Manufacturer and tech company link up to measure crop emergence

ALLSTAR manufacturer BASF has signed an agreement with remote sensing technology company Hummingbird Technologies to measure crop emergence and growth of potato crops in the field and in trial plots.

Fixed wing and multirotor drones with multispectral and hyperspectral sensors will measure crop evenness plus canopy development in crops treated with ALLSTAR and every 3 to 5 days following initial crop emergence, it will provide plant counts, emergence and canopy data. Results will be shared with growers later in the season.

BASF potato specialist, Paul Goddard, said: "An even crop is an easier crop to manage. It helps with applying herbicides and irrigation as well as burn-down strategies at the end of the season.”

ALLSTAR is an SDHI fungicide for in-furrow treatment for Rhizoctonia solani in potatoes.