b'Spud Smarts 10 MOSTINNOVATIVE PRODUCTS What products are leading thepotato industry into the next era?BY: ASHLEY ROBINSONWITH PUSHES FOR sustainable agriculture, a changingThe AgroScout android-based sky application creates flight climate and advancing technology, the potato industry is facingpatterns to maximize field coverage. The drones fly as low as two these challenges head on. To address these challenges, themetres above canopy, maintaining a consistent level regardless potato industry needs innovations that advance the industry. of terrain contour changes. Captured images are run through To take a closer look at what the Canadian potato industry isAgroScouts AI algorithm to identify the 12 main common pests doing, Spud Smart named the 10 most innovative products ofand lesions among potato crops and across all growth cycles.2022. This is the inaugural contest and will be hosted annually.Our team received a number of incredible applications fromAutoPath, by John Deereacross the potato industry, from processing to field. ChoosingCommercial Launch: November 2021the 10 products was a challenge and those selected were namedAutoPath is a guidance system that based on a combination of the following: automatically creates full-field guidanceIt must have been launched in Canada after Jan. 1, 2019 lines based on the location of planted rows, It must be related to potatoes in some way (it could be inreducing setup time in the field. Regardless food processing, as long as potatoes were a target crop) of equipment width, growers are able toIts overall impact on the industry easily identify the correct rows for each pass, whether that be theThe potential for scalability hiller, sprayer or harvester. AutoPath integrates active implementWidespread use in the potato industry guidance technology currently found on GPS steering system in This led us to 10 products. Weve listed our Top 10 Innovationspotato planters.below in alphabetical order. The AutoPath system is easy to use. Operators need only drive to the line and hit AutoTrac resume. It can also be combined AgroScout with a variety locator map on-screen to prevent mixing two Commercial Launch: March 2021 neighbouring varieties in the field.AgroScout is a digital, drone- AutoPath is part of John Deeres Gen4 Automation 4.0 display based scouting programbundle and can be added to many existing John Deere machines.which monitors potato fields from the leaf up. It integratesCimegra, by BASFimages gathered by drones,Commercial Launch: January 2021satellite and mobile phones,Cimegra is an in-furrow insecticide providing a range of services from planting to harvest to helpfor potatoes that provides control growers reduce chemical inputs, improve productivity, and saveof wireworms. It contains the active money. AgroScouts services include early detection of pests andingredient Broflanilide and offers disease, plant stand count, growth monitoring, and nutrition andin-season control of wireworms, irrigation evaluation. along with the reduction of resident The AgroScout platform uses affordable, off-the-shelf dronespopulations.to scout the fields and take high-resolution, geotagged images.Unlike other products on the market that intoxicate and The drone scouting, along with satellite and mobile phonetemporarily paralyze wireworms, it kills them. Cimegra binds to imagery allows growers to cover 100 to 1,000 times more fieldthe wireworms central nervous system causing hyperactivity of area than regular scouting alone. nerves and muscles, ultimately eliminating the pest altogether.48SPUDSMART.COM Spring 2022'