news, environment, canberra region wineries, drones, winery drones, climate change

Drone technology is being deployed to increase yields for Canberra region wineries, after some of the toughest successive years for the area. Using a multi-spectral camera to provide infra-red imaging of plant growth, the mapping of neighbouring vineyards will provide growers comparative data on which varietals will withstand the test of a changing climate. With several growers losing entire crops to January hailstorms and those who survived now fighting the effects of record summer rainfall, the AgriFutures funded investment could provide a major boost for the industry. Norton Road Wines’ Simon Stratton said drone images could potentially train artificial intelligence to detect pests or disease by comparing against healthy imaging. Once the AI was trained, it would identify when and where targeted intervention might be required, allowing growers to cut down on the use of pesticides, he said. “This…

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Source: www.canberratimes.com.au