An autonomous robot which reduces powdery mildew through light treatment achieved complete control of the pathogen during this growing season.
'Thorvald' delivered UV-C treatment to protect strawberry plants on over 10 hectares of land at Clock House Farm and Hugh Lowe Farm, both in Kent.
The robot performs light treatment to control mildew on strawberries and vines, drastically reducing the need for fungicides.
During March to October, the farms did not spray their crops with any powdery-mildew-targeting chemical control agent, with Thorvald's team calling this a 'world-first'.
The autonomous robot was developed by Saga Robotics and has been on trial in the UK since 2019.
But 2021 has proven to be a watershed year due to an especially prevalent pathogen. Despite this, plant samples were examined having no traces of the fungal disease.
Oli Pascall, managing director at Clock House Farm, described the work undertaken by Thorvald as an 'industry leading result'.
"The first three robots that Saga Robotics used to treat crops delivered positive results in 2020, although there was evidence that we needed a stronger intensity of UV-C.
"This has been addressed with a positive outcome, and the improved results seen in 2021 are of an outstanding level of protection.”
Pål Johan, CEO of Saga Robotics, said this year's results had only increased what was already a strong interest in their service.
“Throughout the season, our robots have efficiently treated over 7,300 linear kilometres of strawberries with completely effective treatment, 100% robot service reliability and no failures."
Dan Sargent, head of plant sciences at Saga added: “Not a single chemical has been needed to protect these plants from powdery mildew all season.
"And that’s great news for the growers, their customers, and the consumers.”
