Bosch BASF Smart Farming and Stara join forces in Latin America

Bosch BASF Smart Farming, a JV between Bosch and BASF Digital Farming, intends to establish a commercial sales collaboration for its Smart Spraying solution with Stara, one of the largest agricultural machinery manufacturers in Brazil.

The commercial sales collaboration is for the Latin American market and initially focuses on Brazil. It will see the company’s Smart Spraying solution incorporated into Stara’s flagship sprayer line to create the Imperador 4000 Eco Spray smart sprayer, following successful product trials in Brazil during the 2020/21 growing season. The collaboration represents a major business milestone for Bosch BASF Smart Farming.

“The collaboration with Stara enables us to bring to market our innovative Smart Spraying solution in Latin America,” said Silvia Cifre-Wibrow, Managing Director of Bosch BASF Smart Farming.

“The Latin American market offers great business growth potential for us, with this commercial collaboration re-confirming the relevance and value the agricultural industry places in our unique technology.”

The Smart Spraying solution has a proven performance record, as demonstrated in extensive field testing conducted on several continents. By combining the know-how of Bosch and BASF Digital Farming, the Smart Spraying brings together the best of both companies. Bosch supplies state-of-the-art hardware and software, with cameras, control units and lights that make it possible to detect weeds in row crops, both day and night, and in real-time. BASF Digital Farming delivers the advanced agronomic logic and intelligence in the form of a smart spraying module in xarvio FIELD MANAGER. This enables Smart Spraying in milliseconds to precisely detect weeds and spot apply herbicide, only where needed. Its unique configuration supports a more efficient use of herbicide, with trials showing herbicide volume savings of 70% are achievable, with variability dependent on the prevailing field conditions and weed pressure of individual fields.

The integration of the Smart Spraying solution with Stara’s Imperador line of spray technology utilizes the joined expertise of the companies. It enables the creation of an innovative combined solution from Stara, the Imperador 4000 Eco Spray. In addition to being the only spot spraying solution on the market that has a data-driven support solution for decision making, the Imperador 4000 Eco Spray smart sprayer will distinguish itself from its competitors, with its ability to spray pre-emergence and post-crop emergence ('green-on-brown' and 'green-on-green').

The Smart Spraying solution was first trialed by Stara in Brazil during the 2020/21 growing season. “We are constantly striving to improve our products to provide the best possible solutions to farmers and, together with the team at Bosch BASF Smart Farming, we have combined the innovative Smart Spraying solution with the Imperador 4000 to ensure the delivery of even greater benefits to farmers and to the environment,” added Átila Stapelbroek Trennepohl, CEO of Stara.

“We are introducing a new digital solution to the market as well as a new approach to weed management. Our unique model is more precise compared to other technologies and more efficient in its spot application of herbicides, helping lessen environmental impacts while supporting the sustainability of farming businesses,” commented Florian Gwosdz, Managing Director of Bosch BASF Smart Farming.

“In field tests using the Imperador 4000 Eco Spray, we achieved notable reductions in the use of herbicides, while maintaining a high-quality weed control. The Smart Spraying solution, with its targeted, localized application, also enables a significant reduction in production costs for farmers,” concluded Stapelbroek Trennepohl.

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