Katalog över infrastrukturer och anläggningar

This 200 m² hall stores all metrology elements: artificial vine benches (collection and border rows), LiDAR sensors on wheelbarrows, a weather station, and electronic devices for metrology.

Facility

Mobility tracks

The Off-road vehicle and robot mobility tracks in Allier (France) feature advanced testing infrastructure developed by INRAE-TSCF-AGROTECHNOPÔLE for mobile machines and vehicles. The facility offers numerous accessories, including obstacles like mannequins and natural or artificial hedges. The cross-shaped track allows testing from various cardinal points and orientations relative to the sun. Additionally, the inclined profiles enable testing of agricultural machinery on different slope gradients. The facility supports the comprehensive evaluation and advancement of mobile equipment in diverse conditions, ensuring thorough performance assessment and development.

Facility

Experimental plots - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

The experimental plots for alternative weed control consist of a 4-hectare field, with additional areas available. Depending on the experimental needs, the site is equipped with advanced technology for data capture of soil and plants, an electric power supply using an electric generator for the computer units and charging for electric weeding solutions, as well as remote monitoring of crops and the environment via wireless sensors and a field meteorological station. This supports research on crops like maize and beans and weeds such as ryegrass, mustard, lamb’s quarter, and Matricaria chamomile. The site includes manoeuvring zones and buffer spaces between plots to allow machines or robots to move freely. INRAE-TSCF-AgroTechnoPôle ensures experiments' maintenance, protection, and organisation, offering an ideal environment for field trials and technology testing.

Facility

Machine-Soil interaction - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

The experimental plots to study machine-soil interaction offer advanced tools to study machine-soil interactions. The MONROE system measures the efficiency of agricultural tires and machines, assessing traction and soil compaction under various conditions, including tire type, pressure, and soil characteristics. It uses constant torque and traction force methods alongside additional measurements of effort, torque, angular velocity, and actual speed. The SoilXplorer tool provides electromagnetic response maps of soil, based on texture and moisture levels. Additionally, the facility features a FARO Focus 3D X130 laser scanner for precise 3D mapping of tire tracks and soil impressions.

Facility

CEMIB bench - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

The CEMIB rotating test bench, patented by INRAE, is a high-performance device for measuring the distribution of granular products (fertilisers). It enables quick, reliable, and cost-effective evaluation of spreading patterns. CEMIB scans the spread pattern, angular sector by angular sector, using around 90 sensors recorded at 10 Hz by a synchronous system. It provides precise, disturbance-free measurements of fertiliser distribution in grams/m² and reliable data on projection range and angles. The setup includes a rotating carrier for the spreader and a "sensitive" part with 50x50 cm trays and highly accurate weight sensors (0.02 grams), ensuring continuous, accurate assessments.

Facility

CEMOB bench - Montoldre AgroTechnoPôle

Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek (ILVO)

The CEMOB Bench is dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of spreading processes by optimising both machines and products, such as granules and compost. The CEMOB research bench accurately measures and characterises spreader sheets using traditional transverse measurement methods. The 3D measurements enable detailed analysis of spreading performance, including mapping ground distribution and assessing homogeneity. CEMOB also allows the evaluation of a product’s suitability for wide-area spreading and the impact of optimised spreading devices.

Facility

Experimental Stables

Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek (ILVO)

Experimental stables with opportunities for co-creative research in dairy cattle, poultry, rabbit, and pig farming. These facilities are equipped with an extensive array of sensors and cutting-edge technologies to support advanced agricultural testing, experimenting, and validation. The currently available sensors allow us to collect data related to emissions, stable climate, animal behaviour, and food or water intake. # Pig Farming - HF RFID antennas - Low-ammonia emission systems with sloping pit walls and air scrubbers - Multiple water and feed circuits - Scales and measuring equipment for individual and group weighing of pigs # Dairy Cattle - 74 RIC Feeders for registration of individual feed uptake - 6 rooms to measure gas exchange and 2 Greenfeed devices to study (greenhouse) gas emissions - Mobile Greenfeeds for emissions research at pasture - Devices for measuring ammonia emissions under natural ventilation # Poultry and Rabbits - 120 units for digestion studies - On-site feed mill to manufacture trial feeds (including pelleting)

Facility

Crop Testing Field

Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek (ILVO)

The ILVO testing field is a small field with dry sandy loam soil. The testing field is conveniently located next to our workshop facility, allowing us to test and adapt a prototype in quick succession in a real-world setting. Depending on the intended tests, different crops are installed each growing season.

Facility

Fertiliser Spreader Calibration

Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek (ILVO)

ILVO’s fertiliser spreader calibration lab offers services to farmers, fertiliser spreader manufacturers, and fertiliser-producing companies. Two different approaches are used for assessing the performance of centrifugal and pendulum fertiliser spreaders for specific types of fertilisers: collection trays equipped with anti-reflection grids are used for determining spread patterns in field conditions. Secondly, the SpreadWise setup, developed by ILVO and UGent using a multi-exposure, high-speed stereo camera system and ballistic model, can be used for a much faster determination of spread patterns and provide input for simulation of different effects, e.g., spreader height, wind, etc., based on only one measurement.

Facility

Hyperspectral Sensing Lab

Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek (ILVO)

The ILVO Hyperspectral Technology Facility enables advanced applications in agri-food processing, such as quality control, defect detection, grading, and sorting of (raw) products. By comparing spectral and spatial data to reference measurements, we build chemometric models capable of estimating product parameters in real time. The facility hosts a range of hyperspectral and multispectral devices, including spectrometers with customisable probes, hyperspectral cameras, and FTNIRS systems suited for both solid and liquid samples. Using these technologies across various wavelengths, we evaluate the feasibility of hyperspectral analysis for specific applications. Furthermore, data can be resampled to test and validate the performance of other multispectral devices in more challenging environments outside our lab. The facility supports a complete workflow from data collection to model output and offers support for integrating hyperspectral technology into new or existing machinery.

Facility

Lane Trees