Catalogue of Services

In order to train, test, and validate AI applications, annotated datasets are needed. Wageningen Research - Field Crops can provide FAIR datasets consisting of high-quality raw images, annotations, and metadata on crops, weeds, diseases, and pests. At the moment a dataset on volunteer potato in sugar beet and onion is available. Let us know in which other datasets you are interested.

AI model training

Data augmentation

Assessment of interoperability for AI-driven solutions

Data interoperability in the agrifood sector hinders innovation and development due to the need for many custom solutions to share data. This service helps agricultural organisations improve how they handle and share data across the entire food value chain. By implementing standardised reference data models like rmAgro (https://rmagro.org), we help to optimise your data flows and make your information systems work better together. Our team at Wageningen Research provides expert guidance in data modelling and implements reference models that align with industry standards and tests the reference models against various use cases. This promotes more efficient data sharing between different systems and organisations, reducing data integration challenges and improving operational efficiency. The service is particularly valuable for organisations looking to modernise their data infrastructure or needing to share data more effectively with partners in the agri-food sector. This service provides an assessment of interoperability for AI-driven solutions within the agri-food sector. The service facilitates conformance testing and verification of whether the related IT systems comply with relevant standards, guidelines, data space regulations, and other interoperability requirements. By evaluating the IT systems against established reference data models and frameworks like rmAgro (https://rmagro.org), the service ensures that it meets the necessary criteria for effective data sharing and integration. Wageningen Research leverages its expertise to evaluate the overall AI solution on its quality, performance, and how well it aligns with industry standards, offering insights and recommendations for improvement. This service supports organisations in ensuring their solutions are interoperable, compliant, and ready for seamless integration within the agri-food value chain.

Conformity assessment

Evaluation for Ethical, Legal, and Social Aspects (ELSA Scan) for responsible AI development

What are the ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) of AI-driven technology in agri-food? Mitigation of potential risks and finding opportunities are easier by identifying ELSA aspects in early development stages, when the technology is still in the making. Examples of ELSA aspects are autonomy, transparency, and bias, but also data privacy and other legal aspects. How does your AI technology deal with ELSA aspects? A combined survey and interview help AI developers to identify opportunities and issues with ELSA in the agri-food context from the perspective of end users and more broadly, for society. For example, to better align with the sustainability objectives of the AI-driven technology. The outcomes of the ELSA scan are a list of identified key ELSA aspects and high-level recommendations to further improve the AI technology.

ELSA assessment

Provision of a phenotyping greenhouse with extensive sensor set - NPEC

NPEC will enable you to make accurate, high-throughput studies of plant performance possible in relation to relevant biotic (diseases, bacteria) and abiotic (light quantity and quality, nutrients, temperature, moisture, soil pH and atmospheric CO2 level) factors across a range of scales.

The experiments can be performed in a greenhouse compartment with an extensive set of sensors to measure the plant and it’s environment. In growth rooms smaller scale experiments can be performed, with a special chamber for studying the roots of plants using transparent growth media. In the open field crop measurements can be performed using the Traitseeker for RGB, spectral and 3D measurements.

AI model training

Data analysis

Test setup

Provision of a virtual playground for robots

The service consists of a photorealistic digital greenhouse environment, built in a game engine.

The greenhouse is configurable to different sizes, light conditions (sun, supplementary lighting) or row spacing. In the greenhouse different crops can be placed to either test AI detection networks or complete robotic systems, as there is a ROS2 integration available. The environment is made in a way that physical properties of the objects have influence on other components or robot interactions.

AI model training

Data augmentation

Test design

Test setup

Provision of datasets for simulation and visualisation

In order to develop digital twins for agriculture, reliable long-term datasets on the agronomy and ecology of fields are crucial. From several long-term experiments and agricultural systems (like the Farm of the Future), datasets of fields are available with registrations of crop operations, crop measurements (e.g., timeseries of vegetation indices), yield, soil, & weather data, and data on key performance indicators. In some cases, other sensor data (tractor data, soil moisture, insect monitoring) are also available. New datasets can be developed based on specific needs.

Provision of raw image datasets in field crops

In order to develop AI applications or vision functionalities in robots, one of the first steps is to have high-quality images of crops, weeds, nutrient deficiencies, diseases, or pests available. As the phenotype of plants can really differ between regions and seasons, providing balanced datasets with high-quality images and different illumination could save valuable (development and acquisition) time. The data can be used for annotation purposes or to have a first visual check if an existing trained algorithm works sufficiently.

Test and demonstration of (robotic sensor, implement, algorithm) solutions with end-users

Accessing the end-user in a country takes a lot of time and effort. Wageningen Research - Field Crops has, through its regional experimental farms, access to farmer networks and dealers and can bring you in contact with them. The researchers in our department have a practical approach and know what is needed to implement new technologies in farms, therefore fulfilling a bridge between agronomy, technology, and ecology. By testing and demonstrating your product or service to our farm managers and farmers in the region (for example, farmers in https://www.proeftuinprecisielandbouw.nl), we gather valuable feedback to speed up the development of your prototype.

Market research

Test and experimentation of robotic and AI solutions in field crops

The core business of Wageningen Research - Field Crops is to design and create experimental plots (e.g. at the Farm of the Future) and to collect objective data on crops, weeds, diseases, pests and quality and effectiveness of robotic and AI solutions, in which we provide statistical reliable datasets. Examples of experiments are e.g. testing the accuracy and quality of handsfree harvesting solutions, weeding robots and path following of autonomous implement carriers in field crops. We offer for example the following measurements : -Provide measurements on effectiveness of solutions on control of weeds, pests and diseases (e.g. effectiveness of a weed robot) -Provide timeseries of vegetation indices (drone) -Provide yield measurements (quantity and quality) -Provide plant measurements (emergence, flowering, senescence) -Provide weed countings (including species determination) -Provide sensor data (soil moisture, insect monitoring, etc.) Furthermore we have common agricultural machines and implements available. We can cover different field crops, but we also are specialized in new crop farming systems that are based on agro-ecological principles. Think of strip and mosaic farming. Get in touch to discuss the possibilities for your experiment or test question.

Test design

Lukasiewicz Poznanski Instytut Technologiczny (L-PIT)

Test setup

Testbed preparation

Wielkopolska Agricultural Advisory Center in Poznań (WODR)

Testbed preparation will enable costumers to execute physical tests of their technology/machines/algorithms in line with their expectations.

Within this service, costumers might get a well prepared flat/slopped arable lands or permanent grasslands.

We can also prepare a land with "controlled rain conditions" or a dump ground. There is also a possibility of providing and preparation of apiary or a sprinkler for software testing. We can help costumers run physical experiments by preparing a cultivated/non-cultivated fields or run tests on test plots, specially designed for testing. Within the latter, we will take care of such elements like: soil preparation, seed/plant procurement, seeding/planting, plant growth management, preparation of technical infrastructure. All this to meet your needs to ensure optimal conditions for conducting and monitoring tests.

This service can be executed in fields with various area with system of weather stations, phenological stations and ICT infrastructure. We can also prepare costumers sets of data collected for these areas like archive cultivated plants, treatments, crops, etc.

Validation of robotic systems and algorithms

End-users like to see an objective validation of a technology in terms of added value (costs vs. benefits), technical specifications (accuracy, capacity, power requirements, etc.), and user acceptance (ease of use, gain, and joy of working with the technology). At Wageningen Research - Field Crops, we can validate your solution according to the agrifoodTEF protocols and deliver you a WUR white report on your technology.