During the Christmas season and as the purple garlic sowing campaign was coming to an end, we had the opportunity to visit a beautiful farm in Herencia (Ciudad Real) called ‘Casas de Vida’. Here, we witnessed the Spanish manufacturer Broch’s new garlic planter in action and explored their innovative Smart Broch system for machine control and management—a truly fascinating solution that we’ll explain in detail below.
Before we continue, we want to extend our gratitude to Antonio, his father, his brother and his sons for the warm hospitality they showed us during the morning we spent with them in their farm.
Regarding the garlic planter, it is a pneumatic machine that we have already covered in previous posts. However, this version introduces many new features, which we’ll detail here. The most innovative aspect is the Smart Broch system—a machine management platform—which enables to have all the control from a tablet connected wirelessly (via Wi-Fi) to the machine. This allows operators to adjust configurations from the tractor cab and they can make the adjustment needed without stopping sowing, as well as seeing all the information from its multiple sensors ... all this is the Smart Broch system.
As shown in the video, this evolution takes the machine from a mechanical and analog system to a fully hydraulic and digitalized one. But how does this transformation work? Let’s break it down:
- Hydraulic Transmission System. Replacing the traditional chain and sprocket system, the new hydraulic setup is controlled by three key sensors:
- Machine speed sensor: Measures sowing speed.
- Waterwheel speed sensor: Monitors the speed at which garlic is deposited before it’s placed in the soil.
- Garlic clove sensor: Counts the number of cloves deposited in the ground.
- GPS Receiver and Processing Software
- Integrates sensor data and GPS positioning.
- Wirelessly transmits machine information to a tablet, where specialized management software is installed.
From the tablet in the tractor cab, operators can access the following real-time information, categorized into three main sections:
- Machine Operation Control
- Working speed
- Pneumatic turbine revolutions
- Sowing density per row
- Geolocation and plants per meter
- Vibrator sensors
- Geolocation and Traceability
- Tracks and stores job records in the cloud.
- Alarm and Maintenance Systems
- Alerts to detect irregularities.
- Maintenance
- Predictive maintenance program to anticipate wear and prevent breakdowns.
Smart Broch system is truly impressive, offering real-time insights into the machine’s performance and ensuring the planting is carried out correctly.
One particularly useful example we observed was adjusting the plant density per meter—a critical factor in garlic planting. This adjustment was made seamlessly from the tablet, without stopping the sowing process, altering the working speed, or physically modifying the machine.
In conclusion, Smart Broch system represents a leap forward in agricultural technology, combining precision, efficiency, and user-friendly control to deliver.
