May/June 2023 - 29

TECHNOLOGY
about potential
damage-causing
hailstorms and other
weather events,
to pest, weed and/
or insect pressure
in specific parts of
fields or orchards,
Myers said.
" This is where
the growth has
occurred in terms
of technology, "
Myers said. " It's
the sensors, it's the
computer vision,
it's the integration
of all of that and the
artificial intelligence
and machine
learning that brings
it all together and brings a recommendation for action. "
John Deere acquired Blue River Technology for $305
nutrients, etc. It's
more precise, it's
lower-cost, it's in
real time, " Myers
said about sensor
technology and
precision agriculture.
" Clearly, there's
advantages with
ground-level sensors. "
Myers said Ruben
John Deere acquired Bear Flag Robotics in 2021 to advance its
autonomous tractor offerings.
Technologies of
Australia is developing
a tool to assess when
a fruit crop is ready for
harvest. The product
measures sugars, dry
matter, acidity, internal
colors, firmness and
ripeness to determine
when the harvest will
million in 2011, taking advantage of its " See and Spray "
technology. The robotics platform uses computer
vision to recognize plants and weeds, spraying
herbicides only when it detects weeds, and spraying
fertilizer on select plants.
In 2017, John Deere acquired Bear Flag Robotics
for $250 million. The autonomous tractor company
acquisition helps John Deere in its goals to fully
autonomize tractors.
Last year, the farm equipment company led the
Series A funding round for InnerPlant, which netted $16
million in investments. The company is turning plants
themselves into sensors, using their natural distress
signals to trigger a fluorescence that can be seen with
field equipment or satellite imagery.
The system will eventually allow growers to see when
plants are in danger via pests, disease, lack of water or
other threats.
Myers discussed other technology, including
low-cost, dime-sized biodegradable sensors by
IoT4Ag, an NSF Engineering Research Center project
developing IoT technologies for precision agriculture.
The University of Pennsylvania, Purdue University,
University of California-Merced and University of
Florida are collaborators in the venture.
The sensors broadcast low-range signals that
can be picked up by tractors when itpasses near the
sensor. The sensor transmits information such as soil
moisture and other readings to the driver.
" It's a great way to find out exactly what's going on in
the field, " he said.
" Clearly, we know what the goals are: to reduce
inputs, increase outputs and quality, monitor water,
most likely happen. It's also a non-contact process,
meaning that scanning allows the fruit to be evaluated
without being cut or otherwise ruined through the
evaluation process.
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VEGETABLEGROWERSNEWS.COM | 29
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May/June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2023
