Equipment

Volvo Penta is driving progress in agriculture through smarter, sustainable power solutions built to perform season after season. (Image credit: Volvo Penta)

Riverlea Cotton, a leading farming operation in Queensland’s Darling Downs, has significantly boosted its irrigation efficiency and operational reliability by powering its systems with Volvo Penta’s advanced industrial engines.

For fifth-generation farmer Chris Arthur, who manages the large-scale irrigation and broadacre enterprise in Dalby, choosing high-performance, fuel-efficient equipment is essential for sustainable and cost-effective farming.

With a strong family heritage in agriculture and a commitment to long-term performance, Chris recognises the importance of investing in machinery that delivers durability, reliability, and measurable fuel savings. When the opportunity arose to upgrade his irrigation engines, he selected Volvo Penta — a global leader renowned for heavy-duty industrial engines engineered for maximum efficiency and endurance.

A smarter engine solution for demanding conditions

In 2020, Chris approached Oceania Power, Volvo Penta’s trusted dealer in the region, with a specific challenge. His Valley Irrigation system, supplied by Warrego Water, came with a standard engine option that was functional but not fully aligned with his goals for improved efficiency and long-term performance. Chris needed something tougher, smarter, and more cost-effective — especially given the demanding conditions of continuous irrigation.

Working in close collaboration, Volvo Penta, Oceania Power, and Warrego Water developed a customised engine solution built around a Volvo Penta industrial engine. The results delivered exactly what Riverlea Cotton needed:

• Up to 10% fuel savings compared with the originally proposed engine

• Enhanced reliability for continuous 24/7 irrigation

• Seamless integration with the existing irrigation system

• Strong local support and responsive service

These benefits proved critical for an operation where irrigation runs non-stop throughout the season.

Real-world results that speak for themselves

The performance of the first installation exceeded expectations, prompting Riverlea Cotton to commission a second Volvo Penta-powered irrigation unit two years later. Today, both engines run around the clock, providing dependable power and consistent fuel efficiency. “Fuel savings and reliability matter when you’re running irrigation 24/7,” explains Chris. “Volvo Penta delivered both, and the support from Oceania Power and Brackens is excellent.”

Collaboration at the core of success

For Volvo Penta, the Riverlea Cotton project showcases the value of working closely with customers to create tailored, real-world solutions. “At Volvo Penta, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do,” says Nicolas Hansford, Volvo Penta Oceania business development manager. “Working alongside Oceania Power, Warrego Water, and Riverlea Cotton allowed us to deliver a solution suited to Chris’ operation. It’s collaborations like these that drive long-term success for our customers.”

Powering agricultural progress

Across Oceania, Volvo Penta continues to support agricultural businesses with robust engines designed for durability, lower fuel consumption, and long-term value. By partnering with industry leaders and farmers, Volvo Penta is driving progress in agriculture through smarter, sustainable power solutions built to perform season after season.

Walker S marks a significant milestone for sustainable farming in Asia and globally. (Image credit: Agroz Robotics)

In an exciting leap for automated agriculture, Malaysian vertical farming company Agroz has launched Agroz Robotics, a cutting-edge initiative aimed at revolutionising the way we farm.

In collaboration with UBTECH Robotics, Agroz is set to introduce the Walker S, a state-of-the-art humanoid robot designed to automate crucial farming tasks such as seeding, monitoring, harvesting, and crop optimisation. This partnership combines engineering innovation with real-time agricultural intelligence, creating a fully integrated Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) ecosystem through Agroz’s proprietary operating system, Agroz OS.

The Walker S humanoid robot will serve as a core hardware platform within Agroz’s vertical farms. This advanced AI-driven robot is set to streamline farm operations, improving efficiency, productivity, and crop quality. According to the Agroz team, “This next-generation autonomous farming system will significantly boost productivity, reduce reliance on human labour, and ensure more precise and consistent crop quality.” Through Agroz Robotics, the company hopes to not only enhance farm operations but also support the scalable production of cleaner, safer, and more sustainable food.

