Determining, analyzing, or predicting how crops will grow in the field takes time and labor. The interactions between genetics, environment and agricultural practices are challenging to measure. The newly published results of a five-year study on maize (or corn) demonstrate that autonomous ground robots can accurately and reliably capture this information.

Scientists developed a machine-learning tool that can teach itself, with minimal external guidance, to differentiate between aerial images of flowering and nonflowering grasses — an advance that will greatly increase the pace of agricultural field research, they say. The work was conducted using images of thousands of varieties of Miscanthus grasses, each of which has its own flowering traits and timing.

Nanozymes are synthetic materials that have enzyme-like catalytic properties, and they are broadly used for biomedical purposes, such as disease diagnostics. However, inorganic nanozymes are generally toxic, expensive, and complicated to produce, making them unsuitable for the agricultural and food industries.

Yesterday, U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and the ITI Institute joined top researchers and policymakers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to see how AI is reshaping agriculture to address key challenges in food security, sustainability, and workforce development.

Agricultural field trials can provide crucial information that helps scientists and farmers optimize production and reduce environmental impacts.

Fungal contamination of cereal grains poses a substantial threat to food security and public health while causing hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses annually.

Most corn and soybean fields in the U.S. are planted with herbicide-resistant crop varieties. However, the evolution of superweeds that have developed resistance to common herbicides is jeopardizing current weed management strategies. Agricultural robotics for mechanical weeding is an emerging technology that could potentially provide a solution.

The lower level of the ACES Library, Information and Alumni Center is poised for a revolutionary makeover, turning underutilized spaces into a collaborative laboratory with interactive classrooms for 21st-century learning.

The renovation will build upon the legacy of the Academic Computing Facility (ACF) that offered state-of-the-art information and technology infrastructure when the library opened its doors in 2001. 

Hyperspectral imaging is a useful technique for analyzing the chemical composition of food and agricultural products. However, it is a costly and complicated procedure, which limits its practical application.

Digital technologies on the farm improve efficiency, productivity, and profits, but few farmers are taking full advantage of available tools. According to University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers, communication channels play an important role in farmers’ decision-making process around technology adoption.