We tested a package of technological solutions from Raven to meet the main demands in spraying operations, a set of equipment that complement each other and make the activity more precise and efficient
In the middle of Rio Grande do Sul's winter, the Revista Cultivar Máquinas team traveled to one of the coldest regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul to evaluate a set of equipment and technologies from the Raven brand, installed in a self-propelled sprayer. In the city of Many Capões, located in the Northeast region of Rio Grande do Sul, we visited the headquarters of Fazenda Santo Amaro, belonging to the company Sementes Com Vigor, owned by the Basso family.
The technological package that we proposed to test in the field was a complete Raven solution for spraying, consisting of a direct injection kit for liquid chemicals, the Hawkeye® pulsed spray system, the SC1™ hydraulic autopilot, the VSN camera autopilot ™ (Visual Guidance Technology), the Autoboom® automatic boom height control and the Viper®4+ monitor. In terms of modernity and advancement, the set of technologies is one of the most complete and evolved technological solutions for agriculture.
All of these systems were installed in the same Sementes Com Vigor sprayer. In this text, we will explain the characteristics and functionalities of each of these pieces of equipment, mounted on a New Holland self-propelled sprayer, model SP 3500.
The system is called direct injection, as the chemical is injected into the water line or syrup without the need for prior mixing in tanks. Information about the mixture is provided by the agronomist and is made on the boom, in a central position and then sent ready to the spray nozzles. This eliminates the dangerous mixture of products directly in the tank, reducing the risk of accidents, environmental contamination and operator poisoning. The main tank can only contain water and the product is deposited in special tanks. Even so, if necessary, the system can work by injecting product into the line that is filled with syrup, coming from the main deposit, that is, the injection is made over a syrup line prepared previously in the main deposit.
The Raven direct injection system that we tested is called Sidekick PRO™ and consists of injection pumps and specific tanks for chemical products, which provide the injection of liquid products into a water line or even syrup prepared in the main tank. In the arrangement, the sprayer's original tank and pressurization system remain intact and can be used separately or in conjunction with Raven equipment.
The equipment works with the flow that comes from the main tank (water) and a specific deposit of pure chemical product. On one side, the water from the tank passes through a flowmeter and a control valve, on the other hand, the pure chemical product leaves the tank through the Sidekick PRO™ injection pump. The two flows reach a mixer placed in the central frame of the spray bar, which is sent directly to the nozzles. There are valves that prevent return and contamination of the line.
In the case of the sprayer we tested, two injection pumps and two product tanks were installed, but the system available to Brazilian producers allows the assembly of up to five injection pumps in a single machine. As the test sprayer had the Hawkeye® system installed, the injection pumps were controlled by the Hawkeye® module.
For compatibility with different equipment, from all brands on the market, Raven offers three versions, Sidekick PRO™, Sidekick PRO™ ICD, Sidekick PRO™ ISO. With this, all equipment can acquire compatibility with the brand's equipment. The CAN system is a proprietary communication and serves for compatibility between Raven equipment. The ISOBUS standard is a universal communication to other equipment, which becomes fully compatible with the use of one or more technological items from the brand.
As expected, the direct injection system is absolutely compatible with other Raven items, as the Hawkeye® module is even used for injection, controlling both the PCV pump and the injection pumps.
The basis of the injection system is the Sidekick PRO™ injection pump, which can be high or low flow, depending on the system adopted. The most used in Brazil is the high-flow pump, which provides a flow rate between 0,15 and 5,9 liters per minute. The pumps are mounted close to the tank, generally on the side of the sprayers, between the front and rear wheels and with a support that means it can go almost unnoticed.
In this way, by controlling the Viper®4+ controller monitor, the user can work with a large number of options, only syrup coming from the main deposit or the combined flow from the main deposit with one, two, three or four flows coming from the deposits and their injection pumps. According to the owner, Pedro Basso, this is one of the advantages he sees in the system, which provides selective and localized treatment of products, to treat specific locations and conditions, which can be represented in previous prescription maps. Operator and agricultural technician Odair Berlatto showed us how easy it is to automatically calibrate the pump and control the flow on and off automatically or manually using the Viper®4+ controller monitor.
