Can new tech, coupled with an old approach, be used to tear up blackgrass? Dr Shaun Coutts, Senior Lecturer at LIAT, will be discussing this and more as part of the Emerging Agri-Tech session at REAP2021, 10 November.

Hosted by Agri-TechE, the leading innovation ecosystem for agri-tech, the conference is asking delegates to imagine a world where agriculture is not constrained by time.

Through the cycle of sowing to harvest but also for strategic decision-making such as predicting demand for perishable goods and automation to extend the working day, timing is crucial in agriculture.

The ability to manage and manipulate time is increasing. REAP2021 will explore the many ways this is happening through advances in technology and breakthroughs in science.

Dr Coutts will be discussing whether machine vision can improve the accuracy of inter-row cultivation for weed control, allowing the technique to be used for the first time in cereal crops. He explains: “Inter-row cultivation uses a metal spike to tear up weeds and their roots – Although a tried and tested approach in vegetables, it is much less common in crops with narrow rows like cereals”.

Dr Coutts will be joined at REAP2021 by experts on the use of satellite technology, soil health monitoring, plant circadian rhythms and plenty of other topics. All this will be capped off by an unveiling of some of the hottest new start-ups, coming through with technologies to help make better use of time for farmers and across the industry.

Find out more and attend REAP2021: Changing Time(s) for Agriculture on Wednesday 10 September from 9:00am – 5:15pm.