How Technology and AI Benefit Plants
Technology and artificial intelligence can help us grow better plants! The best part is that many brilliant minds are on the ground and in labs, always working to develop innovative ways to make gardening and agriculture more efficient and sustainable. In our list of 5 Cool Ways Tech and AI Benefit the Environment, we take a quick look at some of the latest technologies being used to clean the air, save the bees, and make the future of growing brighter.
Methane Mitigation
A United Nations Environment Programme report points to methane emissions as the driving force behind climate change, with agriculture being the biggest culprit. Livestock accounts for 30% of methane emissions worldwide! Finding ways to curb these emissions is essential to slowing global warming, with the UN recommending a shift towards plant-rich diets, new protein sources, and leveraging new technology in agriculture. Denmark-based company Ambient Carbon specializes in methane mitigation technology and has heard the call. The company has partnered with Benton Group Dairies in Indiana to test a prototype of its Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS), beginning in 2025. This first-of-a-kind, non-invasive, cost-effective technology strives to remove methane from dairy barn exhaust. MEPS uses a patented gas-phase photochemical process combining chlorine atoms and UV light in a reaction chamber, mimicking how the atmosphere naturally destroys methane. Dairy barn air cycles through MEPS, breaking down methane at its source and preventing it from releasing. Ambient Carbon explains the chlorine atoms are generated onside via saltwater electrolysis. After up to 90% of the methane is eradicated, the chlorine is recycled in a closed system.
Learn more: ambientcarbon.com
Smarter Irrigation
A researcher at Michigan State University (MSU) who has already made a splash in agricultural irrigation has received a $395,000 grant from the USDA to develop a solar power-based technology that improves energy and water use efficiency. Younsuk Dong, Ph.D., will lead the three-year project. Agriculture accounts for more than 80% of all water consumption in the U.S., and irrigation is responsible for half of that. Overwatering plants leads to unnecessary energy and water expenses and increased pest and disease problems. Dong has already created and field-tested the Low-Cost Monitoring System (LOCOMOS), which lowers the initial cost of in-field irrigation sensors and uses a smartphone app. The sensors collect data on soil and leaf moisture and other environmental conditions. This information is sent to growers with a recommended irrigation schedule. With the grant, MSU is designing a solar-powered microinverter, which connects to a solar panel to use electricity for tasks like soft-starting induction motors for irrigation. The research team at MSU believes the eventual energy savings will be significant, resulting in a more sustainable irrigation model for farms everywhere.
Learn more: rebrand.ly/nt73eix
Tracking Bees
We know all about the uphill battle our pollinators face, but where do they go, what do they do, and how do they migrate? Researchers at Oxford University are trying to answer these questions by fitting bees with tiny radar chips to track their movements and help determine why populations are declining. The Biotracks technology includes the smallest and lightest harmonic radar tags ever made that attach to the back of the bee without affecting how they fly. A drone carries a receiver, and researchers on the ground can access a transmitter and camera to learn more about swarm migration, locate nests, and monitor overall bee behavior. With promising field results, researchers say great things are on the horizon as we strive to save our pollinators and the future of food production.
Learn more: ox.ac.uk/news-and-events
Accessing Regenerative Agriculture
We keep hearing about the benefits of regenerative agriculture and how it’s part of the climate solution. However, one of the biggest challenges growers face is the lack of a consistent and acceptable measurement system at scale. How do they know if their efforts and investments are paying off? Leading agricultural data and AI-powered tech company Agmatix has launched RegenIQ, a scalable, data-driven framework that helps drive the adoption of regenerative agriculture. RegenIQ focuses on practical efforts and measurable outcomes, offering farmers insight into optimizing practices, improving crop resilience, and ensuring a stable and sustainable food supply. The technology assesses a farm’s soil health, water use, and local biodiversity and climate, strengthening farm resilience. RegenIQ can evaluate crops growing in particular locations to give farmers knowledge to support and scale regenerative growing practices.
Learn more: regeniq.earth
AI-Altered Plants
It’s no secret that plants and trees are helping fight rising global temperatures by removing carbon from the atmosphere. Scientists with the Salk Institute are helping the plant kingdom do its essential job by optimizing root systems to store more carbon for longer. They’re working on designing climate-saving plants with artificial intelligence software called SLEAP, which tracks the many elements of root growth. This AI was initially used to watch animal movement in labs, but now it’s being applied to measure how deep and wide plant roots grow, which is a long and tedious process without SLEAP. According to phys.org, researchers have since created the most extensive catalog of plant root system phenotypes, accelerating the science behind creating carbon-capturing plants with deep and robust roots that can fight climate change.
Learn more: rebrand.ly/b708f5
