April 2024 - 8

PEST MANAGEMENT
BUT THE TRICKY PART COMES IN THE DATA
PROCESSING, THE DATA EXTRACTION, KIND OF
CLEANING THAT UP, AND THEN STARTING TO TRAIN
SOME REALLY CUTTING-EDGE MACHINE LEARNING
MODELS ON THIS UNIQUE SOUND DATA TO FIGURE
OUT WHAT ACTUALLY IS GOING ON AND FIGURING
OUT HOW TO INTERPRET THAT DATA.
- Emily Bick
" That's really not the hard part, building the sensor,
right? Because if I can build a sensor like this, anyone
can build a sensor like this, " Bick said. " But the tricky
part comes in the data processing, the data extraction,
kind of cleaning that up, and then starting to train some
really cutting-edge machine learning models on this
unique sound data to figure out what actually is going on
and figuring out how to interpret that data. "
The algorithm will let growers know when and
where different species are destroying their crops, and
how many are on each plant. As a Wisconsin-based
Extension specialist whose focus is on field and forage
crops, she's been researching pests on corn, soybean
and other row crops.
Plans include researchers at Cornell University in New
York, Cal Poly in California, the University of California
Cooperative Extension in Sonoma and Napa counties and
the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Washington
to document insect sounds on apple trees, strawberry,
grapevines and cherry/pear trees, respectively.
Practical applications
The sensors can be clipped onto plants and left in
the field, and the data can be monitored remotely to
document when pests are active and where they are
concentrated. Or growers can use what Bick's lab has
dubbed the Rambling Eavesdropper: A Bluetoothenabled
version that allows the user to roam fields,
selectively listening to pest activity. Within a minute, the
user can download information and move on.
" The intuitive interface allows for seamless operation,
enabling growers to start monitoring for pests
immediately, " Mehrotra said. " This ease of installation
and use is crucial to adoption by growers, as it minimizes
barriers to entry and ensures that the technology can be
quickly integrated into existing farming practices. "
The data can be used to make a variety of decisions,
Bick said, which may replace a default " insurance
program " of applying certain pesticides at different
8 | APRIL 2024
stages of crop development throughout the season,
regardless of actual pest activity.
" But insects have a range, of a kind, of levels of
susceptibility (to specific pesticides), " she said, " and
some of them are more susceptible when they're
younger. Some insecticides only work on adults. "
The lab is documenting sounds that insects make
during different stages of life - larvae and adults behave
and eat differently.
" So we can tell something about how susceptible
that insect might be to a pesticide, " Bick said. " Actually
using this as a way to optimally or more precisely time
when those insecticidal tools are used or when a set of
biological control agents are released will only make
those interventions more successful. "
Market development
As the project lead, Mehrotra plays a central role
in bringing the Insect Eavesdropper to market, from
overseeing hardware and algorithm development, to
grower outreach and establishing partnerships. He said
the project represents a " significant advancement in pest
management technology " to help growers increase yields
and reduce costs through targeted spraying.
The system is also of interest to pesticide companies,
who can test the efficacy of products during their
development, Mehrotra said, as well as crop consultants
who can offer specialized services and recommendations
to clients.
" This multifaceted value proposition positions the Insect
Eavesdropper as a versatile and indispensable tool in the
arsenal of modern agricultural practices, " he said.
Plans are for the final product to use a subscription
model to allow access to the most current analytics
available through the algorithm.
The lab has entered the technology in the Wisconsin
Business Plan Competition, where it is a semi-finalist,
and exhibited it at the World Agri-Tech Innovation
Summit, March 19-20 in San Francisco.
April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2024
