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Developing artificial intelligence spraying technology

Technology
TECHNOLOGY PRIORITY

Grow

PROJECT TIMELINE
June 2020 to March 2023
PROJECT STATUS
Fund I: Complete
TOTAL INVESTMENT
$23,425,634

Consortia Contribution
$11,791,808

Cluster Contribution
$11,633,826

PARTNERS

Precision.ai

Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS)

Sure Growth Solutions Inc.

Exceed Grain Marketing

Goal

To develop technology and processes to enable targeted application of chemical pesticides for broad-acre agriculture.

Project Summary

The project consortia will develop technology and processes to enable targeted application of chemical pesticides for broad-acre agriculture. Our global supply of plant-based protein benefits from yield efficiency gained through the use of chemical pesticides in crops. Existing technology (land-based, operator-driven sprayers) applies chemical pesticides across the crop surface to ensure maximum contact between the chemical pesticide and weeds. The technology proposed by the consortium will reduce chemical use by up to 95% by targeting only the weeds that need to be sprayed, thereby dramatically reducing chemical application costs without sacrificing crop yield or quality.

Results and Impact

  • When commercialized, this technology is estimated to reduce pesticide use by up to 95 per cent.
  • Developed technology that can more accurately pinpoint weeds in a field, allowing farmers to spray only the weed identified, cutting down on inputs such as water and herbicide, and reducing both costs and filed passes.
  • Demonstrated benefits of using AI technology to strengthen food production systems and support environmentally and economically sustainable food production processes.
  • Precision.ai decreased the time to create new AI models by over 80 per cent through the knowledge gained during this project, resulting in Precision.ai being the fasted organization in the work to create crop-based weed segmentation AI models. They will now be able to expand this technology to other crops in the future, increasing its commercial footprint.
  • Engaged with agriculture students from the University of Saskatchewan resulting in work experience and professional connections.
  • Increased number of employees at Precision.ai, Sure Growth and GIFS

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