It’s that time of year again, when spring returns to the land and farmers begin to plant seedlings.
A number of technologies such as drones and intelligent vehicles are increasingly changing the face of the centuries-old tradition, helping relieve the pressure of Chinese farmers.
Shanghai-based TopxGun (拓攻机器人) is one of those firms supplying drones to aid such agricultural work as planting seedlings, spreading fertilizer and spraying pesticide.
The startup, founded in 2015, was selected this year as a representative in this year’s all-important agricultural production work meeting on March 23.
During the televised conference, chaired by vice premier Liu Guozhong, TopxGun demonstrated the role its drones can play in seed spreading and crop management, two crucial procedures in traditional agricultural work.
In a video footage, six of the company’s FP 400 drones can be seen flying over wheat fields, elevating at one point and descending at another to carry out spraying tasks.
According to the company’s website, FP 400 has a large payload and a high-pressure centrifugal nozzle, a design that prevents agrochemicals from blocking the nozzle pipe.
“FP 400 also is paired with a SP4 seed spreader, which spreads evenly and promises high efficiency,” said a manager with TopxGun on conditions of anonymity. “Under normal circumstances, spreading a bucket full of compound fertilizer takes only 24 seconds.”
This year, the firm’s FP 150 model, designed for beginners, will also go on sale. It comes with a 15L tank and is fit for application on small land plots.
Over the past few years, drones have been adopted on a bigger scale in China’s agricultural space, with DJI (大疆), XAG (极飞科技), TopxGun and a couple of smaller players competing for market share.