The change from one product to another occurs without contamination and quickly, as the system's reaction time is very short and depends more on the viscoelastic characteristics of the chemical product than on the equipment itself.
The position of the mixing valve, in the central frame of the application bar, ensures that the injection is made in a time that provides conditions for the total mixing of the product until it reaches the spray nozzles. The product comes pure to this valve and then mixes with the water, ensuring that the syrup reaches the nozzles already well homogenized. Therefore, the injection is done throughout the bar and not in sections.
According to the sprayer operator who accompanied us in the test and who is quite accustomed to the equipment and operation, the great advantage is that ideal conditions are provided for localized applications, in accordance with what is predicted in the prescription maps, such as patches of insects, fungi and invasive plants. Another great use is the possibility of contouring an area by applying specific products. The producer even mentions the issue of insects that enter the areas and encounter this sanitary barrier.
An additional advantage refers to the use of the product placed in the injection molding tanks, as it remains pure in this tank and, if there is a surplus, it can be stored again.
In this text, we refer to Hawkeye® as an additional item installed in the sprayer we tested, but it is actually a set consisting of the central control module, harnesses, PWM control valves and anti-drip valves. All of this works harmoniously with the other equipment we describe, controlled by the Viper®4+ monitor.
The equipment controls the working pressure, which determines the size of the drops formed by the spray tip. When in operational situations, the working speed changes, the equipment maintains the flow rate and droplet pattern. For this to work properly, the user must choose tips that provide this margin of pressure variation.
The basis or heart of the system, in our understanding, is the PWM valve that is used in several control systems, and its identification PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) represents the ability to receive an electrical signal and transform itself as an actuator in the control of proportional opening and closing of the liquid flow, controlling the pulse width. These nozzle spraying valves are called NCV, or Nozzle control valves, and control the application rate in each nozzle, regulating the pressure in the pump to control the flow rate in the nozzles and, consequently, the pattern. droplet formation. Therefore, Hawkeye® controls the flow (application rate) and pressure per nozzle. With operational variations in the speed of travel and rotation of the equipment's engine, for example in slopes and inclines, maneuvers, among other cases, in conventional equipment the diameter of the drop would be affected, but the control that Hawkeye® performs avoids these variations and, consequently, if the tip has been well chosen, it standardizes and stabilizes the appropriate droplet pattern for the case.
Raven's nozzle-to-nozzle control system differs from other systems by individual pulsation valves, while some technologies control by sections. The term pulsed spraying was given due to the characteristic that the flow is changed by opening and closing with a certain frequency. Raven uses a frequency of 10Hz, that is, ten times per second. The valve, made up of a small electrical coil, coupled to a piston, works to open and close the flow. As the magnitude of this opening and closing frequency is very high, dividing one second by ten makes it almost imperceptible. Even so, the project foresees that the opening and closing cycles are interspersed in contiguous nozzles on the bar, in order to maintain uniformity.
The beak-to-beak cut, used to avoid overlapping, that is, application where it had already been applied, in addition to being possible to do it abruptly, it can be done gradually, which, in theory, improves precision. It is also possible to compensate for sections of the machine's path that take turns. We know that, in these cases, the arcs to be covered by the nozzles at the end of the bar are greater than those positioned in the center of the bar, so the flow must be different between nozzles that are in these different positions. Well, Hawkeye® does this automatically, compensating for curved paths.
We recommend that readers who are interested in more details about how Hawkeye® works, look for the article we wrote for issue number 188, September 2018, of Revista Cultivar Máquinas, with the field test exclusively of this product, in Ribeirão Preto , in the state of Sao Paulo.
This is the name of the automatic bar height control system. To achieve this, ultrasonic bar height sensors are installed. In the case of the machine we tested, there were five sensors, one central, placed on the fixed frame, and two distributed along each of the two side bars. Sensors are configured to measure height with reference to the soil or crop easily in the monitoring and control system.
The height control system is hydraulically driven by a mechanism formed by a hydraulic block that has connections, valves and filters and which communicates with the Autoboom® module through a harness. Every time the reading indicates a need, the bar raises and lowers, always maintaining the same height as the reference level.
