Pest, Weed & Disease
AgTech can help growers identify pests, diagnose diseases, and monitor crop health. These tools, including sensors, cameras, machine learning, and AI, support Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies.
There are a variety of AgTech tools available that allow growers to correctly identify pests, diagnose disease symptoms, and continuously monitor the health of their crops.
Tools ranging from sensors and cameras equipped with diagnostic technology, machine learning and AI (Artificial Intelligence) can be used to prepare Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies.
The integration of key data from pest and disease management tools aids key decision-making such as crop selection, agrichemical inventory management, MRL (Maximum Residue Limits) compliance, and understanding conditions conducive to pest and disease pressure.
The key steps to successful IPM are:
- Identify and monitor disease and pest incursion
- Assess economic damage
- Implement IPM strategy
- Evaluate success of IPM strategy
There are several technologies in this area that improve the accuracy and precision of each of these steps, such as:
- Satellite, drones, or robots can capture and evaluate images to determine plant health, presence of pests and disease, flowering, and fruit load, as well as predict yields on a plant-by-plant basis.
- Sensors and cameras equipped with diagnostic technology use machine learning and AI to assess a plant’s health and monitor disease symptoms. As more data is captured on farm to form a database of information, these technologies will continue to improve in their crop management accuracy and predictability capabilities.
- Software systems can predict yield losses and estimate the cost-benefit of acting against pests and disease versus the underlying cost of control.
- Smartphone apps make constructing pest and disease management strategies more simply and user-friendly.
A Good Place to Start
Choosing the right solution (or a combination thereof) for your business will depend on the size and scale of your operations, your production methods, connectivity, existing infrastructure, and data integration.
It is important you consider these factors when deciding what technology to purchase. While many agtech companies can provide this support, there are also independent websites and advice that can assist. AgTech Finder is an independent resource you can trust.
If finding the time to conduct this research is difficult, then try searching the ‘Help & Advice’ section of our website. There are 36 podcast episodes to listen to that talk through the benefits of adopting agtech, with each episode focusing on a particular piece of technology.
If you already have an idea of what you need, visit our Product Directory and filter your search by focus area and solution type. Click the star on the product image to add it to the comparison tool. This will allow you to compare product features side-by-side.
If you don’t know where to begin, start by browsing our wide variety of resources in the If you can’t find the advice you’re looking for, get in touch with us and we’ll work on developing a resource that helps you, and other farmers in the same predicament.
Relevant Help & Advice:
Sep 09 2024
Ep 34: Talking Artificial Intelligence with InFarm
In this episode we hear how artificial intelligence is being applied to weed detection and cattle identification.
Read MoreFeb 12 2024
Ep 15: Drones with Single Ag
EPISODE 15: In this episode we’re talking about drones. Many farmers have gone out and bought a drone with big plans, only for it soon to be sitting on the shelf collecting…
Read MoreAug 28 2023
Ep 8: Pest, Weeds, and Disease Management with BioScout
EPISODE 8: In this episode we’re talking about pest, weed and disease management, particularly focusing on technology that allows for better management of fungal diseases in crops. We speak to podcast regular…
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