Gerard Lim, CEO of Agroz, highlighted the significance of this collaboration: “Through Agroz Robotics, we hope to make sustainable agriculture a reality. Our collaboration with UBTECH is a major milestone in our mission to redefine agriculture by using robots and artificial intelligence. This new collaboration enables us to combine cutting-edge humanoid robotics with data intelligence to build smart, self-optimising farms to support the scalable production of cleaner, safer, and more sustainable food.”

As part of this game-changing initiative, Agroz and UBTECH also express their gratitude towards the Malaysian government, which has cultivated an environment where deep-tech solutions like these can flourish. Mr. Lim added, “We also thank the Malaysian government for cultivating an environment where such deep-tech solutions can thrive, directly strengthening our nation’s food security, sustainability, and economic resilience.”

The introduction of Walker S marks a significant milestone for sustainable farming in Asia and globally. Leon Li, General Manager of UBTECH's Industrial Robotics Division, noted, “We are delighted to collaborate with Agroz to apply our artificial intelligence and robotics technologies across a wider range of industries, contributing to the sustainable development of agriculture in Asia and around the world.”

The partnership between Agroz and UBTECH signals a bright future for precision agriculture, combining robotics, AI, and sustainability to meet the growing demands of food production, ensuring a smarter, more resilient agricultural sector for the future.

Quantum clear transforms airborne pathogen control. (Image credit: DDH)

Due Diligence Horticulture (DDH) has unveiled Quantum Clear, a new range of cold plasma devices designed to combat the persistent problem of airborne pathogens in controlled environment agriculture.

Whether cultivating cannabis, ornamentals, or fresh produce, growers constantly contend with mould, bacteria and other threats particularly in humid rooms or tightly packed storage spaces. DDH’s latest innovation aims to change that balance.

Over the last two years, the company has worked closely with an industrial plasma specialist to adapt cold plasma systems specifically for horticultural and agricultural settings. The result is a suite of Quantum Clear (QC) units engineered for grow rooms, HVAC systems, cold storage, and shipping containers.

Travis Higginbotham of DDH explains that the technology already had a legacy in other industries, but needed refinement for plant environments. "We worked through two full years of design and testing so the equipment could function inside grow facilities, centralized HVAC systems, shipping trailers, and cold rooms," he says. That development period included USDA fruit trials, extensive third-party air-quality analysis on 50 pathogens, and pilot projects with large cannabis and ornamental producers.

A key advantage is that this plasma field does not generate ozone an issue that has hindered some older plasma approaches. The QC units carry both UL and CARB certifications, confirming that they are safe for plants and for staff working within indoor facilities.

The system is straightforward by design. Air is drawn through the device, passes through an energised plasma zone, and emerges treated. In that field, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species—such as hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide form naturally and break down airborne pathogens and volatile organic compounds. As Travis puts it, "The idea is to create a field in the environment that breaks down cell walls and alters the structure of certain compounds."

Fruit storage and shipping have been an early proving ground. "The combination of darkness, low temperatures, humidity, and tightly packed produce creates ideal conditions for mold," he notes. USDA trials on bananas, tomatoes, apples, and strawberries found that cold-plasma-treated shipments retained firmness and showed virtually no visible mould.

Importantly, DDH focused on ensuring safety for both crops and growers. Even at double or triple application intensity, "we did not see negative effects," Travis says. Some trials even hinted at neutral or improved yields. For cannabis operators, the technology offers a potential solution to airborne contaminants linked to compliance failures, including aspergillus. A recent grower trial showed a 90% drop in aspergillus counts within just four days.

QC devices are standalone, easy to install, and available in multiple sizes and voltages. There are no subscription costs, and financing options are provided. Across all trials, DDH reports an average pathogen reduction of 87.2% within a week, rising to 95%+ during continuous month-long operation. As Travis explains, "The focus is getting the technology in growers hands through our trial program and building confidence that QC is the solution they have been waiting for."

