- ZASSO and AGXTEND present, for the first time in the field, the XPower XPR Concept, an electric weeding solution for row crops.
- Official market launch expected for the 2024 season.
- High post-emergence weed control efficacy, with up to 95% weed reduction.
- The XPower electric weeding technology can be a valuable tool to help achieve the European Green
- Deal’s target of 50% pesticides reduction by 2030
Zasso is proud to present the XPR Concept solution for row crops, together with its partner AGXTEND. The XPR solution is part of the flagship family of XPower of electric weeding solutions, powered by Zasso™, distributed exclusively by CNH Industrial.
XPR solution
The XPR is the first high voltage, non-chemical weeding equipment for non-selective weed control between the crop rows at competitive working speed. The XPR Concept features a generator and a brand-new applicator specifically adapted to the requirements of row crops and installed on a Kongskilde Vibro Crop frame.
- Easily adjustable weeding width from 20 to 40 cm.
- Modular XPower design: multifunctional supply unit compatible with other XPower solutions.
Benefits at Farm Level
- Systemic and long-lasting action down into the roots preventing regrowth.
- Safety and efficacy confirmed by private and governmental research institutes.
- No soil movement minimizing erosion risk and maximizing soil conservation.
- Pure physical mode of action: no toxic residues, no legal restrictions, no resistances.
- No impact on soil life: without lasting impact on the ecosystem or the harvested product.
The XPR inter-row solution guarantees safe and effective weed management in row crops, with no negative impact on the environment, and providing a better planning reliability to farmers. It also helps achieve the European Green Deal’s target of 50% pesticides reduction by 2030.
Fig: XPower XPR electric weeding Concept, powered by Zasso, in the field. Photos by AGXTEND.
Market opportunity
The market opportunity is significant. Special crops, such as vegetables, are an important pillar of agricultural food production. In the juvenile stage, row crops are characterised by wide row spacings and often by low competitive strength against simultaneously emerging weeds. Tremendous yield losses of up to 60% due to inadequate or delayed weed control are a challenge for every farmer.
Over 90% of the weed management market still relies on the use of herbicides, in which glyphosate is still an active ingredient. Alternatives (e.g., mechanical, thermal) are beginning to appear but do not address the roots of the problem or generate unwanted issues of soil disturbance, stimulation of new seeds and erosion risks.
New solutions are required to resolve challenges of efficiency, costs, and productivity, and to address the health concerns and regulatory constraints increasingly faced by herbicides.
Electric weeding has established itself as the 21st century response to weeding.
The XPR inter-row crop solution represents Zasso’s first solution for broad agriculture. It serves as the basis for a more aggressive roll-out over the next three years.
Strong preliminary efficacy results
The XPR Concept launch builds on the successful efficacy results electrical inter-row applications presented by Zasso and its Research Partners to a broad audience of research scientists and industry stakeholders at the 30th German Conference on Weed Biology and Weed Control, in February 2022, in Braunschweig.
In 2020, together with the “University of Applied Sciences Südwestfalen”, field experiments were conducted to compare the effectiveness of chemical, mechanical and electrical weed control methods of inter-row weeding in sugar beets. For all methods, chemical herbicides were used for intra-row weed control.
As an outcome of the study, it can be concluded that the XPower electrical weeding technology can achieve comparable or higher efficiencies as established chemical and mechanical weeding methods. Weeding efficiencies of up to 95% can be achieved even with a reduced number of passages per season, based on the 2020 weather conditions.
The study also showed that, for sugar beet production, an herbicide reduction of up to 75% can be achieved.
Please see press release from February 22, 2022, available on www.zasso.com for full details.
Official presentation
XPR will be officially presented at SIMA, from November 6 to 10, on the booth 6 D072.
Notes
- The XPower™ products are sold exclusively through AGXTEND’s innovation platform. AGXTEND is an aftermarket brand of CNH Industrial which brings to market innovative, disruptive technologies into the agricultural sector, and commercializes Zasso’s tractor-based electric weeding solutions under the XPower product name, powered by Zasso™.
- Zasso will participate at the World Agri-Tech Summit London on September 20-21, 2022.
Zasso is an innovative Swiss-based company specialized in non-chemical weed management solutions using advanced power electronics. Originally developed in Brazil, the patented technology targets both the shoots and the even more critical roots of undesired plants systemically by employing advanced lightweight high-voltage methods. The solution is commercialized under the name of ElectroherbTM or XPowerTM. Its flexible, interchangeable applicators allow the system to be used in a range of surfaces and segments including agriculture, consumer market, and urban areas. In the context of dwindling number of available methods for environmentally friendly plant control, Zasso’s mission is to develop the necessary control and power modules that will help make the world herbicide-free, for a better future. With offices in Zug (Switzerland), Indaiatuba (Brazil), Aachen (Germany) and Paris (France), Zasso strives to demonstrate leadership in the electric weed control technology in all the markets it serves.
Contacts:
Sergio Coutinho
+55 19 3816-9191
sergio.coutinho@zasso.com
Benjamin Ergas
+49 2408 9380-1000
Benjamin.ergas@zasso.com
