Chilean startup allows monitoring pests in agriculture

Neltume Technologies, a startup developed by former students at the University of Chile, has developed a device that works on artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver information daily on monitoring pests in agriculture.

Its operation consists of monitoring climate, population and phenology in the field, using sensors, cameras and AI. “A remote monitoring of pests is carried out through photographs of the traps and the host, while the sensors measure temperature and relative humidity at the same point. With this information we can recommend the use of pesticides, seeking to better adjust to the cycles of the plague under control,” explained Antonio Cabreira, co-founder of Neltume Technologies.

The technology has been validated by studies with the Foundation for Fruit Development (FDF), the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA) and the faculties of agronomy of the University of Chile and the University of Talca. During this season the service is being used by the national program, Lobesia botrana of the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) and companies in the agricultural sector between the IV and VII regions.

"We believe that a key aspect to improve the efficiency of the applications is to decide in a differentiated way when and what to apply, thanks to the collection of local and daily information from the devices in the field," declared Bárbara Valenzuela, Director of Studies of Neltume Technologies.

"From next season, we are going to upgrade to a new version of the devices that we have been developing with several improvements and at the user platform level. We are incorporating notifications of the first capture, application recommendations according to local conditions and the possibility that users report activities in the field,” Cabreira added.