Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW MARCH/APRIL 2023 59 AGTECH New iteration of crop insights tool HARVESTEYE has launched the newest version of itsmachine learning- driven root crops insights tool. Fitting to harvesting and grading equipment, HarvestEye delivers performance data on size and count andmaps variability of root crops, which is currently compatible with potatoes and onions. e manufacturer says its refreshed software and more powerful hardware in the 2.0 system will deliver faster crop measurement and processing, with improved detections leading to better accuracy of data reported to its online portal. e refreshed software will also enhance HarvestEye’s capabilities to operate more e ectively in challenging environments, such as low evening sun. New subscription options onHarvest Eye 2.0 for growers and enterprises, as well as leasing options, are also available as part of the renewed o ering. Managing Director of HarvestEye, Vidyanath Gururajan, said: “Following more than ve years of research, development, grower trials and input from across global supply chains, our team has made signi cant upgrades to the product’s hardware and machine learning driven software capabilities to create a more powerful system altogether. “Version 2.0 is a signi cant evolution for growers and packers seeking better monitoring tools for crop variability to maximise yield and enhance planning. Amid current market uncertainties, supply chains need to be con dent in the quality of produce they receive as production costs soar.” New SWevent showcases agri-tech bene ts A NEW conference in South West England will showcase the latest opportunities and development within the area’s agtech o ering. e region has 14 universities o ering a range of research specialisms and collaborating with industry to develop spin-o companies. Chair of South West Agri-tech Joanna Rufus said: “We have over 200 small to medium- sized agri-tech companies and 64 business support organisations – including centres of excellence – which generate a turnover of more than £371m a year. “Together with major employers including Arla Foods UK, Mole Valley Farmers, atchers Cider, ABP and Yeo Valley, agricultural companies in the South West contribute more than £3bn in gross value added to the UK economy.” To help pro le some of the research, development and commercially available technology in the region, SouthWest Agri-tech is holding a conference at Exeter Racecourse on April 20th which will feature outdoor robotic and drone demonstrations, an indoor market place with dedicated networking time, and speakers. It is free to attend. Details can be found on the Potato Reviewwebsite events page. White Label carbon calculator page EARLY last year crisping potato merchant Mercian teamed up with Farm Carbon Toolkit and created a White Label carbon calculator page for its growers to ll out their carbon calculator. It is now progressing and creating an API from the Farm Carbon Toolkit on to its database so that carbon data collected through the system can feed straight into the calculator and constantly update the carbon score. Potato Analyst at Mercian, Jasmine Kemp, said: “We feel that this way of collecting data is the way forward as it reduces data input for farmers, and creates more accurate results.” She went on to add: “We can o er this system to others and help everyone with their carbon. We are currently creating a potato speci c carbon module with FCT which includes potato seed and sprout suppressants. Upgrade to Agrecalc AN upgrade has been made to Agrecalc’s farm carbon calculator. e new nitrous oxide model was launched in the autumn by Agrecalc and will support farmers to understand and reduce their fertiliser use. Developed by researchers at SRUC with on- the-ground advisory input from SAC Consulting, Agrecalc’s new nitrous oxide (N2O) model is designed speci cally for UK soils. is makes it easier for UK farmers to monitor and analyse N2O use and how it can be reduced on farm. Agrecalc is also releasing a new platform this year which will further improve fertiliser calculations by adding nitri cation and urease inhibitors to the farm carbon tool. App to digitalise potato crop performance CROP4SIGHT has announced the launch of an updated version of its web and mobile app, designed to make it easier for potato growers and agronomists to access, and view, potato crop performance on the go. e latest version of the app makes it easier to use all data that is collected throughout the growing season, while out and about – making it easier to make agronomic and commercial decisions. Additionally, there is now a module for growers to compare and benchmark their crop performance against anonymised data describing performance of other crops planted at similar times. Senior Agronomist Fiona Law-Eadie said: “Realistically growers and agronomists don’t spend that much time in front of a computer, especially not when the season gets busier. e latest version of the mobile app gives you easy access to the crop insights you need, to make management decisions on the go.” She added: “For example, if emergence is a week earlier than expected but you have a set lifting date, this could mean the crop has a seven to 10 days extra growing period and will likely require changes to crop management plans (e.g. earlier burndown) to maintain the optimum commercial yield of the crop. “ is can be problematic for growers working to contract speci cations.”