Damage Documentation Tips for Hurricane Season

Josh McGill hurricane

By Matt Smith One of the things I like most about being an Extension agent is getting to work with new growers. Despite all odds, some of these growers are getting into citrus. With hurricane season underway, it’s good for new growers to know — and for established growers to refresh themselves on — how to prepare before a storm …

Investing in Artificial Intelligence

Josh McGill Breeding, Technology

By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) breeders produce new citrus plants more quickly than they can figure out if consumers like how the new fruit varieties taste. In the race to create versus evaluate, creators lead evaluators by hundreds of individual plants at a time. It takes a post-doc a …

accuweather

Artificial Intelligence to Assess Crop Damage

Josh McGill hurricane, Technology

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to quantify damage to fruits and vegetables caused by extreme weather events. One such extreme weather event was Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida on Sept. 28, 2022. The storm’s damage to all crops, livestock and aquaculture products was initially estimated at up …

Using Technology to Support Citrus Management Decisions

Josh McGill Technology

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Sandra M. Guzmán Pests and diseases, nutrient deficiencies, tree stress from environmental conditions and other factors can be overwhelming. The arrival of sensors and small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) make it possible to gather large amounts of data to assess risk factors and estimate possible crop performance scenarios based on the availability of resources. At the …

Startups Aim to Aid Citrus Industry

Josh McGill Florida, Technology

Two University of Florida (UF) startup companies have formed a union to help reverse the trend of declining Florida citrus production. Agriculture Intelligence and Satlantis believe they can offer a powerful tool to help the state’s growers more closely monitor their trees and manage problems faster. The startups, housed in one of UF’s business incubators, will combine expertise in precision …

Advancing Artificial Intelligence for Growers

Josh McGill Florida, Research, Technology

University scientists, engineers, producers, government agencies and industry officials across the Southeast recently met to brainstorm ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help growers. They concluded that they could empower growers and equip farms to increase their economic and environmental sustainability and develop resilient solutions to address climate change by using AI. The three-day conference, Envisioning 2050 in the …

An Improved Method of Nutrient Analysis

Tacy Callies Nutrition, Technology, Tip of the Week

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht Optimizing nutrition is important for tree health and productivity and can improve tolerance to stresses and diseases. Good nutrient management requires regular field monitoring to identify problems and examine crop responses. Leaves need to be collected and sent to a specialized laboratory for detailed information on macronutrients and micronutrients, which is time-consuming and costly. …

Technologies for Improved Nutrient Analysis

Tacy Callies Nutrition, Technology

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht Nutrient management is important for citrus production. Regular nutrient assessments should be conducted to optimize nutrient balance and prevent deficiencies or over-fertilization. Optimizing nutrition is important for tree health and can improve tolerance to stresses and diseases. Good nutrient management requires regular field monitoring to identify problems and examine crop responses. Leaves need to …

Sneak Peek: September 2021 Citrus Industry

Tacy Callies Sneak Peek

The September issue of Citrus Industry magazine largely focuses on two topics: nutrient management research and highlights from the return of the in-person Citrus Expo. NUTRITION RESEARCHSeveral features authored by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences authors share the latest strategies for improving nutrition of citrus trees. Yiannis Ampatzidis and Ute Albrecht discuss the newest technologies that …

Yield Predictions Improved by AI

Ernie Neff Technology

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help citrus growers better forecast their seasonal yield. A preliminary study showed that the AI technology predicts yields with 98% accuracy. That’s way better than the 75% to 85% accuracy growers get when they count trees manually, said Yiannis Ampatzidis, UF/IFAS associate professor …

How Artificial Intelligence Can Enhance the Citrus Industry

Tacy Callies Technology

By Yiannis Ampatzidis Artificial intelligence (AI) is a promising area in computer science, automation, robotics and agriculture. AI describes the capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human behavior and mimic cognitive functions such as learning and problem-solving. Machine learning, which is an application of AI, is based on the idea that a machine, such as a computer or microcontroller, …

High-Tech Scouting in Citrus Production

Tacy Callies Technology

By Yiannis Ampatzidis and Tara Wade Traditional sensing technologies in citrus production for pest and disease detection and field phenotyping rely on manual sampling, which is time consuming and labor intensive. Since availability of personnel trained for field scouting is a major problem, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with various sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) can simplify the surveying …

Artificial Intelligence System Wins UF Honors

Ernie Neff Awards, Technology

UF Innovate | Tech Licensing recently recognized an artificial intelligence (AI) system known as Agroview as a UF Invention of the Year. The AI system was invented by Yiannis Ampatzidis and his research team at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC). The system utilizes images from drones and satellites …

Technology to Help Citrus Growers Cut Costs

Tacy Callies Technology

Traditional data collection for pest and disease detection relies on manual sampling, which can be time consuming and labor intensive. But now, Florida citrus growers could have artificial intelligence (AI) technology to simplify the process, better care for their crops and save money. Yiannis Ampatzidis, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor, discussed several new …

Technology Helps Growers Count Citrus Trees

Tacy Callies Technology

In his quest to find the right drone and other artificial intelligence to help ensure citrus growers get an accurate count of their crop, Yiannis Ampatzidis and his research team have developed a system known as Agroview. The technology saves farmers time and money and helps them accurately count their trees, which is important for insurance purposes. The latest results …

drone

Cloud-Based Software Helps Farmers on the Ground

Daniel Cooper Industry News Release, Technology

A University of Florida agricultural engineer has developed software that can help farmers find the best places to plant crops and to identify fruit and vegetable varieties that perform better against diseases. Now, Yiannis Ampatzidis is leading an effort to refine the software so it can help growers even more. To help farmers protect and even increase their harvests, Ampatzidis, …