The blossoming potential of AI in strawberry production
Added on 15 February 2024
Key reasons contributing to this challenge include:
- Fluctuating strawberry prices make it difficult for growers to predict profitability.
- Shortages in labor, especially for harvesting, can affect yield and profitability.
- Inconsistencies in temperature, humidity or light can reduce yield.
- Pest and disease management can be costly and time-consuming.
- Strawberries must reach the market while still fresh.
- Production requires significant resources.
The fresh produce industry, including strawberry growers, struggles with predicting shelf life. According to OneThird, a Dutch tech firm, retailers often lose 10-40% of their profits from having to discard fruits and vegetables, including strawberries.
This results in financial losses and has significant environmental costs, such as excessive fresh water consumption and CO2 emissions.
The shortage of fruit pickers has led to an increased interest in automated solutions such as crop-picking robots. For instance, a strawberry harvesting robot developed by Organifarms, named BERRY, uses image recognition software to determine which fruits are ready for harvest.
BERRY can assess ripeness, size, shape and the presence of defects in each strawberry. Beyond just picking strawberries, the robot also places them into containers. An integrated balance system ensures each one is properly filled.
The Role of AI in Overcoming Strawberry Growing Challenges
AI continues to help reshape strawberry production in controlled environments. Researchers in Taiwan have used AI to optimize growing conditions for white strawberries, resulting in loss rates dropping from 70% to 20%. This shows the potential of AI in enhancing crop yields and sustainability.
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