crop.zone's sustainable and targeted methods of weed control
reduce the use of plant protection products. The innovative
technology controls weeds with an electrical charge. It is being
introduced, tested and further developed in Switzerland for the first time by fenaco. This
gives farmers a competitive and sustainable alternative method of
weed control.
AACHEN, Germany, Jan. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The leading Swiss
cooperative fenaco and the German tech start-up
crop.zone have concluded a cooperation
agreement. This collaboration aims to support Swiss farmers with
innovative and sustainable plant protection solutions from
crop.zone, reducing the use of plant protection products.
The technology was developed by crop.zone, while
fenaco is taking on responsibility for introducing it onto the
Swiss market and adapting the solution to the conditions there. As
part of the collaboration, the weed control solutions from
crop.zone are being brought into use for the first time
in Switzerland. Their use on Swiss
fields will be under scientific supervision. In addition, farmers
interested in doing so will have the opportunity to try out the new
technology under real conditions.
Within the framework of the cooperation contract, Michael Feitknecht, Head of Plant Production and
member of the Board of Management at fenaco, is taking a seat on
the advisory board of crop.zone and advising the start-up on
strategic issues.
Dirk Vandenhirtz, CEO and founder of crop.zone, says, "We
are very happy about the collaboration with the leading
agricultural farmers' cooperative in Switzerland. It gives us excellent access to a
large number of farms. For us, the opportunity to bring our
technologies to Switzerland is
strategically significant."
Michael Feitknecht, Head
of Plant Production and member of the Board of Management at
fenaco, says, "The technology from crop.zone gives us a new tool
and embodies our principle 'Combination is the new innovation'.
fenaco collaborates with startups which are developing innovative
and sustainable technologies for agriculture. Switzerland is assuming a leading position
worldwide by making farming more sustainable and is playing a
crucial role in that."
Innovative methods of weed control
The technology from crop.zone kills weeds with an electrical
charge, creating an innovative and sustainable method of weed
control. The width of application is up to 12 metres. With a speed
of spread of 4 km an hour, the crop.zone solution can treat
around 3 hectares an hour. The crops are pre-treated, in an initial
step, with a conductive liquid. The weeds are then killed in a
targeted way through an electrical charge. This means that energy
consumption is lower and the method is much more effective than
other electrical technologies. The Research Institute of Organic
Agriculture (FiBL) is, at present, clarifying whether the procedure
can be authorised for organic farming.
With this new weed control solution, fenaco and crop.zone offer
a safe, reliable and environmentally friendly alternative that
makes Swiss agriculture more sustainable. At the same time, they
are increasing the yield and profitability of farms. The method
will be presented to the public for the first time at the opening
of the new beneficial organisms production facility in Aesch (BL)
in spring 2021.
Media contact crop.zone
crop.zone GmbH
Pascalstrasse 55
52076 Aachen
Germany
info@crop.zone
+49 2408 59 80 333
www.crop.zone
Related Files
crop.zone - fenaco_EN.pdf
crop.zone - fenaco_FR.pdf
Related Images
founder-crop-zone.jpg
- founder crop.zone
Dirk Vandenhirtz, founder and CEO of crop.zone GmbH Aachen
Germany
Related Links
crop.zone hybrid herbicide
Photo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1427028/Dirk_Vandenhirtz.jpg