Agtech company and soil health innovator Biome Makers has developed an advanced recommendation engine to help farmers and agronomists improve crop yield.
The artificial intelligence-based tool uses soil microbiome and environmental data to determine the most suitable product application to optimize yield and soil health.
The scientific teams of Bayer Crop Science and Biome Makers have already tested and disclosed the recommendation engine’s first application on bioRxiv, a preprint repository operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The experiment aimed to understand the effectiveness of agricultural products under different soil profiles, including Bayer’s biological fungicide Minuet.
Specifically, the new software allowed Bayer CS to predict potato yield improvement even before applying the biological inputs. The predicted result showed a 40% increase in produce in one of the fields tested in Idaho.
“This technology is a giant leap forward for them who, up until now, have lacked the data required to accurately determine biological solutions for their seasonal soil and crop decisions,” said Varghese Thomas, project leader at Bayer CS.
Additionally, product manufacturers can add custom solutions to the AI recommendation system after testing it under the Gheom protocol. A microbial-based protocol for field trials, Biome Makers’ Gheom gauges biological product efficacy by analyzing soil microbiome, a natural bioindicator in nature.
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"This data-driven assistant is a game-changer to upgrade agronomic advice on fertilization and crop protection programs, including biologicals, in an integrated management approach" stated Juan Jose Chavez, product manager of advanced analytical services at DISAGRO, the international crop input retailer based in Central America.
Alberto Acedo, chief scientific officer at Biome Makers, commented, “Combining this breakthrough technology with the entire toolbox of precision agriculture, such as self-driving tractors and precision spraying applications, allows us to imagine a bright, new future of secure and sustainable farming worldwide."
The AI recommendation system is currently open to select growers in the US and EU with complementary functional soil analytics.
