Close-up of a large Case IH tractor with Augmenta sensors mounted on the cab's roof.

Multispectral cameras power variable rate applications

System uses five 4K multispectral cameras for applying VR fertilizer, PGR, fungicides and desiccants

Augmenta is the name of his latest crop sensing device. It augments and expands on basic GreenSeeker technology by using cameras in addition to sensors to read the crop. And it manages much more than nitrogen.


A front-on shot of a sprayer with a single Augmenta Mantis Augos on the cab roof.

CNH has plans for Augmenta

On March 15, CNH bought 100 percent of Augmenta. According to the press release, it will manage Augmenta through its “Sense and Act” division, which focuses on automated sensor-detected decisions. Augmenta’s previous innovations in this area include development of a multispectral camera and software that monitors a machine’s operating environment and acts directly via the […] Read more






Drone shot from above and in front of a large, 8-tired red tractor towing a cultivator.

Steiger pulls ahead in race for tractor power

New 645 h.p. engine is rated at 699 h.p. max and comes with a 600 hour oil change interval and no regeneration interruption

There are six upgraded tractors in the 2024 model year Connect series, all powered by 12.9 litre FPT engines ranging from 425 to 645 h.p.

PAMI researcher Charley Sprenger used a 65-foot 2010 Bourgault Paralink hoe drill 3310 with a 6550 cart to find out if fan speed affects seed damage rates in peas. This rig has six secondary manifolds, each with 11 openers, for a total of 66, a configuration with the potential for increased seed damage. It was chosen from a list of commonly used seeder set-ups in Manitoba.  |  Charley Sprenger PAMI photo

Pea shooters: do big drills damage seed?

Yellow pea prices hover around $14 per bushel at the elevator, so growers want to be confident their drill isn’t damaging valuable seeds. Charley Sprenger, an engineer at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute, did a study to determine the level of seed damage caused by large air seeders. These require higher air velocity and volume […] Read more

A self-contained BioScout unit is installed at a fruit field. Air is drawn into the device and particles are caught on a sticky strip and photographed using automated microscopy. These images are compared to a database of pathogens to provide an early warning system to the farmer. BioScout is running pilot projects on numerous diseases, including sclerotinia, cereal powdery mildew, various cereal rusts and grey mould in cannabis and hemp.  |  BioScout photo

See spores before they see you

Precise timing of fungicide applications can ensure you don’t spray too soon and waste product, or spray too late for the chemical to work. Predicting an outbreak would help. Fungicides work, but timing is crucial. Unfortunately, farmers have not had the tools to make accurate kill decisions. Instead, they rely on intuition and visual symptoms. […] Read more


The best supplemental nitrogen rate to get beans started may be no nitrogen at all. | File photo

Do pinto and navy beans need nitrogen boost?

On average, navy and pinto beans produce less than 45 percent of their nitrogen needs through biological fixation with symbiotic rhizobia bacteria. There are few commercial inoculants available and they are not often applied, so farmers typically give their dry beans a springtime nitrogen fertilizer even though they are a legume crop. But beans do […] Read more

A plant’s-eye view shows a GreenSeeker sensor which collects NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) information. This is a measure of the difference between near-infrared light, which plants strongly reflect and red light, which is absorbed. Using this information, the system can decide in an instant whether to deliver a splash of nutritious liquid nitrogen fertilizer. | File photo

Real-time VR decision made in nanoseconds

Flatland variable rate fertilizer application works but likely depends more on current soil moisture than outdated data. If farmers match available soil moisture to the instant of application, then flatland VR works. That’s the opinion of Riceton, Sask., farmer Lee Moats. He said he knows VR nutrient application works on his table-flat farm on the […] Read more