In the sun-drenched orchards of Spain, where rows of fruit plants grow lushly under the Mediterranean sun, a quiet revolution is taking place. For years, orchard managers have battled the same challenges: uneven pest outbreaks, rising pesticide costs, environmental concerns, and the physical toll of manual labor.
But today, the rise of smart agriculture is rewriting the rules. At the wave of this transformation is FJDynamics’ ATS Precision Spraying Autosteering System—a technology that's redefining orchard spraying. This blog dives into how the ATS system empowers growers to tackle age-old problems with cutting-edge precision. Through the success story of a Spanish fruit farm, we'll explore why "spray smarter, not harder" is becoming the new standard of modern orchard management.
The Problem with Traditional Orchard Spraying
For many years, growers used to spray all their fruit plants the same way. They'd drive tractors through the rows and spray the same amount of pesticides everywhere, even if some plants didn't have any pests. This wasted a lot of expensive chemicals and didn't help the plants that had pests. Growers faced a frustrating trade-off: use too much pesticide and risk harming crops, or use too little and leave plants vulnerable to infestations.This old way of spraying was also bad for the environment and people. Excess pesticides would soak into the soil and get into the waterways neearby, disrupting local ecosystems and contaminating resources. Meanwhile, the workers had to spend a lot of time adjusting spray nozzles manually and watching how much they sprayed, and they were often exposed to the chemicals. This inefficiency of the old spraying method wasn't good for the orchards or the environment.
In Spain, where high-quality fruit production is a source of pride, these challenges hit especially hard. Growers needed a way to protect their crops without compromising the land or their workers' well-being. The search for a solution that balanced productivity with environmental protection became urgent—a shift that would soon redefine orchard management.
The ATS System: A Game-Changer in Orchard Dosing
The FJD ATS Precision Spraying System revolutionizes pest control by treating each fruit plant as unique. It can be easily fitted to any tractor and spraying units—trailed, mounted, or self-propelled. When paired with ISOBUS implement control, the ATS brings a new level of precision and efficiency in orchard dosing activities.
Using real-time positioing data, the ATS can automatically adjust pesticide flow based on factors like tree density, growth stage, or pest threats, eliminating the guesswork of traditional spraying. Orchards are divided into zones with customized pesticide treatment plans, ensuring no overuse in healthy areas or underuse in vulnerable spots. Operators simply drive the tractor while the system handles precise dosing, saving time and reducing human error.
In addition, through precision pesticide spraying, the ATS helps minimize chemical residues in fruit production and prevent unnecessary environmental contamination of soil and water sources. This contributes significantly to achieving a healthy and environmentally responsible "farm-to-fork" fruit supply chain, assuring consumers of safe and sustainable produce.
But what does this look like in practice? Let’s demonstrate with a case study of a fruit farm in Spain, where the ATS system turned troublesome spraying into effortless dosing tasks.
The Ways ATS Transformed the Spanish Orchard
The introduction of the FJD ATS changed the way the Spainish farm manages their orchards, leading to significant improvements in productivity and fruit quality. With the ATS, growers could now automate this critical task, ensuring optimal fruit growth. This technological shift not only reduced labor costs but also minimized human error, resulting in healthier plants and higher yields. Here are three major changes:On-Demand Spraying: No More Guesswork
In the past, the orchard sprayed entire zones uniformly. If one zone had pests, the whole area would get sprayed. With the ATS, flow rates were adjusted based on tractor speed and pest hotspots in real time. "The ATS controls flow proportional to the tractor speed", said the operator.
The farm used to apply excessive pesticide with a blanket method, which was not only a waste of resources but also might cause damage to fruit plants. With the ATS precisely controlling the dosage, they can now avoid this "chemical damage" phenomenon and improve fruit quality for better market competitiveness.
According to the farm manager, they now use less chemicals, but their pest control is better. The FJD system knows exactly where to target. By matching pesticide volume to actual need, the farm slashed costs while boosting efficacy—a win-win for budgets and crop health.
Zone Control: Skipping Healthy Plants
The orchard's old spraying routine often covered the same ground twice, especially in overlapping rows. The ATS eliminated this redundancy by dividing the farm into zones. For example, a zone of young plants (which required lighter doses) was sprayed differently than mature plants battling scale insects. Areas with no pests were skipped entirely, saving time and chemicals.
Smart Automation: Safety and Comfort Matter
Before using the ATS, workers had to manually tweak nozzles and monitor sprayers under the hot Spanish sun. Fatigue led to errors, and exposure to chemicals was a constant worry. The ATS system automated these tasks. Operators could focus on navigating rows while the ATS adjusted settings autonomously.
As the farm manager indicated, their operators are now less exhausted because the ATS not only support manual driving but also autosteering when they need some relaxation in the tractor cab. With every operation automating precisely, their operators reduce physical contact with those pesticides, which effectively improves operational safety and protects their health.
Precision Spraying Is a Future Trend
With stricter EU regulations on chemical use, the Spanish orchard is now ahead of the curve and stays ready for any sustainability standards in the future. Their story is a microcosm of a global shift. As climate change and consumer demand push agriculture toward sustainability, technologies like the ATS system are proving indispensable.For orchard managers, the choice is clear: embrace precision or risk falling behind. By combining efficiency with ecology, FJDynamics' ATS spraying innovation isn't just solving today's problems—it's protecting the plants for healthier food and sustainable farms tomorrow.
You may also want to read:
- FJD Precision Spraying vs. Traditional Spraying: Which Saves More Money in Crop Protection?
- How Precision Spray Saves Pesticides?
- Smart Nozzle Control & Section Automation: How FJD Precision Spraying Tech Makes Every Drop Count?