As we stand at the crossroads of environmental stewardship and agricultural productivity, the role of innovation in shaping the future of agriculture has never been more critical. One such innovation that holds immense promise is the integration of cutting-edge technology to enhance the efficiency of biopesticides.
The damage caused by pests in fruit trees, grapevines, and other high-value crops has resulted in a significant reduction in yields. However, chemical pesticides that are used to control crop enemies have a negative impact on the environment and the final product, since the residues in the water resources, the soil, and, most importantly, on the fruits are remarkable. Therefore, biopesticides need to gradually replace chemical pesticides to the fullest extent possible or at least be integrated into the plant protection protocols.
Nevertheless, the road to harnessing the full potential of biopesticides is paved with challenges, as they are more expensive, not to mention that more applications are required to achieve equal efficiency to the chemical ones. Moreover, currently, in most cases, Plant Protection Products (PPPs) are being applied in advance and without taking into account the spatial differentiation of the infections within the vineyard or orchard, leading to excessive use of PPPs and lower profitability for farmers. The answer to overcoming these challenges lies in innovation for more effective and in-time spraying applications and, thus, more reliable and scalable sustainable practices.
For this purpose, alternative PPPs need to be combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computer Vision (CV) if we want to boost their efficacy. More specifically, Eden Library Viewer can be used to identify symptoms at early stages and spot problems precisely within any farm. In this way, the amount of pesticides needed will drastically decrease and the treatments will be more suitable and to the point because pest variations in the field will not be disregarded. Detecting anomalies or nutrient deficiencies early can help to deal with them more successfully by spraying smaller quantities of agricultural inputs. On the other hand, being aware of the exact location of the disease “hotspots” will enable farmers to plan their treatments more wisely and apply biopesticides only where needed, minimizing disease outbreaks. In addition to that, Eden Library Viewer, using AI and CV technologies, can be used to detect the presence and density of the canopy and spray accordingly, ensuring the effective use of the resources.
So, the future of agriculture is undoubtedly intertwined with the success of biopesticides, as they are environmentally friendly, safe for human health, and capable of maintaining crop yield. This can only be achieved with the adoption of AI and CV technologies in plant protection methods.