A new AI system that counts flowers on fruit trees is helping farmers to predict harvest sizes months in advance, making crop yields more efficient, sustainable, and profitable.
Developed by researchers at the National Robotarium, alongside scientific partners in Chile and Spain, the system uses images taken with a standard smartphone to accurately estimate the number of flowers on a fruit tree by recognising patterns and features, such as the edges and shapes of petals, even when they overlap or are partially obscured.
When tested on peach orchards in Catalonia, Spain, the AI predicted flower counts with a 90% accuracy – a significant improvement on current manual methods used by farmers, such as counting by eye or taking area samples, which can have error rates of 30-50%.
By providing more precise yield forecasts up to six months before harvest, the system could help growers optimise water use, allocate human and economic resources more efficiently, and better plan harvesting and distribution logistics.
It's estimated that agriculture uses 65% of the world's fresh water, almost half of which is wasted, whilst approximately 45% of fruit and vegetables produced for human consumption are lost or wasted every year across the global supply chain.
Read the complete article here.https://thenationalrobotarium.com/fruit-farmers-can-predict-crops-using-ai-tool/