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 to $1.56 billion, based on farmer surveys. This figure is critical because growers need to know the extent of crop loss to file insurance claims and apply for other recovery aid. Ampatzidis has already developed Agroview and AgroSense at his lab at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center.

Advanced technology continues to gain ground with farmers. University of Florida researchers are using artificial intelligence to help citrus growers better forecast their seasonal production. So far, they've found in a preliminary study their technology predicts yields with 98% accuracy. That's way up from the 75% to 85% accuracy growers get when they count their trees manually, says Yiannis Ampatzidis, a UF/IFAS Associate Professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "Citrus yield predictions give growers, packinghouses, and other distributors critical information before the farmers harvest the fruit," Ampatzidis says.

New automated harvesters like the Harvest CROO Robotics strawberry robot utilizes AI to capture images of ripe berries ready to pick. Artificial intelligence, or AI as it is more commonly called, has become more prominent in conversations about technology these days. But what does it mean? And how might it shape the future of agriculture? In many ways, AI is already at work in agricultural research and in-field applications, but there is much more to come.

New automated harvesters like the Harvest CROO Robotics strawberry robot utilizes AI to capture images of ripe berries ready to pick. Artificial intelligence, or AI as it is more commonly called, has become more prominent in conversations about technology these days. But what does it mean? And how might it shape the future of agriculture? In many ways, AI is already at work in agricultural research and in-field applications, but there is much more to come.

The University of Florida has pioneered a method that uses artificial intelligence to find a disease early so growers who produce summer squash can keep it under control. Early detection gives farmers a fighting chance at a better crop. Summer and winter squash are grown commercially throughout the US state, particularly in southeast and southwest Florida. In 2019, Florida growers harvested 7,700 acres of squash, with a production value of US$35.4 million, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. But powdery mildew disease, common throughout the world, can decrease yields.

Keeping your food clean, while saving money. Researchers came up with a prototype to target the plants they spray, rather than spewing chemicals over crops that don't need it. "Reduce the amount of chemicals we apply, and that will help us help growers to increase profit, so reduce costs, input costs," said Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis, assistant professor, UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. The prototype uses cameras and artificial intelligence to target specific weeds or crops. It can even fit underneath something as small as a golf cart and as big as a blueberry harvester. Gene McAvoy, the associate director for stakeholder relations at UF/IFAS SWFREC, works directly with farmers and growers.