ReinCloud 3 integration can transform digital farm management. (Image credit: CloudX)

Reinke Manufacturing, one of the world’s leading producers of centre pivot irrigation systems, has strengthened its strategic alliance with CropX Technologies through a major new integration designed to simplify and modernise digital farm management.

The two companies have unveiled a unified platform experience that connects the full suite of CropX agronomic data directly into Reinke’s ReinCloud 3 system, offering farmers a seamless, single-location interface for all essential operational insights.

This next phase of collaboration removes one of the biggest frustrations farmers face switching between multiple digital dashboards. With the integration in place, growers can now view all CropX data streams directly inside ReinCloud 3, meaning that soil moisture, weather conditions, agronomic analytics and pivot management controls can finally be accessed in one streamlined platform. The result is a more intuitive, efficient approach to farm monitoring and irrigation decisions.

The connectivity between CropX and ReinCloud 3 is fully secure and highly detailed. CropX sensors now appear directly on the ReinCloud 3 map with exact placement data, enabling farmers to navigate their fields digitally with complete clarity. The integration supports the entire CropX portfolio, including soil moisture probes, evapotranspiration (ET) data, rain gauges and localised weather station insights. By presenting this information in a single interface, growers gain a clearer understanding of field conditions, helping them make better-informed and timely decisions.

Importantly, the flow of information moves both ways. In addition to bringing CropX insights into ReinCloud, the system allows Reinke’s as-applied irrigation data to feed automatically into the CropX platform. This supports agronomic service providers with accurate data for crop modelling, record-keeping, compliance, nutrient planning and broader farm reporting tasks. The exchange significantly improves data accuracy for irrigation scheduling and agronomy recommendations.

To mark the launch of this enhanced integration, Reinke is currently offering a free CropX sensor with every new irrigation system, ensuring that customers immediately benefit from high-quality soil and crop intelligence from their first day in the field. This initiative reinforces the companies’ shared goal of connecting machine performance with agronomic insights to create more responsive and efficient farming operations.

“We’re building technology that works together seamlessly because that’s what modern farming demands,” says Chris Roth, President of Reinke Manufacturing. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to making growers’ lives easier through smart innovation.”

“CropX brings together soil sensing, satellite imagery, irrigation management, disease prediction, nutrient management, and yield forecasting, all powered by AI and machine learning,” says Tomer Tzach, CEO of CropX Technologies. “Now, farmers can access this complete agronomic intelligence directly where they’re already working, making better decisions faster.”

Since forming their partnership in 2021, Reinke and CropX have remained focused on delivering integrated, farmer-friendly solutions. Both companies plan to expand platform integration even further, continuing their mission to remove complexity from digital agriculture and deliver smarter, data-driven farm management.

XAG’s latest innovations signal the continued evolution of connected & autonomous farming technology. (Image credit: XAG)

XAG’s new R Series Agricultural Rover, a ground-based robotic platform designed to transform crop protection and material handling for orchard, vineyard, and greenhouse growers.

As a recognised leader in agricultural robotics, XAG used the event to highlight how automation, machine intelligence, and connected systems are reshaping modern farming. The company’s portfolio on show included lightweight rovers, tractor autopilot consoles, smart irrigation technology, fertigation solutions, and IoT monitoring tools. Together, these systems demonstrated a practical shift towards data-driven, resource-efficient agriculture that reduces labour demands and improves consistency across fields.

The newly launched R Series Agricultural Rover is built to act as a smart co-pilot for growers managing high-value speciality crops. Compact, fully electric, and engineered for tight or uneven terrain, the rover provides a reliable solution where traditional tractors struggle to operate. It is purpose-built for orchards, vineyards, tunnel houses, and greenhouses, where narrow rows and dense canopies demand precision over brute force.

Two distinct models make up the R Series.

The R100 Agricultural Rover is tailored for greenhouse and vegetable production, featuring a 120-litre tank, four-wheel drive, and two high-speed JetSprayers for accurate and efficient application in confined growing environments.

The larger R200 Agricultural Rover carries a 240-litre tank, six-wheel drive, and four JetSprayers, making it suitable for orchards and vineyards where extended range and capacity are essential.

