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<\/p>\nThe University of Lincoln\u2019s 200-hectare Riseholme Campus is using AI and robotics to find solutions to key issues in farming and food production. <\/p>\n
Among other agricultural and horticultural research facilities, the strawberry farm is where a significant amount of research and development into agricultural robotics is carried out. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to make our strawberry research farm as commercially representative as possible. We grow on a tabletop system under plastic, and the whole site is controlled via a PIP irrigation system. Crucial to this style of growing is the use of high-quality coir grow bags,\u201d explains Jonathan Trotter, research project co-ordinator at the University of Lincoln. <\/p>\n
\u201cPrecision Plus Ultra Botanicoir grow bags have been donated to extend the longevity of our research. A stable and consistent growing media is essential when conducting trials and research. The bags are great to work with and I\u2019ve found they hydrated much more quickly than other bags we have used before,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
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Innovative strawberry-growing tech <\/strong><\/p>\n The research farm currently facilitates Innovate-UK and Berry Garden funded projects, which include FIRST FLEET, GRASPBERRY and FASTPICK, all of which make use of the strawberries grown on the farm to develop logistical robotics, test UVC light treatment technology and advance picking robots.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the UVC light treatment trials we use arch shaped robots developed by Saga Robotics, which drive over the rows, applying UVC light to the crops while they move along, targeting and treating Powdery Mildew, one of the biggest disease threats to strawberry production,\u201d says Jonathan.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of our robots count flowers, visualise how many berries are green and can work out how long they\u2019ll take to become ripe. They can even predict the weight of an individual berry before it\u2019s picked,\u201d says Jonathan. <\/p>\n \u201cProjecting yield means increased supply chain efficiency because farmers can predict what labour will be required to pick the fruit. Some of our PHD students are currently working with this information to then furthermore better place pickers in higher density areas,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n Projects are also developing robots that can identify ripe berries in a cluster and then pick them. \u201cAt the moment Saga Robotics and University team members are working to improve the speed of this robot, so that it can aid humans and can work for longer,\u201d says Jonathan. <\/p>\n Berry Gardens has been working with the University and supporting the projects financially since inception. \u201cWithout their support, and donations like Botanicoir\u2019s, we wouldn\u2019t have such facilities for the research we look at,\u201d adds Jonathan. <\/p>\n The Riseholme campus is home to the Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) including Lincoln Agri-Robotics and Lincoln\u2019s EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Agri-Food Robotics: AgriFoRwArdS. <\/p>\n The Lincoln University research facility has sourced the Botanicoir grow bags from its UK distributor, Agrovista. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"