The great and most important advantage of a leveling and height adjustment system is that in several situations, the constant height of the bar is related to the quality of application. In the case of spray nozzles with a fan jet, this is essential to maintain adequate overlap between the jets and, consequently, uniformity in the application.
During operation, the central sensor is used to measure the height of the bar and the other sensors placed on the side bars control the height and keep the bar at the same distance from the reference plane. A function test can easily be carried out by passing an object or even your hand under the sensor, which immediately raises the bar to the predisposed height on the controller monitor.
The Raven equipment installed in the sprayer used for the test is called SC1™. It is an autopilot module that can be hydraulic or electrical when mounted next to the MD mechanical steering system. The pilot system works in conjunction with a Raven display and can work with receivers and correction signals of the customer's choice. The module installed inside the sprayer cabin at Sementes com Vigor is hydraulic, responsible for directing the machine, keeping it in line throughout the entire journey. Along with the SC1™ hydraulic pilot, the sprayer was equipped with the Viper® 4+ field computer, receiver and GS correction signal, both from Raven.
The Viper®4+ is a controller monitor. At first glance, it looks like a monitor like any other, but when we received an explanation of how it works and saw the operator's routine in creating new jobs and accessing information from previous jobs, we realized that it is one of the most modern monitors, in terms of reducing operations. The icons are on the screen as if it were a small computer. In fact, it is shaped like a tablet.
It can interact with Raven's Slingshot® telemetry system, with the possibility of storage, file transfer, communication between machines and receiving information from remote support. By the way, the operator highlighted this as one of the positive surprises during use. There were many compliments to the support team, as well as the ease of saving and exporting work to simple media such as a USB stick. The operator informed that all work carried out in past years is saved and is being used for reference in other agricultural operations on the property. The company reported that software updates can be easily made online.
As an additional ability, the monitor can be used to receive images from machine monitoring cameras, which are placed in strategic locations, such as the warehouse, the bar and the front, for example.
The sprayer we tested was equipped with the VSN™ (Visual Guidance Technology) system, which is a camera-based autopilot. It is a truly innovative system, which directs the machine based on reference images captured by a stereo camera.
With the camera placed on the front of the sprayer chassis, images of four to six lines are captured simultaneously. The system works with reference to an already established culture, even if it is at a young stage.
The tested sprayer was equipped with an automatic steering system consisting of the SC1™, a hydraulic autopilot module, the receiving antenna, the Viper®4+ monitor and the correction signal, all from Raven.
An interesting point we found is that VSN™ can be used as a redundancy possibility, that is, when one of the other forms is not available, VSN™ can carry out the targeting work, without needing to be connected to any form of location. , autonomously.
But we believe that the biggest benefit is actually the possibility of guiding the machine through the reality of the lines that were implemented by the seeder. The guidance system using pre-configured paths is effective, but it disregards the work of the machine that implanted the crop, while, in turn, the VSN™ works effectively on the field situation, always positioning the tires between the rows of the crop. culture, avoiding the kneading common in other operations.
Although drawing curved lines is possible in other automatic guidance systems, the reality that emerges is often completely different. With VSN™ it is possible to combine established straight and curved paths. With this comes one of the great advantages of VSN™, which is the drastic reduction in kneading. According to the logic and operation of the camera pilot, this should be the system that provides the least crushing.
The product knowledge test and function verification were carried out in a winter pasture area, sown with a consortium of forage peas, linseed and rye. As peas have a climbing habit, linseed and rye serve as support plants.
During the work we made several passes, checking the effectiveness, mainly of the camera-based autopilot, which was supposed to make the sprayer wheels pass between the rows of pea plants.
For this we count on the support of the farm operator, agricultural technician Odair Berlatto, who has worked for the company for 24 years, most of these in operations applying products for crop protection.
During the testing period, he told us that the farm is an old Raven customer and that he had another system, which worked very well between 2010 and 2020, from a previous version. At the beginning of this year, the system we evaluated was purchased. One of the biggest advantages he sees is the presence of a single screen, which unifies the operation of the machine with the application. For him, the fact of reducing information to a single screen is a very important difference that increases work efficiency.
As in most modern production areas, the sprayer is the machine that works the most in the field and one of those with the most technology on board, there is a need to pay more attention to the operation of applying liquid chemical products.
