Since 2010 the Stegemeier horticulture company near Bielefeld (Germany) has used the fully automatic steaming robot from MSD AG (Durbach, Germany). The company has efficiently used the time to optimise the new steaming system awarded with the prize of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
The effort was worth it. In the meantime, the steaming robot has become an integral component of the Stegemeier operation. The device automatically treats 15 ha outdoor area for rocket (arugula) cultivation with hot steam yearly.
Due to dense sowing on the soil previously treated by the fully automatic device with steam, the company cultivates rocket of a high-quality and completely free of weeds. The labour cost is almost negligible. Since the steaming robot device runs automatically and only needs to be turned by a trained operator at the end of each bed row, the cost of its operation are merely about 3,000 Euros per hectare for heating oil required for steam generation.
The steaming is performed by three steaming hoods placed under the fully-automatic device. They are automatically lowered, lifted up and moved. In this way, an optimal result is already achieved at 5 cm steaming depth in about 6 minutes steaming time. In this method, the robot can treat about 0.5 ha in 12 hours.
Video of the steaming robot’s first use outdoors in the beginning of 2010 (click here)
For further information, please contact the manufacturer MSD GmbH in Durbach.
