Mango, known as the “king of fruit”, contains a great source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Its fragrant sweetness, rich flavour and succulent texture have made it to the top on the list of the most popular fruits. However, before mango gets onto our plate, it has to go through a tough growing journey of fighting pests and diseases in its plantations. It is estimated that mango can be attacked by over 400 species of insects and mite pests around the global.

 XAG R150 demo spray in Ecuador

Recently, the R150 autonomous robot is introduced into a mango farm in Ecuador, ready to provide crop protection to this delicious fruit. Ecuador is the world’s major mango producer and exports around 50,000 tonnes of mangoes each year, most of which are cultivated in the province of Guayas. The wide range of varieties in this juicy fruit that Ecuadorian farmers manage has gained space in the global market and maintain a good reputation.

Mango trees require consistent warm temperatures to breed flowers and small fruits, but the hot and humid tropical climate there also causes a boom in pests and diseases. Farmers must maintain a stable pesticide spraying frequency to prevent crop damage and yield loss brought from these disasters.

Labour shortage is another problem that troubles farmers and local plantation owners during busy seasons. The aging rural population can hardly support the demand of production, whereas the younger generation is reluctant to take on a job of farming, since agriculture used to involve extensive manual work and unpredictable income.

 XAG R150 Unmanned Ground Vehicle conducted sprays onto mango trees

When mango growers are seeking for an effective solution, XAG works actively with users in Guayas, Ecuador to introduce XAG R150 as a lightweight ground vehicle to solve their problems. This agricultural robot can conduct sprays in high precision with reducing chemical usage, and its smart design enables autonomous traverse between dense orchards with ease.

In the immediate future, farmers could be relieved from heavy workload and free from concerns of hiring seasonal workers. The R150 would become the smart companion of mango growing safer and better with less pesticide.