Also accompanying us in the tests were engineer Sayuri Motoshima, a Marketing specialist, engineer Vitor Higa, who is Raven's marketing supervisor, and administrator Leandro Chaga, Sales specialist for the States of the Southern Region - Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná.
We were able to draw several good conclusions from the journey of evaluating the sprayer equipped with Raven's complete solution. But, overall, one of the good impressions is that even though Raven is not a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, its systems must achieve great compatibility, so that they can equip and interact with other equipment from different manufacturers. In this way, the company has made most of its machines plug and play, and for those that are not, the technical support team specifies and delivers the product, which must be ready to install. There are already means of quick installation for machines from the main manufacturers, with ready-made kits available.
As for the direct injection system, it must be recognized that it is a major advance in terms of environmental safety and the safety of personnel involved in the application of chemical products, but also operational efficiency and the application of the practice of precision agriculture. The system makes it possible to effectively carry out applications with more complex application maps, with localized product application.
The pulsed spray system, which we had already evaluated positively in another test by Revista Cultivar, offers great prospects for increasing operational quality, including obtaining data that demonstrate that the variation in the number of drops, their density and coverage changes a lot less with travel speed when the Hawkeye® system is placed on the sprayer.
As for the camera-based autopilot that we had the opportunity to learn about in this test, we noticed great applicability in the cases we mentioned, however it should be emphasized that it is very important that users pay attention to the need for dimensional compatibility between the wheelsets that equip the sprayer and the spacing available for movement between rows of plants. The recommended spacing for using VSN™ is 50cm to 1 meter. Once this requirement is met, it should be very useful for Brazilian agriculture, especially in regions with a lack of GPS signal or when it is desired to eliminate crushing as a way of increasing the final productive stand.
The testing site for Raven's equipment was Fazenda Santo Amaro, located in the municipality of Many Capões, just 32km from Vacaria. Belonging to the Basso family, the farm is the headquarters of the company Sementes Com Vigor, one of the largest seed producers in the northern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The family manages two farms, Santo Amaro, with an area of 1.650 hectares, and Guavirova Farm, located in the neighboring city of Esmeralda, with a total area of 2.200 hectares. The company managed by father Raul Basso and son, Pedro Basso, has many aspects that make it interesting and highlighted within a very producing region, which is the North of the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The history of Sementes Com Vigor begins in 1958 with Mr. Mário José Basso and seed production in the 1970s. In 1982, Mr. Mário's son, Raul, shortly after finishing his Agronomy course at the University of Passo Fundo, came to the farm and started to adopt Direct Planting as the main soil conservation technique in 100% of the area. Since 2016, Mr. Mário's grandson, an agronomist from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Pedro Basso, has taken charge together with his father.
The company, which currently has 60 employees, adopts conservation practices in its seed and grain production system. In the summer, soybeans, corn and beans are planted, approximately 40% of which are soybeans (of which 80% are used for seeds), 40% are corn and 20% are beans, the majority of which are sold as seeds. In winter, which is cold and rainy, the areas are covered with wheat, white oats, black oats, barley, buckwheat, field peas and field turnips. The sprayer operator informed us that the corn planting windows extend from September 20th to October 20th and from then on soybean sowing begins and that chemical product applications reach ten per cycle, and for this reason large machines, Equipped with technology, they are important to reach operational capacities of between 120 and 150 hectares per day.
Innovation has always been a hallmark of the company since his grandfather, who was co-founder of an association of seed and seedling producers, continued with Mr. Raul Basso who, in addition to implementing direct planting in the locality, has marked his role as one of the pioneers in region to improve the distribution and reduction of agricultural inputs. As partners with Raven, they implemented direct injection and the idea that chemical application pays close attention to technology and precision. With the realization that product mixing is a problem and localized application is a necessary technique, they began to carry out innovative practices such as applying insecticide to crop contours and zero overlap to increase yield, product savings and reduction in the requirement for machines and labor.
In a region with demanding characteristics for agriculture, such as an altitude of approximately one thousand meters above sea level, the presence of free aluminum, which requires the application of limestone, the presence of fungal diseases such as white mold, which attacks the plant at a advanced development, and the undulation of the land, which requires level planting to contain erosion, there is no shortage of challenges.
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