AI-Based Pepper Yield Forecasting Platform Now Available
June 15, 2022 
Ecoation, a Canadian-based IPM technology company, has introduced a new computer vision-based pepper yield forecasting platform after two years of development and tests in multiple greenhouses across the world. The technology was on display this week at Greentech Amsterdam.
As most growers know, forecasting pepper yield is complex due to pepper flushes and significant variability in production. Growers need to know the production status, not only to meet the demand of the market and secure the best-negotiated price, but also to have the ability to organize their labor efficiently.
“Our team took on the pepper forecasting challenge about two years ago and conducted under-the-radar development and secret trials with several customers globally,” says Dr. Saber Miresmailli, Co-Founder and CEO of ecoation.
Using ecoation’s state-of-the-art edge computing artificial intelligence (AI) vision system and patented 3D spatio-temporal micro-climate per square meter, the team at ecoation devised a novel technique for forecasting short-term pepper production. Going head to head with growers and testing ecoation’s forecast vs the growers’ forecasts, the ecoation team managed to be more accurate more than 80% of the time.
According to Miresmailli, many factors contribute to the variability in production, which then creates a yield gap by limiting or reducing the maximum potential production of a plant. Growers have the ability and knowledge to produce high-quality crops in some parts of their greenhouse. However, variability in climate conditions, plant growth, pest or disease outbreaks, changes in light levels, etc., can affect the consistency of producing the perfect crop in every single square meter of the greenhouse. The best growers want to achieve optimum production every day of the week and every week of the year.
The ecoation forecasting platform is used to forecast future IPM outbreaks before they happen, flagging micro-climate anomalies, and crop work issues. Now, with the added value of pepper forecast in addition to an existing tomato forecast, ecoation provides a comprehensive suite of services.
“Getting the right information at the right time is critical for growers to get the best price for their product,” says Vice President of Agronomy and Customer Success Gavin Schneider. “We assessed traditional methods of pepper forecasting and realized quickly the challenges around a limited sample size. The increasing size of pepper greenhouses means more variability across a large production area. Only a machine is capable of making repeatable and effortless counts required to forecast. By leaning into advanced technology, a grower can massively increase their sample size to get the best forecast possible.”
Learn more at ecoation.com.
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