TechnologyCrop Production R & DA Better Estimate of the Net Yield of Seed Potatoes with Vision...

A Better Estimate of the Net Yield of Seed Potatoes with Vision Techniques

-

Growers of seed potatoes would like to know on which part of their parcel the potatoes grow best, and how the location influences the size of the potatoes. But during harvesting, hundreds of potatoes will roll into the harvesting machine at the same time. Wageningen University & Research is working with Aeres Hogeschool, the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Green Campus and several growers to study how this yield can be measured by using vision techniques.

Counting and Measuring with Cameras

Wageningen University & Research, Aeres University of Applied Sciences, the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Green Campus and several growers are investigating the application of vision techniques on the harvesting machine. The potatoes are counted and measured using camera techniques. The software must thereby determine what a potato is, and what for example a clod of earth. With this, WUR already has experience: for example, it is possible to predict diseases with cameras. But the potatoes have a speed of a few kilometres per hour and pass by hundreds at a time, often dressed in a jacket of sand.

How many Potatoes per Metre

Seed potatoes are used as plant material for the cultivation of potatoes. Because there are considerable price differences per size sorting, it is important for growers to know how many potatoes are harvested per meter, and how big the potatoes are. After all, those variables determine the sales price and quality. Moreover, these data provide insight into the effect of cultivation measures.

However, there is not yet a good way to count the potatoes during harvesting by size; only the gross weight can be measured. That means that not only the potatoes, but also sand and clods are weighed. In addition, growers are mainly interested in net yields, i.e. numbers and dimensions. This information should be linked to a specific location, so that the grower knows which part of the plot produces how many potatoes.

Project Precision Technology

The project “Precision Technological Development in Seed Potatoes” is currently in the preparatory phase. This autumn the first test set-up on a harvesting machine will be investigated. In 2021, the research is finished. The project is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

Source: Wageningen University and Research

Trending This Week

To Get Healthy Potato Plants, We Have to Feed the Soil

Soil is not inert. Given the proper conditions, it is a vibrant ecosystem – full of life. In nature, soil is kept healthy by the...

It Takes Both Faith and Science to Grow a Potato

0
A colleague and I were talking recently, and she mentioned how much hope and faith goes into potato farming. Faith can have different definitions,...
Rows of planted potato hills

2023’s Huge Crop Influencing Planting Plans for 2024

0
Last fall’s record processing crop across the Pacific Northwest is shaping current stores, export opportunities, product movement and planting plans for the year ahead. Though...

How to Spatially Arrange Spuds to Maximize Their Growth Potential

0
In our spring production webinar, Dr. Mark Pavek explained how much of a difference in-row spacing, between row spacing, and row direction can make...

The Unintended Limits of Organic Farming

0
I had a conversation some weeks ago that has really stuck with me. The conversation was with Joy Youwakim, an agroecology scientist at Biome...