Amongst other things, researchers in the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn are examining the usage of drones in farming. Dealing with only diseased crops and applying fertilizers where really needed can optimize resource use. Credit: Ansgar Dreier/ University of BonnEmbracing Smart Technologies”One answer might be to utilize wise digital innovations,” explains Hugo Storm, a member of the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence. The University of Bonn has partnered with Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing in Sankt Augustin, the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research in Müncheberg, and the Institute of Sugar Beet Research in Göttingen on the massive task tailored toward making farming more effective and more ecologically friendly utilizing brand-new innovations and synthetic intelligence (AI). The efficiency of tools like these, either on their own or in combination, can similarly be gauged nowadays utilizing computer models.In their paper, the researchers from PhenoRob also use examples to demonstrate what present innovations are currently capable of.
Among other things, researchers in the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence at the University of Bonn are investigating the usage of drones in agriculture. Credit: Volker Lannert/ University of BonnAI and robotics are transforming agriculture, making it more efficient and sustainable through targeted interventions in crop management.Researchers from the University of Bonn are revolutionizing farming by leveraging AI and new technologies to increase efficiency and sustainability. In a recent paper, released in the European Journal of Agronomy, the researchers have outlined essential research study concerns that must be resolved to advance the wise digitization of agriculture.The Modern Agricultural ChallengeModern, high-performance farming has made it possible for the Earth to feed over eight billion individuals. However, this success comes with significant environmental costs. Current cultivation methods are threatening biodiversity, artificial fertilizers contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, and farming chemicals are polluting bodies of water and the larger environment.Many of these concerns can be alleviated through more precise farming approaches. For instance, applying herbicides just where weeds are troublesome rather than across whole fields can lower chemical use. Treating only unhealthy crops and using fertilizers where really required can enhance resource usage. Such techniques are complex and tough to execute on a large scale utilizing standard methods.Information from different air-borne or ground sensing units are integrated to assist farming become much more environmentally friendly and effective in the future. Credit: Ansgar Dreier/ University of BonnEmbracing Smart Technologies”One answer could be to utilize clever digital innovations,” describes Hugo Storm, a member of the PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence. The University of Bonn has partnered with Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing in Sankt Augustin, the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research in Müncheberg, and the Institute of Sugar Beet Research in Göttingen on the massive project tailored towards making farming more efficient and more eco-friendly utilizing brand-new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). The group includes professionals from numerous disciplines, including ecology, plant sciences, soil sciences, computer technology, robotics, geodesy, and farming economics. In their paper, they outline the steps they consider a priority in the brief term. “Weve determined a couple of essential research study concerns,” Storm states. Among these relates to keeping an eye on farmland to identify any nutrient deficiency, weed growth, or bug problems in real-time. Satellite images offer a rough summary, while robotics or drones allow more in-depth tracking. The latter can cover an entire field methodically and even tape the condition of private plants in the procedure. “One problem depends on connecting all these pieces of info together,” says Storms associate Sabine Seidel, who coordinated the publication together with him: “For example, when will a low resolution suffice? When do things require to get more detailed? How do drones need to fly in order to achieve optimal performance in getting a take a look at all the crops, particularly those at danger?”Robots might also help enhance the effectiveness and ecological sustainability of farming. Credit: Volker Lannert/ University of BonnData Integration and AnalysisThe information acquired provides a photo of the current scenario. Farmers are mainly interested in comparing the different potential methods and their impacts. Questions like the bearable quantity of weeds, needed fertilizer amounts, and the consequences of minimizing pesticide usage need accurate answers. “To answer concerns like these, you have to create digital copies of your farmland, as it were,” Seidel explains. “There are several methods to do this. Something that researchers still require to discover is how to integrate the various methods to get more precise designs.” Suitable techniques likewise need to be developed to create suggestions for action based upon these designs. Strategies obtained from artificial intelligence and AI have a significant function to play in both these areas.Farmer Involvement and AdoptionFor these digital improvements to be totally incorporated into crop production, farmers should comprehend and accept the benefits. “Going forward, well have to focus more on the question of what underlying conditions are required to protect this acceptance,” says Professor Heiner Kuhlmann, a geodesist and one of the Cluster of Excellences two speakers together with the head of its robotics group Professor Cyrill Stachniss. “You could offer financial rewards or set legal limits on using fertilizer, for instance.” The effectiveness of tools like these, either by themselves or in combination, can similarly be evaluated nowadays utilizing computer models.In their paper, the scientists from PhenoRob also utilize examples to show what current technologies are currently capable of. A “digital twin” of areas under growing can be developed and fed a constant stream of various kinds of information with the aid of sensing units, e.g. to spot root development or the release of gaseous nitrogen compounds from the soil.”In the medium term, this will allow levels of nitrogen fertilizer being applied to be adapted to crops requirements in genuine time depending on how nutrient-rich a specific spot is,” Stachniss includes. In some places, the digital revolution in farming is currently closer than one may think.Reference: “Research top priorities to take advantage of wise digital technologies for sustainable crop production” by Hugo Storm, Sabine Julia Seidel, Lasse Klingbeil, Frank Ewert, Harry Vereecken, Wulf Amelung, Sven Behnke, Maren Bennewitz, Jan Börner, Thomas Döring, Juergen Gall, Anne-Katrin Mahlein, Chris McCool, Uwe Rascher, Stefan Wrobel, Andrea Schnepf, Cyrill Stachniss and Heiner Kuhlmann, 6 April 2024, European Journal of Agronomy.DOI: 10.1016/ j.eja.2024.127178 The PhenoRob Cluster of Excellence is home to researchers from the University of Bonn, Forschungszentrum Jülich, the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS) in Sankt Augustin, the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research in Müncheberg and the Institute of Sugar Beet Research in Göttingen. The job is moneyed by the German Research Foundation (DFG).