Student tests a prototype tomato harvester on a wooden ramp with small pots containing tomato plants

AI at the N.C. PSI

The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative is charting a course for the future of agriculture, leveraging artificial intelligence with a three-pronged approach: cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, extension and workforce development.

Artificial intelligence is the defining opportunity of our time in agriculture. If a scientist or farmer can observe it in the field, AI can be trained to replicate and scale that knowledge. Just as genomics reshaped plant breeding, digital agriculture and AI are redefining how farming is done.

Through the N.C. PSI, interdisciplinary teams are leading the way, breaking ground with AI-enabled sensors, robotics and data-driven decision tools, moving them from the lab to the field in ways that meet farmers’ needs.

Research That Redefines How Farming Is Done

The N.C. PSI drives innovation by engaging interdisciplinary teams for real-world impact for plant improvement, data-driven plant sciences and resilient agricultural systems.

Solutions Start Here

Man demonstrating an agricultural robot to a small group. — Chris Reberg-Horton demonstrates the Benchbot.

Using AI and Advanced Sensors To Transform Feed Production

Healthy, affordable feed is key to the vitality of North Carolina’s $14 billion livestock and poultry industry.

With seed funding from the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, an interdisciplinary team at NC State is studying ways to use low-cost, real-time sensors paired with artificial intelligence to make feed milling more precise.

The ultimate goal: healthier, productive animals to ensure a nutritious supply of protein for a growing world population.

peanut leaves against a white background

Pixels to Power Farming’s Future

Images, and lots of them, are the key to computer vision, a form of AI that’s driven advancements in facial recognition, medical imaging, self-driving cars and more. But the lack of publicly available, high-quality plant images has been a barrier to advancing computer vision in agriculture.

A team of NC State researchers and engineers have amassed 1.5 million+ plant images, plus key data about them, into a first- and largest-of-its-kind open-source agricultural image repository. Freely available to researchers, both public and private, the tool could be a game-changer, enabling new tools and technologies that make farming more precise and profitable.

sweetpotatos in a field awaiting harvest

REFRAME: A Residue Revolution

Not everything that’s grown on a farm makes it to market because it just won’t sell: Misshapen sweetpotatoes and their green tops are good examples. At NC State, researchers have embarked on a four-year project to help create new business opportunities from such agricultural leftovers.

They’re developing an AI-enabled, open-source platform to help farmers, processing plants, researchers and policymakers analyze the potential for creating new income sources from such biomass.

sweetpotatoes of different sizes on a conveyor belt

Sweet Success From Sweet-APPS

North Carolina is the undisputed leader in U.S. sweetpotato production, generating over $350 million in annual economic impact and producing roughly 60% of the nation’s supply. NC State’s Sweet-APPS project is designed to ensure the industry stays strong.

Sweet-APPS uses advanced imaging and machine learning to evaluate every sweetpotato by size, shape and surface quality, linking that information back to the field it came from. These data are fed to web-based decision-support tools for packers, allowing smarter grading, less waste and a higher-value crop.

Three people watch a robotic prototype with a mechanical arm grasp a tomato

Superhero Robots-in-Training

Grocery shoppers might not think about it, but the bulk of the fresh produce we buy in the supermarket is still tended and picked by hand, and finding labor is one of the toughest challenges faced by U.S. farmers.

With support from the N.C. PSI Makerspace, NC State researchers and students are developing AI-driven robots to automate some of the more arduous and repetitive vegetable production tasks. And they’re naming some of those tools after superheroes.

Much-magnified image of the root-know nematode

Toward Faster Nematode Results

To speed test results that farmers need to prevent or reduce losses from nematodes, a team of NC State faculty members are training computers to identify 25 of most pesky types in the Southeast and accurately count them.

Right now, testing is tedious and time-consuming process, meaning weeks can pass before farmers get results. AI won’t eliminate the need for trained diagnosticians, but it could make their work more efficient, allowing farmers to take action when it matters most.

Seeding Apple Research To Take Bite Out of Labor Crunch

With seed funding from the N.C. PSI, an NC State research team is exploring ways to pair AI with portable, non-invasive radio frequency imaging, near-infrared and visible spectroscopy to help apple growers gather more information about their crops to make labor-saving decisions around three key labor-intensive tasks: pruning when trees are dormant, removing excess flowers and fruits as the trees grow and harvesting fruit.

Researchers are hopeful that their early-stage work could have implications for other valuble specialty crops.

Ensuring Field-Ready Results That Matter

To position farmers at the forefront of innovation, the N.C. PSI engages a network of Extension agents from across the state to drive future research and beta test transformational technologies on farms. Current agent cohorts are enhancing AI-related research ranging from in-field phosphorus testing to detection of emerging plant diseases.

Connecting Research to Farmer Needs

Developing AI-Ready Graduates

To create lasting, impactful solutions through AI, our activities go beyond research. To provide NC State students with the chance to learn more about AI’s applications in agriculture and gain related experience, we offer an array of AI-related programs, events and activities.

A New Breed of Problem-Solvers

2023 PSI Hackathon — 2023 N.C. PSI Hackathon

A woman and a man standing outside in front of the Plant Sciences Building

SAPLINGS: ‘A Meaningful Impact’

As part of a five-year, $18.1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded partnership called SAPLINGS, we are collaborating with North Carolina A&T State University, to grow interest among university students in food, agricultural, natural resources and human sciences.

At NC State, undergraduates get the chance to learn about AI and data science and apply that knowledge for precision agriculture.

Students gather round a man in a farm field and take notes.

GRAD-AID for Ag: Digging Into AI

With the goal of preparing a future-proof workforce at the intersection of plant science and artificial intelligence, NC State’s GRAD-AID for Ag program equips students with the ability to integrate lab-derived datasets with field data, leveraging the statistical analyses, machine learning, artificial neural networks, and other AI approaches. The goal: to accelerate translation of basic plant science research to the field.

N.C. PSI Hackathon: Ideation, Collaboration and Impactful Solutions

Our annual Hackathon gives undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars the chance to demonstrate their skills in solving ag tech challenges.

The three-day event provides gives them valuable experience using data analytics, machine learning, hardware fabrication and more.

USDA-ARS Internships: Putting Data Science Skills to Work

In a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service’s AI Center of Excellence and SCINet, NC State graduate students are paired with USDA scientist mentors to engage in high-impact agricultural research.

These immersive, AI-intensive experiences allow students to gain professional skills, build their personal networks and increase their understanding of possible career paths.