“No longer between 80 and 120 percent, but exactly that 100 percent everywhere”

“Uniform coverage everywhere: at the front, in the middle, and at the back of the row”

The frustration of ‘under- and over-dosing’

Before the switch to BBLeap, the family struggled with the technical limitations of traditional sprayers. Especially entering and exiting the rows was a real headache for Richard. “Braking causes over-application and accelerating causes under-application,” explains Richard. The old system often needed ten to twenty metres to build up pressure again, meaning the first trees in a row invariably received too little product. What’s more, the manual work was laborious: for every change in application rate – for example, with young plantings – nozzles had to be physically changed, often using a stepladder. “You were wearing gloves and it was grubby work… that’s all a thing of the past now.”

The need for control

The van Maaren family looked for a system that gave them back control, regardless of driving speed or variation in the orchard. They wanted to be rid of the uncertainty about whether a product ended up in the right place. The need was clear: a machine that is immediately at the right pressure from the first tree and that is smart enough not to spray where there are no leaves.

The machine thinks for me: “On is on and off is off”

​The need for more control and ease of use led them to the LeapBox and later the LeapEye cameras. The family sought a solution where the quality of the spraying work no longer depended on how fast the driver drove. With their KWH Leap Edition commissioned in 2024, the dynamics in the cabin changed completely. “You just put 300 liters in a tank and you always deliver 300 liters. It doesn’t matter how fast you drive,” says Richard. “Off is off. And on is on,” he says about the millisecond-fast response time. Whereas previously the tree would be ‘over-sprayed’ at a stop, the BBLeap sprayer now reacts immediately, ensuring that the application rate, droplet size, and distribution are always correct.

Another major advantage is the recirculating boom system. Where they previously had to flush out the lines when switching between apples and pears to prevent the wrong product from ending up on the wrong fruit, the mixture is now directly at the nozzle instead of first having meters of clean water coming out of the lines. Furthermore, this system prevents blockages due to the plunger that smashes dirt. “With that old sprayer, there was dirt in the dead corners of the valves; now I have much fewer blockages”.

The proof: Savings on expensive products

Since last season, the family has been using LeapEye camera technology, which has taken precision to an even higher level. For the modern fruit grower, this system is now an absolute no-brainer: the cameras recognise the profile of every tree in real time. This is a huge benefit, particularly for young plantings. Where the machine used to simply keep spraying in open gaps or above low trees, the system now rapidly closes the relevant nozzles. 

The figures Richard has calculated leave little to the imagination: “Normally, you’d use 690 litres if you opened all nine nozzles. Now we’re down to 370 litres.” That amounts to a saving of no less than 53%. Because the system automatically closes the top three nozzles where there are no tree tops, you already save 33%. That extra 20% saving comes from the fact that only the trees are hit and never the gaps in the row.

 “It doesn’t matter how fast you drive. Off is off. And on is on.”

Better use of resources

As well as savings, LeapEye represents a huge leap forward in ease of use. The driver no longer needs to manually monitor the height of the trees or switch sections; the system does the work. This creates peace of mind in the cab and ensures that the operation is always perfect, regardless of the driver’s concentration. What’s more, this allows for better use of the product in areas where pressure is high. “You save on the product in bare patches, but you apply extra where it’s needed,” explains Richard. The result is less drift and coverage that is exactly the same everywhere.

The MIA scheme draws the line

This camera investment became extra attractive through the MIA scheme (environmental investment allowance). Richard explains: “Because of the cameras, the sprayer qualified for the MIA scheme, meaning you could deduct a significant portion of the investment. So, on balance, those cameras ended up costing very little extra.”

From task maps to real-time thinning

The Van Maaren family is already looking forward to the possibilities offered by the ‘Plant Precision’ system. The next step is to integrate GPS for working with task maps. They also see opportunities for thinning: “You can spray thinning agent across the whole field, but that’s of no use on a thin tree. Now, with LeapEye, you can thin only the thick trees.” In this way, they hope to break the cycle of alternate-year yields and achieve a stable, uniform harvest every year. 

Although there was no need for it in their orchard this year, the system is technically fully ready for the task. Knowing that the machine can also handle this critical task with the utmost precision makes the investment future-proof. 

“It is a no-brainer”

When asked what advice they would give to other fruit growers, the answer is simple: making the switch brings immediate certainty and convenience. For Henri and Richard, 100% coverage is the deciding factor. “It’s easier. You get the same coverage everywhere: at the front of the row, in the middle, at the back of the row,” concludes Richard. The investment pays for itself not only in litres of spray, but above all in the quality of the fruit and peace of mind whilst working.

“It’s the convenience and that 100% coverage. Exactly one hundred percent. Not between 80 and 120, but the same everywhere,” he concludes. “You just don’t have to think about it anymore”.

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