Robotic technology put to the test on kiwifruit

A powerful, lightweight electric tractor designed by a New Zealand agtech start up may help kiwifruit growers reduce orchard emissions, a recent Zespri trial has found.

The exporter tested GOVOR, an autonomous towing machine from Auckland-based Agover, on two Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchards late last year.

The aim of the trial was to test its suitability for use in kiwifruit orchards, evaluating the GOVOR technology as a possible way to reduce on-orchard fuel emissions and looking at technical feasibility, carbon emissions, financial viability, and orchard-readiness.

GOVOR weighs 50 kg, has a towing capacity of 600 kg, and was created to automate labour tasks for row-based growers.

Smart trailer attachments for the robot can spray, cultivate, haul, and mow.

It has a 12.5-hour run time on a single charge and has been successfully deployed in other horticultural contexts, such as berries and vineyards.

Zespri tested the technology under the umbrella of its carbon neutral trial, which explores ways to help meet increasing regulatory and market access requirements to demonstrate emissions measurement and reduction throughout its supply chain.

Fuel use generates on average one third of orchard emissions, so decarbonisation options that reduce fuel use are a key focus.

Zespri says the trial results indicate that automated electric-powered machines have significant potential as a sustainable and efficient alternative to conventional fossil-fuel powered orchard machinery.

Owen Solomon, environmental sustainability innovation leader at Zespri, says overall, the trial found GOVOR is easy to set up and can work effectively, particularly in a well-maintained and automation-ready orchard.

“When it comes to weed spraying, the GOVOR robot achieved a 45 per cent reduction in weed coverage with a much lower water rate than conventional methods using a rotary nozzle controlled droplet application.”

The results highlighted that consideration of automation requirements in orchard set-up is needed to better enable the kiwifruit industry to leverage new technologies such as GOVOR.

“During the trial we found that the robot requires neat, straight rows free of debris and without ruts.

“The sensitivity of its smart safety bumper feature meant that obstacles such as tall grass sometimes triggered it to stop.”

The GOVOR robot is an early player in this field, and it has demonstrated that with ongoing innovation and refinement, this technology could help with reducing the environmental footprint of kiwifruit growing practices thanks to its low emissions.

As a result, several changes have already been made to the robot since the Zespri trial, including the addition of a mower attachment.

“These changes have not yet been tested in a kiwifruit context but are expected to have resolved key limitations that were identified in the trial.”