A researcher from the University of Copenhagen has developed an algorithm that, in tandem with a sensor, makes it possible to distinguish crop-harming insects from helpful ones that pollinate and contribute to plant growth. According to the researcher’s new study, this allows farmers to constrain pesticide use by only targeting harmful insects. "We have developed an algorithm that, in tandem with a sensor, can identify fields with large numbers of harmful insects. In this way, a farmer can target pesticides in specific fields instead of spraying them all so as to be safe rather than sorry," said Klas Rydhmer, a PhD student at the department of geosciences and natural resource management. "The next step is to make the sensors mobile so that they can measure exactly where harmful insects are in a field. For example, a farmer might only need to spray the right side of a field. Thus, our technology can hopefully minimize the use of pesticides which are problematic for the environment and that often and unnecessarily harm beneficial insects such as wasps, bees, ladybugs, phytoseiid mites and wolf spiders." Sensors distinguish insect species In collaboration with biologists and engineers at FaunaPhotonics, Rydhmer developed the sensor that uses infrared light to distinguish insect species. The solar-powered sensor is able to detect the speed of insect wingbeats, how large insect bodies are in relation to their wingspans, as well as insect colour. This information is passed along to the algorithm that categorizes the insects into species groups and notifies the farmer via a computer or mobile device. "In Denmark, we are particularly vulnerable to rapeseed pests that burrow into rapeseed plants and create holes where other insects then lay their eggs,” noted Rydhmer. “Using the sensor, we can see which fields are affected by these pests and concentrate our pesticide use there, while leaving other fields alone.” In the past, farmers used yellow catch trays filled with water or flypaper to ascertain the presence of harmful insects in their fields. "Our sensor and algorithm make it possible to collect information about one’s fields hour by hour, season after season. It also opens up completely new opportunities to investigate the behaviour of insects so that we can learn how to protect them in the best possible way, and in doing so, protect biodiversity," added Rydhmer. Although the sensors have mainly been tested in the laboratory, several experiments are taking place in working fields – about 15 Danish farms are currently testing the sensors, and across the EU, there are roughly 100 sensors being tested. ●
... minimizing the use of pesticides that often cause unnecessarily harm
The Stoller Group has acquired a stake in Cromai, an agri-tech startup providing farm management software. According to Rodrigo Ferreira de Oliveira, Mercosur/Asia/ Oceania vice president of the Stoller Group, corporate participation in Cromai is an important step to offer farmers digital services that help them manage their property in a more assertive way. “This movement is in line with our goal to build innovative and sustainable solutions, alongside our customers and partners,” he said. The development of artificial intelligence applied to the field by the two companies has taken place for three harvests. In 2022, it will be available to coffee producers. In 2023, launches are planned for sugar cane and large crops, especially for soybeans, corn and cotton. The project started in Brazil, but it will be expanded on a global scale by the Stoller Group, which is currently present in 56 countries. “We are very excited about this new stage at Cromai as we will expand our performance in the field with the digitalization of agronomic management,” said Guilherme Barros Castro, co-founder and CEO of Cromai. “It is a promising moment, and a partnership of this size allows us to take this high-level technological innovation with transformative results to more farmers.” Castro said farmers will be able to make management decisions based on information results in real time in addition to the physiological well-being and nutritional status of the plants, the level of vegetation cover, plant stand, leaf temperature, intensity and identification of problems and weeds, and the maturity classification of coffee beans. Cromai will invest in increasing its team and in developing and improving its portfolio of products and technologies such as software, applications and sensors on which the artificial intelligence algorithms are based. The company works with cutting edge technology highlighted with models formulated from millions of plant images and exclusive private methodologies. ●
