increase font size
The autonomous tractor will be able to perform several orchard tasks, including canopy spraying, mulching, mowing, trimming and leaf defoliation.
An innovative low emission, driver-less tractor able to perform up to three tasks at once is on the cards for New Zealand orchards.
The Government is contributing more than $600,000 through its Ministry for Primary Industries’ (MPI) Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund to help develop a prototype tractor. It is aimed at increasing the productivity of trellised orchards, while also reducing carbon emissions.
Blenheim-based Smart Machine Company is taking the lead on the three-year project and it’s contributing a further $945,000.
“The tractor will be able to perform several tasks, including canopy spraying, mulching, mowing, trimming, and leaf defoliation,” says Steve Penno, MPI’s director of investment programmes.
“As well as lowering carbon emissions, we could expect to see reduced spray drift, and improved soil and tree health. By improving orchard productivity sustainably, we could increase the value of crops like apples by meeting the growing demand for products made with less impact on the environment.”
Smart Machine chief executive officer Andrew Kersley says the end goal is to develop a fully electric tractor.
“While we want to go fully electric eventually, we need to be sure it will be suitable for remote rural areas,” he explains. “Some orchard tractors run 20 hours a day, seven days a week, so if growers have a fleet that needs frequent recharging that might not be practical.”
With this in mind, Smart Machine is working on a diesel hydraulic system with some electric components, with the view to converting to full electric further down the track.
Smart Machine researchers will adapt the lessons and technology from the successful testing of a tractor, they initially developed for vineyards with the Pernod Ricard Group in Marlborough. Those autonomous units, dubbed Oxins, featured a twin track system, weighed in at around 4,500kg and featured a 100hp Cummins powerplant.
The company notes that the transition to developing an autonomous tractor for orchards isn’t a huge technological leap. Pip-fruit growing environments with the latest 2D canopies are similar to the way grapes are grown.
Penno says this project aligns with the Government’s Fit for a Better World roadmap.
“Developing this low emissions alternative for orchards will help in our goal of shifting to a zero-carbon society, boost sustainability and also has the potential to increase export earnings.”
The project, based in Blenheim, plans to expand testing to Motueka and Hawke’s Bay next year.
Released in New Zealand earlier in the year, the new Fendt 600 Vario series, serving the 150-200hp category, is a compact and manoeuvrable 4-cylinder tractor with high performance and payload, at a low power-to-weight ratio.
Despite the rain and a liberal coating of mud, engines roared, and the 50th Fieldays Tractor Pull Competition drew crowds of spectators across the four days of the annual event.
Wrapped bales arrived in the 1980s offering a viable alternative to clamp silage, and they remain a solution for those not wishing to invest in expensive clamps – a solution for smaller farms and a means to clearing excess grass at the end of the season.
Celebrating 50 years of being in business in 2025 and specialising in the design and manufacture of an extensive range for the rural industries, Feilding-based McKee Plastics was at Fieldays highlighting a range of feeding products.
John Deere have recently announced upgrades to its round baler offerings, with all models of this latest generation equipped with advanced ISOBUS capabilities, allowing them to be fully integrated into the John Deere Operations Center.
OPINION: Ministry for Primary Industries' situation outlook for primary industries report (SOPI) makes impressive reading.
Sheep and beef farmers Matt and Kristin Churchward say using artificial intelligence (AI) to spread fertiliser on their sprawling 630ha farm is a game changer for their business.
Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are being encouraged to cast their votes in the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board directors' election.
A unique discovery by a Palmerston North science company, Biolumic, looks set to revolutionise the value and potential of ryegrass and the secret is the application of ultraviolet (UV) light.
A New Zealand company is redefining the global collagen game by turning New Zealand sheepskin into a world-class health product.
With further extreme weather on the way, ANZ Bank is encouraging farmers and business owners impacted by the recent extreme weather and flooding to seek support if they need it.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…
