On-Field Experiments in practice - Van den Borne

Van den Borne Potatoes participates in the Interreg project SIMONE NWE, representing the Southeast Netherlands. The company is a leading example of precision agriculture and is well-known for its use of drones, satellite imagery, and sensors. This makes Van den Borne an ideal partner for SIMONE, allowing innovative methods to be tested in a real-world environment that is already familiar with high-tech monitoring.

Located in North Brabant, a key region for potato and arable farming, the company faces important challenges related to weed management, crop nutrition, and crop resilience. In addition to its role in SIMONE, Van den Borne also supports other initiatives through the Van den Borne Campus, such as the Living Lab, where farmers, technology partners, and researchers collaborate on innovation.

SIMONE focuses on making agriculture more sustainable and resilient by testing and evaluating systemic innovations in practice. The goal is to collect, analyze, and apply data to ensure that the agricultural sector remains future-proof for the next generations.

Three Core Themes

As one of the Living Lab Leaders, Van den Borne is responsible for three On-Field Experiments (OFEs) in Southeast Netherlands. Two are conducted on its own farm, and a third is hosted by fellow farmer Derikx.

On-Field Experiment 1 – Crop Establishment (Van den Borne)

This experiment focuses on onion cultivation. The field is divided into three slurry-treated strips. Within each strip, conventional seeding is compared with band seeding. In collaboration with Wageningen University, plant counts were conducted, and two drone flights took place in late June: one assessing emergence differences and one measuring biomass.

The images were analyzed by project partner Hiphen. Preliminary results show that band seeding leads to more uniform emergence of onions. In the coming years, further measurements will be carried out to assess effects on yield and plant stability.

More details on sowing methods, soil preparation criteria, and future harvests can be found in the factsheet of OFE 1

On-Field Experiment 2 – Weed Management (Van den Borne)

This experiment focuses on sugar beet. The field is divided into two strips: one treated chemically and one mechanically. Chemical control was mainly applied early in the season, while mechanical control took place at the end of May.

In July, a drone was used to monitor leaf growth. At the end of the season, yield measurements will be taken to identify differences between both strategies and determine whether mechanical weed control can serve as a viable alternative to chemical treatments.

The factsheet of OFE 2 provides additional information on common weed species, herbicide resistance, and applied strategies.

On-Field Experiment 3 – Nutrition (Derikx)

This experiment focuses on nutrient efficiency in potatoes. Two varieties, Fontane and Virgil, are tested—each partly treated with biostimulants and partly left untreated. All plots were treated against Rhizoctonia.

Initial observations show that Fontane grows faster than Virgil. Leaf samples are collected every two weeks to compare nutrient uptake. At the end of the season, tuber analyses will be carried out to assess yield and size distribution.

More information on challenges in nitrogen fertilization, organic manure use, and N requirements can be found in the factsheet of OFE 3.

Innovations and Insights

The field experiments generate a large amount of data. To make this manageable, Van den Borne developed the Smart3r dashboard, which visualizes activities and results per experiment.

Expected insights include:

• Precision weed management: using drones and algorithms to detect weed patches and apply targeted control.
• Smarter fertilization: decision support systems based on sensor data and models, reducing inputs and environmental impact.
• Enhanced crop resilience: improved understanding of optimal establishment conditions and stress monitoring.

Farmers’ Motivation

Farmers participate because they:

• Expect lower costs and higher yields
• Can test new technologies in practice without bearing all development costs
• Want to lead the way in sustainable agriculture and comply with future regulations
• Benefit from a broad network of researchers and companies

For Van den Borne, participation further strengthens its role as a pioneer and demonstration farm, while developing the Campus as an innovation hub.

Conclusion

Through the three On-Field Experiments within SIMONE NWE, Van den Borne demonstrates how practical farms play a crucial role in the transition to sustainable agriculture. By conducting experiments in real fields, in collaboration with researchers and technology partners, the project generates knowledge that is directly applicable in practice.

The results not only contribute to more sustainable production in Brabant, but also provide a blueprint for agriculture across Northwest Europe.