 yeas
169.845€
About the project
In the PreWeM project, fingerweeders are being investigated for their effectiveness in cotton farming. Weed management in cotton typically involves pre-emergence herbicides (usually glyphosate), complemented sometimes by two or three post-emergence applications. Currently, mechanical weed control between rows and manual weeding within rows are the only alternatives to chemical herbicides. It is planned to test and adapt fingerweeders for cotton for intra-row weed control. Fingerweeders have been proven in maize, sugar beet, and soybean crops. With PreWeM, we will identify specific challenges associated with cotton cultivation in Greece based on the knowledge and expertise we have gained from these crops. One of Greece’s most herbicide-dependent crops will be weeded mechanically using precision agriculture techniques to reduce herbicide use.
Latest news
To kick off the field trials phase, lettuce has been selected as the first crop to gain valuable insight into the functionality of the PreWeM robotic system. Approximately 1200 lettuces were planted and divided into 8 different plots. The initial tests will serve as an example of the implementation steps of AI model training, robotic mechanism development and system evaluation….