Halfway through: How a unique AI and smart farming technology project is tackling the biggest weed issue in UK agriculture
- Precision farming technology project aiming to manage black-grass weed reaches its midway point
- One of the first Smart Spraying farming projects developed to tackle a specific weed problem
- The project team will use a combination of lab and field data to train AI
Denham, UK – Ahead of its attendance at the Cereals Event at Newnham Farm on 11th and 12th June 2024, Bosch is marking almost two years of successes for an innovative AI-led project, set to revolutionise the management of harmful weeds and support the UK farming industry.
A team of experts from Bosch, BASF Digital Farming, Chafer Machinery and Rothamsted Research have successfully reached the midway point of developments, in a three-year project that will develop the use of precision farming technology and artificial intelligence to help reduce the persistent problem of black-grass in UK farms.
Black-grass (alopecurus myosuroides) is a weed that inhibits the growth of wheat crops, reducing its yield and damaging the productivity of farms. This weed alone represents a real threat to the sustainability of UK cereal production because it is responsible for up to 800,000 tons of UK wheat losses a year, with subsequent economic losses of around £400 million*.
Bosch is the lead partner in the research and development (R&D) project consortium, which comprises recognised experts from BASF Digital Farming, Chafer Machinery, and Rothamsted Research. Together they were awarded a grant of £1,452,614 for the three-year project from DEFRA and Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, under the Farming Innovation Programme – Small R&D Partnership Projects.
The consortium has been specifically designed to leverage world-class capabilities from academia (Rothamsted) and the technological expertise of Bosch, BASF and Chafer to design a bespoke solution to eliminate the problem of black-grass for UK farmers.
Halfway through
This project is a first of its kind. It enables UK SME Chafer to use the Bosch/BASF ‘ONE SMART SPRAY’ precision weed management technology to develop, build and evaluate a camera-equipped self-propelled sprayer for black-grass mapping and precision patch- or spot-spraying.
The AI used to identify weeds and the ability to generate precise weed maps allows Rothamsted to define appropriate agronomic measures and variable rate herbicide applications, using the agronomic logic and intelligence of BASF Digital Farming’s advanced xarvio Digital Farming Solutions crop optimisation platform.
Over one year in and at the midway point, the project team is training a high precision artificial intelligence (AI) based Bosch model to recognise black-grass in a greenhouse environment, and is close to completing phase 1 development of a prototype for use in the fields. In addition, the data capture has been enhanced by installing cameras on a sprayer, which is then able to capture and record high quality images of weed growth as it moves through the crops. For Bosch, this has meant recruiting data and software engineer who is an expert at collecting and analysing the data and images. The image labelling is done by blackgrass experts from Rothamsted Research institute.
As the project progresses, weekly scanning takes place across key growing seasons and the field data generated is used to develop granular black-grass maps. Agronomic recommendations then focus on the development of an integrated weed management plan across the farm.
The Chafer sprayer has developed through the project. It began with 12 cameras and 24 lights, which were used in the initial stages of the project on a small section of the boom as the team established the optimum set-up of lights and cameras. This has now been defined and replicated with 30 cameras and 60 lights that stretch across the full width of the boom.
Bharath Jayakumar, Innovation Lead at Bosch UK, said: “In the UK, black-grass is seen as one of the biggest issues for farmers. If we are able to address the black-grass challenge, it will be beneficial to the environment, our ecosystem, the soil, the crops – and also to all of us as end users of the product.
“We’re already seeing first-hand the possibilities with this project, proving that our sensor, software and AI technology can make a difference for UK farmers and will help them to target black-grass better in their fields. In future we can also look at other economically important grassweeds such as Ryegrass.”
Funding for the unique black-grass project was awarded as part of Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and the UKRI Transforming Food Production challenge.
About the Bosch Group
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 428,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). According to preliminary figures, the company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT provider, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, Industry 4.0, and connected mobility. Bosch is pursuing a vision of mobility that is sustainable, safe, and exciting. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to facilitate connected living with products and solutions that either contain artificial intelligence (AI) or have been developed or manufactured with its help. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which roughly 48,000 are software engineers.
The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861–1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-four percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The remaining shares are held by Robert Bosch GmbH and by a corporation owned by the Bosch family. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust.
Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.