The federal government is investing up to C$1.69 million in Vivid Machines Inc. of Toronto to adapt its machine-learning and computer-vision system for grape growers. The money comes through the AgriScience Program of the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, announced on 11 September.

Vivid's technology uses specialised cameras and computer-vision systems to scan the vines, and machine-learning models to read the images for signs of disease, fruit quality and expected yield. The company built it for apple orchards; the grant pays to retrain it for the different canopy, fruit and disease pressures of grapes.

Early disease detection is the headline goal. Vineyard diseases move fast and can take a large share of a crop, so spotting them before a scout would allows earlier, more targeted treatment and potentially fewer sprays. Continuous crop-load and yield estimates also feed into harvest planning, labour, storage and marketing.

"It allows us to take the computer vision technology we've built for apple growers and adapt it to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing grape growers such as crop load estimation, and early disease detection," said Jenny Lemieux, co-founder and chief executive of Vivid Machines, adding that the company can keep hiring in Toronto.

Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said the investment would help grape growers be more resilient against disease, weather and shifting markets. Karim Bardeesy, parliamentary secretary to the industry minister and MP for Taiaiako'n-Parkdale-High Park, said the tools would give growers the insight they need to protect their vineyards.

Photo: Graham / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Source: Farms.com