Each rover is built with an all-aluminium chassis and a suspended portal axle, ensuring stability on sloped or uneven ground. The JetSprayer technology produces droplets between 60 and 200 microns, providing uniform coverage while reducing both water usage and chemical input.

Farmers control the rover through the SRC 5 Smart Remote Controller, equipped with a responsive touchscreen, dual joysticks, FPV live view, and XLink connectivity. This allows operators to remain a safe distance from chemicals while maintaining full oversight of the machine’s movements.

The onboard system supports a suite of intelligent features including Cruise Mode, Path Tracking, and Repeat Mode aimed at simplifying repetitive daily tasks. With RealTerra mapping and AI-assisted safety, the rover can detect obstacles, assess its surroundings, and adjust its route in real time, reducing risk while improving operational accuracy.

With labour shortages placing pressure on many speciality crop farms, the R Series is positioned as a practical solution to minimise physical workloads and support more reliable, predictable field operations. Its modular, expandable design allows growers to add attachments for weeding, material transport, and other tasks, turning it into a flexible assistant for year-round use.

Alongside the rover, XAG presented the APC2 Series AutoPilot Console, which delivers automated steering to small and mid-sized tractors. Able to achieve centimetre-level navigation accuracy, the system reduces fuel usage and operator fatigue and can be installed within minutes without replacing the tractor’s steering wheel.

The company also highlighted its smart fertigation and IoT systems, allowing farmers to control irrigation and nutrient delivery remotely. With electric valves, fertiliser injectors, and local network support, these systems ensure stable connectivity and secure data management even in regions with poor mobile coverage.

XAG’s latest innovations signal the continued evolution of connected, autonomous farming technology designed to help growers reduce costs, use fewer resources, and improve crop quality with greater precision.

this new model marks a major leap forward in greenhouse maintenance, offering improved safety, usability, and flexibility for growers. (Image credit: Van der Waay)

Van der Waay has unveiled its latest innovation, the Top Cleaner V, a fully autonomous roof-cleaning and coating machine designed to replace the long-standing Safety Cart.

According to the company, this new model marks a major leap forward in greenhouse maintenance, offering improved safety, usability, and flexibility for growers.

Unlike its predecessor, the Top Cleaner V operates entirely on its own, removing the need for an operator to travel along with the machine. It moves through a single gutter, making it compatible with greenhouses of different peak heights and roof designs. With just one button, growers can send the machine to the far end of the greenhouse, where it automatically turns around and returns, neatly retracting the water hose as it goes.

The Top Cleaner V is built from a series of modular components, allowing growers to customise it to match their exact workflows. Whether the job involves brushing glass from ridge to gutter, applying greenhouse coatings, or cleaning gutters, the machine can be configured for any combination of tasks. This makes it a versatile, future-proof solution suitable for a wide range of greenhouse types and operational needs.

Growers can choose from specialised brush sets designed for different peak sizes, a dedicated gutter brush for fast gutter cleaning, and spray booms for accurate coating application. Optional features include a remote-control system for safe ground-level operation, a service platform for smooth movement along the greenhouse façade, a high-pressure pump for water supply, and a portable generator for complete energy autonomy.

Safety has been a key priority in the development of the Top Cleaner V. All rotating parts are fully enclosed, and the machine is designed for easy access when maintenance is required. It can also be placed on a service platform to move conveniently from one peak to the next, provided the greenhouse façade is equipped with a rail system.

Key technical details include a 230 V power supply (compatible with a portable generator), adjustable operating speeds of up to 20 metres per minute, a hose reel that holds approximately 200 metres of ½-inch hose, and a maximum machine weight of around 285 kg depending on configuration. The machine has a wheelbase of 150 cm, offering stability during operation.

Van der Waay highlights the Top Cleaner V’s competitive pricing and high efficiency, noting that the machine can pay for itself quickly. Even a 1% increase in light transmission inside the greenhouse leads directly to a 1% rise in crop production, making clean, well-maintained glass essential for growers aiming to boost yields.