Photo/Illutration Raicho I operates automatically on solar power May 16 in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture. (Yasuaki Oshika)

NOBEOKA, Miyazaki Prefecture--Robotics took over the task of growing rice plants in a paddy here, slashing the time needed for cultivation by 95 percent while simultaneously ensuring an almost comparable level of harvest.

The work was undertaken by Kyoto-based robot maker Tmsuk Co. It marked the first round of testing.

Working with Nobeoka city, which is seeking ways to claw back growing tracts of abandoned farmland due to the aging of farmers, Tmsuk is robotizing agricultural procedures in three paddies.

The process of creating dedicated beds for seedlings is replaced by a drone’s scattering of seeds directly on rice paddies. Conditions in each of the fields are monitored remotely, so farmers do not need to patrol them periodically.

A robotic model named Raicho I was used as a substitute for ducks that traditionally roam paddies and keep them free from weeds.

Tmsuk initially planned to rely on Raicho II for harvesting as well. But it was not completed in time.

In September, Tmsuk dispatched 12 employees with sickles to one of the test sites to harvest the crop by hand. Nearly 400 kilograms were harvested in the 1,000-square-meter plot.

Robotics reduced the time spent in labor to 29 hours compared with 529 hours when cultivation was done by hand, and the output came to nearly 80 percent of 500 kg that is expected to be harvested by the conventional method.

The product’s quality proved to be satisfactory, too.

“It tastes good enough if cooked for human consumption” although it was grown for use as an ingredient for rice flour, said Tmsuk’s chairman, Yoichi Takamoto. “I’m sure it will be well accepted.”

As Raicho II is slated to make its debut shortly, the harvesting process at another paddy will be accomplished by a robotic reaper around November.

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