Ag Innovations

AG INNOVATIONS NETWORK, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION LOCATED IN SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, WILL PARTNER WITH CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE AND NORTHERN SONOMA COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT TO ESTABLISH THE LAKE SONOMA WEST WATERSHED GROUP AND DEVELOP A LAKE SONOMA WEST WATERSHED PLAN. LAKE SONOMA IS THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY FOR OVER 600,000 USERS IN THE COUNTIES OF SONOMA AND MARIN. THE NEW WATERSHED GROUP WILL ESTABLISH A TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP, WHICH WILL INCLUDE THE SONOMA COUNTY WATER AGENCY, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, AND KASHIA BAND OF POMO INDIANS, TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE PLANNING EFFORT. THE WATERSHED AND COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY WILDFIRES IN RECENT YEARS, INCLUDING THE 2017 TUBBS FIRE, WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN WATER QUALITY CONCERNS, INCLUDING SEDIMENTATION OF RIVERS AND STREAMS AND HIGH LEVELS OF ORGANIC CARBONS, METALS, AND NITRATES. DUE TO THESE IMPACTS THE GROUPS PLANNING EFFORTS WILL LARGELY FOCUS ON ADDRESSING IMPACTS OF WILDFIRE AND REDUCING THE RISK OF FUTURE FIRES BY ADDRESSING OVERSTOCKED FORESTLANDS, MEADOW ENCROACHMENT, DEGRADED RIPARIAN CORRIDORS, AND INVASIVE VEGETATION.

SEMI-WEEKLY FUNGICIDE APPLICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON ARE ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE PROFITABLE CUCURBIT YIELDS. LACK OF ADEQUATE DISEASE CONTROL DECREASES FRUIT NUMBER, FRUIT WEIGHT, AND FRUIT QUALITY. IN THE PROPOSED PHASE I WORK WE WILL FIRST FOCUS ON WATERMELON TO DEMONSTRATE FEASIBILITY FOR OTHER CUCURBIT CROPS. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT INFORMATION COLLECTED BY SCOUTING WATERMELONS FOR DISEASE SYMPTOMS INCREASES THE EFFICACY OF FUNGICIDE SPRAYS BY REFINING THE CHOICES OF FUNGICIDE PRODUCTS AND TIMINGS. MANUAL SCOUTING IS EXPENSIVE, SLOW, AND INCOMPLETE, TYPICALLY EXPLORING LESS THAN 1% OF THE CROP AREA AND RESULTING IN A LOW PROBABILITY OF EARLY DISEASE DETECTION. THE CROP SCANNING SYSTEM (CSS) PROPOSED HEREIN WILL DIGITALLY SCOUT EVERY WATERMELON PLANT IN EVERY FIELD DURING ROUTINE WEEKLY FUNGICIDE SPRAYING OPERATIONS. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE: 1) DESIGN A TRACTOR-MOUNTED CSS UTILIZING MACHINE-VISION CAMERAS FOR COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS OF GEOREFERENCED IMAGES IN WATERMELON FIELDS, 2) DEVELOP AN AUTOMATED CLOUD-BASED REPOSITORY AND WEB-GIS APP TO MAP WATERMELON VINES, FRUIT, DISEASE SYMPTOMS, WEEDS AND ANOMALIES WITH THE CSS, 3) EVALUATE THE CSS CAMERA SYSTEM AND CLOUD GIS AS A DIGITAL SCOUTING TOOL FOR ENHANCED DETECTION AND MAPPING OF EARLY-STAGE FOLIAR DISEASE AND ANOMALIES ON WATERMELON. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST GROUND-BASED DIGITAL SCOUTING TOOL DEVELOPED FOR CUCURBITS TO IMPROVE DISEASE CONTROL, MARKETABLE YIELDS AND REDUCE LABOR COSTS.

**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CURRENT CUCURBIT PRODUCTION PRACTICES INVOLVE MULTIPLE BROADCAST APPLICATIONS OF FUNGICIDES FROM PLANTING TO HARVEST. OUR GOAL IS TO DEVISE AN AI-BASED SYSTEM THAT ADMINISTERS FUNGICIDES ONLY WHERE THE CROP CANOPY OR DISEASE IS PRESENT. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE: (1) CREATE ADVANCED AI MODELS FOR DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CUCURBIT CROP CANOPIES, FLOWERS, FRUITS, AND DISEASE SYMPTOMS; (2) DEVELOP A FULL-SCALE PROTOTYPE SMART SPRAY SYSTEM, USING THE AI MODELS AND MACHINE VISION FOR PRECISE PESTICIDE APPLICATIONS ON CUCURBITS. WE PRIORITIZE CUCURBITS AS OUR INITIAL FOCUS DUE TO AN EXISTING IMAGE DATABASE, DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY, AND THEIR VINING GROWTH PATTERN, WHICH OFTEN RESULTS IN OFF-TARGET APPLICATIONS. THIS OFFERS A SUBSTANTIAL CHANCE TO MINIMIZE PESTICIDE USE, ESPECIALLY EARLY IN THE SEASON. OUR APPROACH FACILITATES RAPID TRAINING FOR THE DETECTION OF VARIOUS CUCURBIT TYPES IN DIVERSE PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS. WE CAN PRODUCE AMPLE SYNTHETIC IMAGE DATASETS FOR MODEL TRAINING, EVEN WITH LIMITED ORIGINAL IMAGES, WITH THE USE OF GENERATIVE AI. THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR EARLY DETECTION OF EXOTIC DISEASES WHICH LACK LARGE IMAGE DATASETS, THUS PREVENTING POTENTIAL INDUSTRY-WIDE DAMAGE IF SUCH DISEASES ARE INTRODUCED. ULTIMATELY, WE WILL COMMERCIALIZE A TRACTOR-MOUNTED OR AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM THAT APPLIES FUNGICIDES SELECTIVELY AND MONITORS DISEASE.

SEC. 9007 REAP-RENEW ENERGY SYS GRANTS (MAN)