Topcon now offers a retrofit NIRS system for any make of slurry tanker. The set-up can measure nutrient values in real time, as well as providing rate control. So, how does it work?
NIRS sensors are not new. In fact, Zunhammer introduced its Van-Control system as far back as around 2008. Since then, others have also
come up with systems. Here we’re talking the likes of John Deere with HarvestLab, Kaweco’s Nutriflow 3.0, Kotte with the Nutrient Content Lab 2.0 or sensor maker Dinamica Generale with the Evo NIR for pig slurry.
As mentioned, this isn’t exactly new tech, but the common theme is that many of the systems limit themselves to the supplying manufacturer. Like Deere, Topcon has spotted a gap in the market for a retrofit system that can be installed on any make of slurry tanker. Its LMS-20 utilises a sensor unit from M-U-T, which is the same sensor as the one used by Zunhammer, among others.
Topcon plans to sell the LMS-20 kit to slurry tanker makers as an off-the-shelf solution into which they can add the machine’s control system; or, alternatively, end users can retrofit it to their existing tank.
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