Robots are making progress in weed control in sugar beet crops.

Robotic weeding systems are gaining ground in sugar beet cultivation due to the reduction in the number of approved pesticides, increased labor costs, and the difficulty in hiring workers. This topic will be highlighted at the SugarBeet Expo 2026, scheduled for September 9th and 10th in Springe, near Hanover, Germany.

The trade fair will be held in an open-air format and will take place alongside PotatoEurope, at the Rittergut Gestorf estate. The program includes technical presentations, workshops, discussions with experts, and demonstrations of machines in real-world operating conditions.

According to DLG, the event organizer, weed control is among the main challenges for the crop. Diseases and pests, such as the SBR/Stolbur complex and cercospora leaf spot, also concern producers.

At the Kirschgartshausen experimental farm, near Mannheim, Südzucker Landwirtschaft has been testing alternative weed control methods in recent years. Two autonomous systems have received more extensive evaluation.

The Farmdroid FD20 combines sugar beet seeding and weeding using GPS technology. Meanwhile, Farming Revolution's Farming GT uses cameras to identify weeds and cultivated plants. The system operates with artificial intelligence and can work on more than 100 crops.

The trials indicated a significant reduction in weeds over three years, under different infestation levels. The two robots achieved control efficiency exceeding 90 percent. They also showed low levels of crop loss.

According to DLG, this performance allows for a substantial reduction in manual weeding hours in organic production. The adoption of intelligent mechanical systems is especially relevant in this segment due to the high demand for labor.