Broccoli producers may soon be able to use 3D camera technology to identify when crops are ready for harvest thanks to a new research project.
Researchers at the University of Lincoln recently won £138,000 of Agri-Tech funding, along with £40,000 of funding from the private sector, to trial and develop the technology.
The project, known as 3D Vision Assisted Harvesting of Broccoli, is being touted as a “key step” towards fully automated harvesting of broccoli.
It is being developed in partnership with Lincolnshire horticultural consultants R. Fountain & Son, who will produce the broccoli cutting machine.
“Broccoli is one of the world’s largest vegetable crops and is almost entirely manually harvested, which is costly,” said project leader Professor Tom Duckett, of the University of Lincoln.
“This technology is seen as being an important move towards developing fully automatic robot harvesting systems, which could then be used for a variety of different crops.”
Head of agriculture and food at Innovate UK, Ian Meikle, said: “The Agri-Tech Strategy aims to make the UK a world leader in agricultural technology, innovation and sustainability. The funding decisions are expert-led and evidence-based.
“They support great ideas that address challenges of the future in food and farming. With business, research and government working together, these investments can unlock potential and deliver major benefits for society and the economy.”
The research team includes Professor Tom Duckett and Dr Grzegorz Cielniak from Lincoln’s School of Computer Science and Dr Simon Pearson from the University’s National Centre for Food Manufacturing (NCFM) at Holbeach.
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