Todd Mockler, PhD, member and Geraldine and Robert Virgil Distinguished Investigator at the Danforth Center will co-lead a research team applying AI approaches to extract plant phenotypes, from sensor data sets in order to accelerate crop improvement, with a focus on enhancing nitrogen and water use efficiency in major row crops such as corn and soy as part of a nationwide research team that was recently awarded a five year, $20 million grant to explore foundational AI goals and innovative uses of AI to develop a prototype autonomous “farm of the future”.
AIFARMS is one of seven new AI institutes announced Aug. 26 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the National Science Foundation. Each institute has been awarded $20 million in federal funding in what officials said is the “nation’s most significant federal investment in AI research and workforce development to date.” READ MORE