THE NETHERLANDS - Syngenta Vegetable Seeds’ tomato research just got a lot more intelligent. The state-of-the-art Tomato Vision greenhouse in Maasland, the Netherlands, is trialing impactful technologies in agricultural artificial intelligence (AI), including the AI solutions of Source.ag.

"We use AI technologies to understand what information we can collect concerning our new varieties. This is even more important now that more and more growers are considering using AI-driven systems in their operations,” said Arthur van Marrewijk, Active Greenhouse Technical Manager. “On the research side, we want to compare the data point we already collect today and see what key data points we can optimize to feed into grower AI systems as well as our breeding programs.”

Syngenta researchers can now advance tomato innovations faster and provide more data to growers when new varieties are introduced. This means the right tomatoes would get to growers faster, and growers would have more data to make decisions on new products, a press release stated.

Data collection and organization are important to maximize efficiency and accuracy. That’s where AI could come in.

“We’re using the information we collect to create plans based on that data,” said Mark Versluis, Product Development Specialist. “For example, we can use climate and environment data to position the new products in areas they’ll be best suited. Or we can use that same information to give growers guidance to help optimize production backed by accessible, documented data from trials.

Every tomato that comes to market is backed by years of data that prove it’s better than some of the previous varieties. Greater understanding of crop environments and their role in yield and productivity means growers can pick the tomato that performs best.

In recent trials, Syngenta has been able to test various products in different locations and under varying conditions while still providing consistent and accurate data. Whether new varieties are tested in Syngenta-controlled greenhouses or grower operations, the data is collected uniformly, and now faster with AI.

For more from the press release, click here.

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