The latest software update from Topcon Agriculture has introduced trials plot planting and multiple implement control into its Horizon precision farming and crop production program.

As well as that, there's a new feature which enables automatic section and variable rate control on multiple implements simultaneously, which makes it quick and simple to lay out and drill trials plots.

In addition to various enhancements to Topcon's user interface, such as improved implement diagnostics, video screen capture and a plug-and-play upgrade which enables Topcon’s X-series of consoles to communicate seamlessly with Claas’s OEM yield monitoring system (thereby eliminating the need for an external yield monitoring ECU), the software update – to Horizon version 5.02 – also has two new features – multiple implement support (MIS) and plot planter.

MIS enables users to manage auto section and variable rate control on multiple ISOBUS implements simultaneously – for example, when using a rear-mounted seed drill in combination with a front-mounted liquid applicator or using a rear-mounted sprayer with a front-mounted slug pellet applicator, or using front and rear mounted fertiliser spinners to simultaneously spread two separate straight or compound products at different or varying rates.

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Plot Planter offers a quick and easy way of setting out trials plots or seeding zones from the tractor cab without the need for any external software. This ensures plots are laid out and planted accurately with clear, real-time visualisation of the seeding process helping to eliminate errors and ensure accurate data collection for subsequent analysis.

Users can also now plot obstacles, such as trees, telegraph poles, hidden drain covers or patches of weeds, and to set a customisable proximity alert to warn the operator when the obstructions are approaching.

Richard Reed, managing director of LH Agro, Topcon’s distributor in the UK, said: “As well as a series of relatively minor enhancements this latest software contains some exciting new features, not least of which is the ability to control multiple ISOBUS implements simultaneously which could be a game-changer for growers looking to reduce the number of field passes without compromising application accuracies.

"Likewise, the new Plot Planter feature represents a huge step forward in the way trials plots are set out.”