The Kubota Corporation has partnered with French start-up UV Boosting to promote sustainable solutions within viticulture.
UV Boosting has developed a patented solution to stimulate a plant’s natural defences through UV-C light flashes, enabling growers to cut back on fungicides and minimise damage caused by pathogens and other abiotic stresses.
The system is said to be crop agnostic, enabling the system to be extended to other crops.
Daria Batukhtina, strategic business development manager at Kubota Innovation Center Europe, said; “Increasing regulatory restrictions and environmental concerns are enabling a need for alternatives to minimise chemical inputs in speciality crops.
“This pilot program with several growers and dealers is a part of Kubota’s strategy to create an eco-system which allows innovation to evolve, through partnerships with external businesses such as AgTech start-ups, agricultural producers, research institutes and universities.”
The pilot programme takes place in Brescia, Italy, and Anjou, France, with participating dealers supporting the new technology and collecting customer feedback.
Herve Gerard-Biard, vice president of business development, Kubota Holding Europe BV said; “With this partnership, Kubota is extending its scope into alternative crop protection solutions and accelerating its innovation strategy with the objective of creating new business opportunities.”
