Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6844 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM The ever-stringent quality standards in the seed industry are creating new technical challenges for big and small seed companies alike. Helping seed businesses to increase seed quality has been the main drive behind the development of ASM’s sorting technology and, this year, led to the creation of an entirely new optical sorting machine designed specifically for the seed industry: the ASM Quasar. ASM has developed a completely new “Optical Processor” called Logic, which is the heart of the new machine. It is a combination of very powerful hardware and software algorithms that closely mimic how humans understand visual information. In order to determine what something looks like and what the differences are between two objects, the human brain combines colours, shapes, and textures. Until now, optical sorters could only analyse this information separately. Just like our brain, the Quasar judges many different parameters at the same time, and can “understand” what its cameras are seeing. It automatically knows what the real colour of a seed is, independently of lights and shadows, and the exact shape and texture of every single seed, contaminant or particle. This makes it very accurate in deciding what to keep or reject, and incredibly easy to use, even compared to earlier ASM machines, which are well known for their user-friendliness. The optical processor also changes how the user interacts with the sorter. Thanks to the Intelligent Learning system, creating a program is as simple as taking a snapshot of a contaminated seed sample. The Quasar automatically understands which are the good seeds and suggests what should be rejected. A simple confirmation on the screen and the program is created. Trial-and-error is a thing of the past. In terms of raw performance, the Quasar is a force to be reckoned with. It builds on the high capacity of the ASM Vision series, maintaining the 360 mm chute (the widest on the market), but features the next generation of 4k full-colour cameras, with the highest optical resolution and the innovative “True-Color” technology to maintain colour definition on very small seeds. The processing speed is lightning fast, with a scan rate of up to 40 kHz and a new ejector algorithm, called Sniper, which drastically reduces product losses. This is a truly impressive machine that is sure to open many new possibilities for reaching higher levels of purity and yield. INNOVATION SHOWCASE QUASAR: THE INTELLIGENT OPTICAL SORTER ProNitro® is a patented grass seed coating that focuses on improving nutrient utilisation during the early stages of plant growth. ProNitro® offers a unique combination of fast and slow-release nitrogen. Because the nitrogen is wrapped around each seed in an easily accessible format, the germinating seed can tap into it straight away. Blades of grass emerge sooner and more densely. You give your sward a head start that leads to increased forage and milk yields. ProNitro® combines seeding and fertilising in a single pass. All the nitrogen your grass seed needs for fast establishment comes ready-wrapped around the seed. • Coating increases seed weight by 50% • Nitrogen accounts for 10% of seed weight ProNitro® delivers a full-strength nitrogen fertiliser directly to where it’s needed at the point of sowing, delivering many benefits including much stronger establishment, stronger rooting, reduced leaching and improved value as it replaces the need for seed bed fertilisation. ProNitro® has proven itself through numerous tests and trials. Emergence and grass density are improved; forage yields can be anything from 5% to 20% higher in the first year. • Better early growth from stronger plants with 30% longer roots, improved stress-tolerance, and an average of 30% more viable plants. • More efficient use of nutrients with fertiliser applied directly to the root zone. • Bigger and heavier seed provides better contact with soil surface. • Feeds the seed only, not weeds or surrounding grass. • Colourants reduce losses through bird picking. ProNitro® is very suitable for overseeding with its fast establishment and fertiliser coating. For more information on ProNitro® go to www.dlf.com or contact DLF by email or phone. PRONITRO� BOOSTS GRASS GROWTH AND MILK YIELDS HERE’S THE LATEST IN SEED SOLUTIONS TECHNOLOGY. www.sortingasm.com info@sortingasm.com Tel. +39 051 6630419 www.dlf.com dlf@dlf.com Tel. +45 46 330300