Every grower knows powdery mildew is an expensive problem which needs careful and effective control.
Thorvald provides that control, protecting your valuable crop through the application of UV-C light, each and every night, so you and your team don’t have to. Efficient, autonomous, sustainable and cost-effective, Thorvald is a reliable partner for every strawberry grower.
Oliver Pascall, Clock House Farm
"We have been using Thorvald for a number of years now and for the past few years the partnership has really strengthened. I think this is allowing Clock House farm to be right at the leading edge of robotic innovation in soft fruit."
Light treatment
Thorvald is a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution with no direct CO2 emissions during operation.
Controls powdery mildew
Light treatment controls powdery mildew without chemical inputs by exposing strawberry plants to shortwave light on a weekly basis. Research and real-life usage show this to be highly effective at controlling powdery mildew.
Autonomous application
The treatment is applied at night (allowing it to perform optimally), by Thorvald, our autonomous robot, saving labour over conventional fungicide application.
Environmental benefits
The light treatment also generates significant added value through direct cost savings and the environmental benefits of reduced fungicide use.
Powdery mildew treatment in polytunnels
A fleet of 3 robots conducting light treatment on strawberry plants in the UK. Exposing strawberry plants to shortwave light on a weekly basis is highly effective in controlling powdery mildew. The treatment must be applied at night in order for it to perform optimally, but as treatment is delivered autonomously by a driverless robot unit, it saves labour over conventional fungicide application. The light treatment also generates significant added value through direct cost savings and the environmental benefits of reduced fungicide use.
Powdery mildew treatment in open fields
2 robots conducting light treatment on strawberry plants in the US. Exposing strawberry plants to shortwave light on a weekly basis is highly effective in controlling powdery mildew. The treatment must be applied at night in order for it to perform optimally, but as treatment is delivered autonomously by a driverless robot unit, it saves labour over conventional fungicide application. The light treatment also generates significant added value through direct cost savings and the environmental benefits of reduced fungicide use.
Beyond light treatment
Today we are focused on providing UV-C light treatment to our customers. But one of the key benefits of the Thorvald system is that it is modular, so we can create a variety of tools and services tailored to your needs.
Runner cutter
Distribution of predatory mites
Data collection & crop forecasting
Grass cutter
Future tools
Runner cutter
Runner removal is a labour-intensive but essential task for effective plant management and disease control in commercial strawberry cultivation. Thorvald is developing a module for the UV-C robot that will remove runners from tabletop grown strawberries autonomously, several times per week. The advantage of removing runners using Thorvald is that biomass will never accumulate, reducing the resources the plants put into vegetative growth, and minimising the risk of disease.
Distribution of predatory mites
Predatory mite distribution is an essential component of an effective integrated pest management system, but it is labour-intensive and if not done correctly, can reduce the efficacy of the predatory insects. The Thorvald predator distribution system releases mites at a precise dose, at the right place in the crop, minimising wastage and reducing the number of predators released overall. The procedure is performed autonomously and reliably, saving labour and cost over conventional distribution methods.
Data collection & crop forecasting
Thorvald is developing data collection and crop forecasting capabilities in collaboration with the University of Lincoln. Using the Thorvald platform, data are collected in high resolution and in real-time, several times per week. Then, using computer vision, machine-learning and proprietary algorithms, Thorvald will have the capability to accurately predict crop load and yields, as well as the early detection of disease, maximising the value that can be extracted from the crop.
Grass cutter
Cutting the grass under the tables in polytunnel tabletop production is labour intensive. This is a task the Thorvald robot could do while it is running. A grass mowing implement will be attached to the robot to cut the grass, freeing up time to do other plant management tasks.
Future tools
We are inviting partners to develop and deploy further tasks to fill the large field of opportunities for robotics in agriculture.
Please get in touch with us if you are in need of a specific task or would like to develop tools to mount on Thorvald.
Contact us.
Open fields
Thorvald can also work outdoors in the fields, with a low carbon impact and low soil compression thanks to its lightweight design.
Polytunnels
Thorvald is entirely comfortable working within the confines of a polytunnel, manoeuvring from row to row autonomously.
Strawberry variety
Powdery mildew is a problem consistent across all strawberry varieties, premium and standard, and therefore Thorvald is able reduce costs and improve yield whatever variety you grow.
