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A new AI tool could help farmers optimize and protect their crops through real-time monitoring.

Leaf Monitor, developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis, empowers farmers to make crop decisions using data generated by artificial intelligence and predictive modeling.

The tool uses a spectrometer to measure light reflections in the leaves. According to UC Davis Associate Professor Alireza Pourreza, “In five seconds, they can have a sense of how much nutrition they have in a leaf.”

The team developed the robust dataset needed for the machine learning algorithm by gathering five years’ worth of data and chemically analyzing thousands of almond and grape leaves.

Current practices involve a leaf nutrient testing process that can take two weeks to see results, while the Leaf Monitor can return the analysis in a fraction of that time. The tool’s nutrient readings can quickly and accurately provide farmers with crucial information on how much fertilizer to add, which areas to add it to, and when to add it, increasing their crop yields and quality.

As Bullseye Farms Irrigation Manager Geoff Klein explained to UC Davis, “With this app we can use less [fertilizer] because we know the actual conditions at the time. I think it opens a lot of doors in terms of getting data back in real time and also utilizing the level of control we have with the data.”

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Many environmentalists have cautioned against the use of AI due to the energy requirements of data centers. According to the MIT Technology Review, data centers can use enough energy to power 7.2 million homes in the United States. Researchers at UC San Diego recently achieved a breakthrough with cooling technology to reduce the energy intensity of AI data centers.

However, many AI tools have positive impacts on the environment and on the food supply chain. For example, one AI tool can help farmers reduce the amount of pesticides they apply to their crops. Another can analyze thousands of images to help farmers predict crop yields, enabling them to price their produce more accurately.

AI also offers benefits for everyday living. Smart home AI tools can help households reduce their energy usage and bills.

In a time in which extreme weather events are threatening crops everywhere from India to the United States, any advantage to farmers is a welcome one.

“We need to produce more food while using less resources so we need to have some kind of monitoring system to give us precise and accurate feedback on our management practice,” said Pourreza. “This technology is growing very fast.”

The prototype tool, which must be paired with a spectrometer, can be downloaded from UC Davis’ Digital Agriculture Laboratory.

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