In South Korea, rice cultivation has been improved over centuries, and the drive for ultimate efficiency is pushing technology to its limits. Recently, our FJD AL02 3D Land Leveling System underwent a critical field test in the challenging conditions of a rice paddy in Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. The results were "mirror-like", confirming that advanced RTK and GNSS-based leveling is increasingly becoming the gold standard for global precision agriculture.
This test was more than just a routine trial; it was a key preparatory step for an exciting collaboration between FJDynamics and TYM (Tong Yang Moolsan), one of South Korea's leading multinational agricultural machinery manufacturers. This partnership signifies a major pivot toward digital solutions for one of the world's most demanding crops.
The Key Facts of Rice Paddy Leveling
For those unfamiliar with the rigorous demands of rice farming, the process of leveling the paddy field is absolutely vital because it forms the foundation of the entire growing season. To ensure a successful crop, the core goal is precision: the field surface must have a minimal height difference, ideally no more than ±3 centimetres.
Precision leveling is non-negotiable for the following reasons:
- Water Savings and Uniform Irrigation: A perfectly flat surface ensures that irrigation water spreads evenly, preventing high spots from drying out and low spots from drowning the seedlings. This drastically cuts down on water consumption.
- Uniform Growth: Even water depth and distribution promote uniform fertilizer application, which in turn ensures that every rice seedling receives the same nutrients, leading to tidy and consistent crop growth.
- Optimized Mechanization: A level field allows machinery, such as transplanters and harvesters, to operate smoothly and efficiently without getting stuck or damaging crops.
Traditional leveling methods are prone to inaccuracy, relying heavily on the operator's experience and resulting in a process that is both tedious and time-consuming. To overcome the lack of centimeter-level precision inherent in older methods, modern GNSS-based systems like the FJD AL02 now offer an indispensable solution.
TYM's Vision: Bridging the Gap in Precision Technology
TYM, founded in 1951 and headquartered in Seoul, is an influential player in the global agricultural machinery market. The company is known for its wide range of equipment, including tractors, combine harvesters, and cultivators. However, even a company of this stature had a recognized pain point: the internal research and development of sophisticated land leveling technology lagged behind their overall commitment to precision agriculture.
This gap became the catalyst for the collaboration. Having been introduced to the FJD AL02 product at the Iksan Agricultural Machinery Expo this year, TYM saw a path to immediately integrate cutting-edge leveling technology into its ecosystem. The recent field test was designed to confirm the AL02's viability for this critical partnership.
Test Day in Sangju: The "Mirror-Like" Leveling Results
The FJD AL02 3D Land Leveling System was put to its hard test in the muddy rice fields of Sangju, South Korea. The system was installed on a Japanese Iseki tractor, with a dedicated GNSS receiver mounted on the scraper. Rice fields are soft, muddy, and often uneven, which makes it hard to level the land precisely. This test was set up to check the system's main abilities under real working conditions.
Focusing on Tiny Accuracy
The one-hour test was about checking how precise the system was. Engineers and staff from both the FJD dealer and the test tractor provider constantly checked how much the machine moved off the planned path and measured the space between each pass. This close watching was important because even a tiny mistake in leveling can cause big problems later, like water pooling in some spots or uneven fertilizer spread.
Amazing Findings: Error Less Than One Millimeter
Engineers were impressed that the system's margin of error "doesn't go outside of 0.1 cm". To put that into perspective, 0.1 cm is just one millimeter—an incredibly high standard for any field operation, let alone a muddy rice paddy. This millimeter-level control proves the AL02 can make the field "flat like a mirror," which is much better than the required ±3 cm standard.Field Engineers Confirm It Works
The perfect work of the AL02 system was clear to everyone. Field engineers confirmed the system's reliability. After seeing how accurate and steady it was, one engineer said, "It's really just like the boss said." This expert approval shows that the FJD system meets, and probably beats, the high standards needed in modern farming.The Final Result: Flat Like a Mirror
In the end, the most important success came from the FJD dealer's feedback. The overall result of the leveling was rated as good, which is high praise for this tough job. The clear result was seeing the field transformed: the rice paddy was left "flat like a mirror". This perfect surface is the key to efficient rice transplanting. It proves the AL02 system is a game-changing system for today's rice farming.How AL02 Achieves Precision Leveling
Unlike traditional laser-based systems that require complicated setup and are limited in range, the AL02 leverages GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System, including GPS) and RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) technology.
- RTK Precision: RTK corrects the inherent errors in satellite signals, delivering real-time positioning accuracy down to the centimeter level.
- Simplicity and Flexibility: This technology eliminates the need for physically setting up line-of-sight laser transmitters, offering a broader operational range and making the AL02 system effective even in the wet and irregularly shaped terrain of a paddy field.
New GPS Leveling Standard for Rice Fields
The FJD AL02 3D Land Leveling System successfully passed a demanding field test in South Korea's muddy rice paddies, showing it will transform rice farming across the country and the wider Asian paddy field landscape. By using GNSS and RTK technology, the AL02 helps Asian farmers boost rice transplanting efficiency with centimeter-level error margin, making GPS-based leveling the new standard for precision rice agriculture.