John Deere now offers the HarvestLabTM 3000 near-infrared sensor on S and T-Series combines, while increasing the number of applications to four – component analysis is now also possible for cereals and oilseed rape.
The HarvestLabTM 3000 solution is well known for applications in self-propelled forage harvesters, stationary use and Manure Sensing. It is now fit for use on combines, and the new application is called Grain Sensing. It allows you to control important quality parameters in wheat, barley and rape in a continuous and real time. In addition to measuring the moisture levels in wheat, barley and rapeseed, the protein content can now also be determined. In addition, it is possible to record the starch content of the barley and the oil content of the rapeseed. This means that farmers will receive information on the quality of the harvest at specific points in each field, thanks to which:
- they know immediately whether the wheat is suitable for milling into flour or fodder; so they can store individual batches of wheat separately by quality, and they know who to direct the sales offer to;
- receive better information on the harvested crops, as the quality of the grain is checked and documented everywhere in the field;
- they can compare the varieties of cereals or verify the correctness of the machine settings;
- are informed in which areas of the field the nutrients supplied (e.g. nitrogen) have actually been translated into yield and protein / oil content in order to better plan fertilizer application for the next season.
How it’s working:
The Grain Sensing function is a fully integrated solution mounted on the clean grain elevator. In order to be used in a combine, the following components are required:
- HarvestLabTM 3000 near infrared sensor,
- a set for mounting the sensor at the customer’s site and the necessary fastening elements,
- calibration of the Grain Sensing function,
- 4th generation display,
- JDLinkTM precision farming solution,
- StarFireTM receiver.
Before the grain enters the grain tank, a motorized auger transfers it directly to the HarvestLabTM 3000 sensor. Using the StarFireTM Receiver, data for specific areas of the field is generated on the Generation 4 display. This data can then be automatically synchronized with the John Deere Operations CenterTM via the JDLinkTM connectivity system. There you can view the results of your collections with features such as Analyze and Field Analyzer. Third-party software also works with Operations Center to further analyze or map applications for future nutrient distribution.
HarvestLabTM sensor measurements help farmers plan crops and agrotechnics. This solution allows you to obtain information on the amount of nutrients (especially nitrogen) and their impact on the size and quality of the crop. This makes it possible to calculate the nutritional yield of each part of the field.
Availability:
The HarvestLabTM sensor will be available on T-series models (2016 model year and later upgradeable) and S-series models (all S760, S770, S780, S785 and S790 models can be upgraded) from Spring 2023 to accommodate use it for the next harvest.
