AI Advances Fight Against Soybean Nematodes

Mar 21, 2025
By Farms.com

Innovative Digital Solution for SCN Management Unveiled

Agmatix and BASF have joined forces to tackle one of the most damaging pests in soybean agriculture—soybean cyst nematode (SCN)—with a groundbreaking AI-driven detection tool. This collaboration utilizes Agmatix's advanced AI engine, Axiom, and BASF’s agricultural expertise to predict and manage SCN threats effectively.

The digital tool developed through this partnership processes enriched datasets to accurately predict SCN infestations, which can often remain undetected until they cause substantial damage.

Dr. Shai Sela of Agmatix emphasized the importance of high-quality data, which enhances the model’s predictive power and provides growers with reliable, actionable insights.

Mika Eberl from BASF highlighted the synergy of combining their seed and crop protection knowledge with Agmatix’s technological innovations. This combination delivers a scalable solution that fits into existing agricultural practices, allowing for near real-time SCN risk assessments.

SCN infestations lead to significant economic losses each year. With traditional detection methods falling short in efficiency and adoption, this AI tool represents a crucial development in agricultural technology, providing a much-needed boost to soybean yield protection.

By predicting SCN activity before it becomes visibly damaging, the Agmatix-BASF tool empowers farmers with timely interventions, potentially transforming soybean farming's landscape.

This partnership underscores the evolving role of digital solutions in agriculture, paving the way for enhanced crop protection and improved farm productivity.

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?