Researchers Pursue Automated Staking for Ag Labor Savings

By Dee Shore

With the North Carolina fresh-market tomato season in full swing, N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative‘s Makerspace team was sweating it out at North Carolina State University’s horticulture field station recently, assembling an imaging system that could be key to lowering the amount of labor it takes to bring fresh, locally grown tomatoes to market.

NC State Extension specialist Emmanuel Torres Quezada, of the Department of Horticultural Science, is working with Makerspace Director Andrea Monteza to automate the labor-intensive process of staking tomatoes and other crops.