Investigation of environmentally friendly, tractor-powered weed control equipment, in consideration of sustainable drive technologies

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Albert Stoll
• Subject Area: Plant Cultivation, Plant Nutrition, Agricultural Technology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 558289907

Motivation: Agriculture must adapt to climate change. In crop production, one option is to switch to reduced tillage or even direct sowing in combination with mulch layers and cover crops. In addition, a reduction of chemical pesticides is demanded, for example in weed control. Mechanical weed control is therefore gaining in importance, but is often incompatible with reduced tillage with large mulch layers. Generally, the influence of the changed tillage conditions on the power requirements of the equipment is often unclear. In the future, more weed control methods will be needed that are independent of soil properties. Although agriculture is suffering from climate change, it is also contributing to it. Among other things, tractors and agricultural machinery emit climate-damaging CO2. These direct emissions could be eliminated in future for the <70 kW power class through the use of battery-electric tractors. These tractors are suitable to power non-chemical weed control equipment. Objectives/added value: To determine and evaluate technological and labor-economic data in chemical-free weed control in connection with battery-electric and internal-combustion-engine tractors. The influence of reduced tillage compared to conventional tillage on the drive conditions and thus on the tractive power transmission of the tractor as well as on the power requirements of the equipment during weed control will be determined. In addition, the operating conditions on permanent grassland will be taken into account. This data will later be used to simulate application scenarios in order to gain new insights into the adaptation of work processes, the temporal and spatial supply of energy and the dimensioning of electric tractors and their energy storage systems. Methodology: The test objects are a diesel engine tractor and an electric tractor with interchangeable batteries. In addition, there are four weed control implements for arable crops and grassland, which, depending on the implement type, load the tractor via the traction drive, the PTO shaft or the hydraulics, or in a combination of these. The type of production method (conventional, reduced tillage and grassland) is the influencing factor. First, the power characteristics of both tractors are examined. Then the power requirement of the implements is examined and standardized to the working width or working unit. Two groups are formed for the labor efficiency study. Group one is the battery-electric tractor and group two is the reference tractor with the implements. Both groups are examined under real and simulated agricultural conditions in terms of labor economics. The project uses own machinery and test fields.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants