Agriculture Technologies (AgTech) and Irrigation Market Grows Worldwide/Hi Tech Greenhouses Become Commercial

Around the world, researchers, agricultural equipment firms, GPS makers and other technology firms are investing heavily in the development of advanced technology for the agricultural sector. These new technologies range from robotic systems to plant, nurture and harvest crops, fruit and vegetables, to wireless sensors that control irrigation via state-of-the-art automated drip systems. The technology comes at a time when it is extremely difficult for many farmers in the U.S. to find fruit and vegetable pickers and other manual laborers.

Farm Robotics: Farm robotics, or agricultural robots (agribots), are autonomous or semi-autonomous machines designed to automate labor-intensive, repetitive farming tasks, such as harvesting, weeding, seeding and spraying, to increase efficiency and reduce reliance on manual labor. These systems leverage AI, GPS and sensors to improve precision, yield, and sustainability. The cost for new robotic systems is substantial, yet the savings on the cost of human labor, over time, could be significant.

For fruit cultivation, the E-Series, manufactured by AGROBOT (www.agrobot.com), uses cameras to determine when strawberries are ripe and then harvests the berries for packaging by humans. AGROBOT also offers the Bug Vacuum, an autonomous robot for lygus pest control in orchards.

Monarch Tractor (www.monarchtractor.com) develops fully electric smart tractors, with some models also being fully autonomous. The MK-V is for dairy farming, while the MK-V Utility is for loading operations, such as moving materials or landscaping.

SPOTLIGHT: Agricultural Drones

Low-cost aerial camera drones (flying platforms in the form of small, fixed-wing airplanes or helicopters called quadcopters) can be seen flying over growing numbers of farms to monitor crops and field conditions. They can cost as little as $1,000, and are equipped with an autopilot, GPS and cameras. Images analyzed by software on the ground can reveal irrigation problems, soil variation, pests and fungal infestations. Infrared images highlight potential problems such as chlorophyll levels that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Low altitudes afford farmers much better resolution than satellite imagery (which is far more expensive at about $1,000 per hour). Drones can fly at any time, so farmers can compare images shot on a monthly, weekly, daily or even hourly basis to study changes in crop growth. Key drone manufacturers include 3D Robotics (www.3dr.com) and Yamaha (www.yamahamotorsports.com/Precision-Agriculture.php).

High-Tech Commercial Greenhouses Grow Crops Indoors: Another technology of note is vertical farming, in which indoor fields and orchards are built, floor upon floor, in urban areas. The idea is eco-friendly in many ways. If food is grown in urban areas, little transportation is necessary to get produce to consumers.

AeroFarms (aerofarms.com) is a greenhouse venture based on aeroponics, which is the practice of soil-free vertical farming. Seeds are scattered over permeable microfleece cloth, placed under LED lights and sprayed with a super-rich nutrient solution. A membrane forms on the microfleece in which the seeds germinate. Roots form and pierce down through the microfleece where they are further treated with nutrient solution.

Freight Farms (www.freightfarms.com) is a Boston-based company that repurposes shipping containers into arable square footage. The firm fills the containers, which could be located in any vacant lot or alleyway, with LED lights, sensors and hydroponic systems. The firm claims that an average Freight Farms box, called a Leafy Green Machine (LGM) can produce 48,568 mini-heads of lettuce per year, or about the same yield as two acres of farmland.

Vertical farms can be located in urban areas, simplifying logistics and speeding delivery times. Empty commercial buildings may possibly be converted to agricultural use. Vertical farms may also see greater variety in the crops they produce, including root and vine vegetables and bush fruits.

GPS and Precision Agriculture: Precision agriculture, also called precision farming, is in use to a growing extent across the globe. The intent is to increase yield, decrease costs (including manpower and water usage) and avoid problems in the field. Today, it primarily involves the use of GPS to guide tractors for precise tilling and planting. Eventually, it will evolve to include the use of remote wireless sensors, GPS, satellite imagery, predictive databases and other advanced technologies to monitor and react to soil, weather and crop conditions, such as the local level of soil moisture and soil nutrients. Robotics and nanotechnology will eventually be part of this trend.

GPS maker Trimble operates a large agricultural division called PTx Trimble in a joint venture with AGCO Corporation. It offers a wide variety of location-based technologies and data analytics for farmers. The goal is to maximize efficiency while reducing waste of farm chemicals and water. One tool improves irrigation, drainage and land leveling. Another provides high efficiency tractor guidance via GPS. Trimble also offers drones for aerial mapping and crop management and overall farm management software.

Irrigation Technologies: Agriculture is by far the world’s biggest user of water, and water scarcity is without doubt one of the greatest problems the world will face in coming years. Out of sheer necessity, vast amounts of money are being invested in research, development and implementation of advanced crop irrigation technologies. Leading nations in this field include Israel and China, both facing significant water scarcity issues. American companies and investors also have a keen interest in this field. In California’s Central Valley, for example, water from the Sacramento River is diverted into canals fitted with control structures and gates. Any excess is allowed to percolate down into the groundwater basin or diverted to a small structure with pumps, filters and pressure gauges in a drip irrigation system. Microsprinklers can also be attached to drip systems to disperse water in longer arcs covering more territory. This is part of the concept of micro-irrigation, pioneered by Israeli American scientist Daniel Hillel, which exposes crops to frequent, small amounts of water rather than less frequent, heavy watering.

Artificial Intelligence (AI_ and Precision Agriculture: AI adoption is now mainstream with many farms worldwide using AI tools for precision farming. These complex systems combine satellite imagery, drones, soil sensors and weather and historical data. Analysis of these factors results in predictive decision making, including yield forecasting, disease detection and irrigation optimization.

Verdant Robotics (www.verdantrobotics.com) develops AI-powered, precision agriculture technology, specifically the SharpShooter system, which attaches to tractors to identify and spray weeds or apply fertilizers/nutrients on a plant-by-plant basis. Its technology reduces chemical use by up to 99% and labor costs by up to 85%, performing “Aim & Apply” actions with millimeter-level accuracy. The Aim & Apply system uses cameras and AI to identify weeds and crops, shooting them with micro-liter doses at high speed (up to 120 to 480 shots per second).

Carbon Robotics (carbonrobotics.com) offers the LaserWeeder which uses AI and computer vision to handle weed control for specialty crops. The mowers are able to differentiate between crops and weeds and then use laser technology to destroy the weeds without causing any damage to the crops.

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