By Brooke Keltner
Harvest season is underway for soybean farmers across Illinois. Each plant among their crops is valuable, contributing to their yield and overall profit. A big issue that can eat into that small profit margin is plant diseases — so researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are working toward a solution.
Billy Ram, an assistant professor of precision agriculture, and his doctoral student Samuel Singh, are working to design a robot and program its artificial intelligence (AI) models to detect soybean diseases before symptoms appear. The goal is for agricultural machinery companies to use that predictive technology to produce tractor or spray attachments for farmers that are efficient, affordable and easy to use.
Soybeans reign supreme in Illinois
Illinois is the number one soybean-producing state in the country. Across the state, 43,000 soybean farmers rely on making a profit from their crops to feed and support their families as well as invest in the equipment and products needed to sustain their farms.
Soybean prices are set based on a combination of global markets, local supply and demand, and futures trading. Over the past 20 years, soybean prices have increased — but so have the expenses that farmers pay to maintain their business.
Source : siu.edu