The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) has revealed eight recipients of two funding competitions held in 2023. One of them is in horticulture: Data-Driven Dormant Apple Tree Pruning and Tree Vigour Models to Improve Farm Outcomes.

Vivid Machines, led by co-founder and CEO, Jenny Lemieux, will be partnering with Tall Grass Ventures, Calgary, AB; Gibson Orchards, Newcastle, ON and Blue Mountain Fruit, Thornbury, ON.

Vivid Machines’ system combines modern deep learning and computer vision approaches with state-of-the-art edge processing technology, providing accurate, plant-level, large-scale assessment of specialty crops in real time, in the field. As requested by its agricultural partners, Vivid Machines is collaborating to build advanced predictive models that will further increase the volume of quality fruit grown on existing acreages, while reducing food waste and the impacts of commercial agriculture on soil and water quality.

The project is set to:

-  Develop proprietary datasets: Collect and annotate an initial data set of 4,000 multispectral representative image frames (or 40 100-frame video clips) and 1,000 ground-truth counts.

-  Develop proprietary machine learning algorithms: Create trained, tested, and benchmarked models that can achieve at least tested 90% accuracy in vigour estimation and bud-type classification, and 85% accuracy in bud counting.

-  Develop a customer dashboard displaying the vigour and bud types and counts on an individual tree level from processed data along, as well as guidance for the farmer based on predictions for vigour and bud types and counts.

The CAAIN contribution is valued at $820,164 and the total project value is $2.443,006.

CAAIN’s mandate from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is to focus its funding on technological advancements of importance to the agri-food sector. For more online, visit caain.ca.

Source:  CAAIN March 22, 2024 news release