By Fiona Gowers
A Queensland agricultural company is leveraging AI, drones, and U.S. tech to help prevent farmers over-spraying herbicides.
Infarm has developed a drone-to-tractor solution called Fallow Weed, which harnesses technology that gives farmers precise guidance on where to apply herbicide and how much to spray.
The cutting-edge solution eliminates the need to invest in expensive equipment to determine if herbicide is needed.
In effect, it can process data equivalent to three-quarters of the Netflix library without the internet.
The drone-to-tractor solution is currently being fast-tracked through the CSIRO GRDC GrowNull program, which aims to accelerate innovations for Australian grain growers.
Infarm CEO Jerome Leroy says Fallow Weed would be a game-changer for the sector and wider agricultural industry.
"Fallow Weed enables data collection over multiple paddocks at an affordable cost," Mr. Leroy said.
"When deployed across a 750-hectare paddock, it can capture high-definition images of a paddock.
"These are then uploaded to Infarm's processing platform, which applies a unique weed-identifying algorithm.
"The result is a tractor-ready file that can be uploaded into a standard variable rate tractor via USB.
"This then controls the nozzle sections on existing sprayer machinery, turning off and on as required, depending on the identified presence of weeds.
"Farmers can all but eliminate their need for in-cab monitors by accessing the weed heat map from their smartphones."
Through smart innovative approach, any data gathering is processed without the need for internet connection, using encrypted drone imagery and robotic systems.
According to GrainGrowers Research and Development Program (R&D), the rate of chemical input in the GrowNull region, it resulted in 47.3 percent saving in chemical usage.
As far as results with its potential saving, it results in as much as in 28% and 35% chemical spraying including the frequency around the clock!
"The technology works by using drones to capture images of a paddock, while a power-to-run drone provides real solutions to improve productivity,"
Source: Queensland Farmer Today
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