Arable advances crop-intelligence system with Mark 3 sensor

International agtech company Arable has released an advancement in its crop-intelligence platform: the Arable Mark 3 in-field sensing device, which includes contextualized crop imagery via Arable Vision.

Created in partnership with Bould Design, the the Mark 3, measures the weather, plant, soil, and irrigation flow all in one simple, stable system. The sensing and communication device was created with advances in user experience, plant, and environmental sensing, connectivity and ruggedness. Armed with a holistic, real-time view into the entire crop system, growers, advisors and researchers are able to make more informed decisions and achieve better outcomes in key applications, including irrigation, crop protection, fertilization, labor efficiency, breeding and sustainability.

Among the features that Arable noted as part of today’s Mark 3 announcement are:

• Enhanced crop sensing capabilities: The Mark 3 uses the latest in sensor technology to deliver real-time insights into how a crop is responding to its environment and identify plant stress before it becomes visible to the human eye. Its advanced 22 narrow-band spectrometer enables users to diagnose plant stress from causes such as nutrient deficiencies, water stress and disease.

• Ease of use: Since its inception, Arable has been setting the standard in agricultural intelligence with fully integrated, holistic sensing and communication devices that can be set up in minutes, require no maintenance and start delivering value immediately. The Mark 3 builds on the award-winning Mark 2 with new features that include a built-in 5MP camera, an integrated solar array and an optional ultrasonic wind anemometer.

• Farm-tough durability: Every aspect of the Mark 3 has been re-architected and rigorously tested to ensure operation in the harshest growing conditions in the world. Everything from cutting-edge materials and sensors to each screw placement has been optimized to be fit for the farm. The device has no moving parts, no openings to clean, and fewer parts to break down, ensuring reliable, consistent and maintenance-free operation.

• Expanded connectivity for continuous monitoring: To enable reliable data transmission from remote growing regions, the Mark 3 comes equipped with a high-powered antenna that is able to connect at a range 7 times greater than that of a typical cell phone. Additionally, with 5 time the battery capacity and double the charging power of the Mark 2, the Mark 3 can operate for up to two months without sunlight, making it optimal for regions that experience long periods of low solar activity.

• Future-ready: The Mark 3 leverages the latest in communication technologies and IoT computing to provide a powerful experience for customers. These capabilities also provide the foundation for future innovations and features without requiring the purchase of new hardware, which has the dual benefit of investment protection and reduced environmental impact. Planned feature expansions include wireless connectivity via long-range Bluetooth 5.2, new communication options to enable connectivity in the most remote locations and edge machine learning to enable data and image analysis in real time.

The Mark 3 comes at a time when the agriculture industry is facing unprecedented obstacles. Feeding a rapidly growing population amid a changing climate, scarcity in water, lack of new fertile land and heightened consumer demands for sustainable products is putting extreme strain on the food supply.

″Agriculture is one of the most important industries in the world, and right now it is desperately in need of solutions that deliver sustainability and productivity in the face of growing challenges,″ said Jim Ethington, CEO of Arable. ″At Arable we believe that better data drives better decisions, and with the Mark 3 we are setting a new standard not just in complete, trustworthy data, but also actionable insights — and doing it all in one simple solution.″

The other component of today’s announcement, Arable Vision, uses the Mark 3’s integrated 5MP camera. It provides a daily high-resolution image of the crop and puts that image in context of what was happening in the field environment before, during and after the image was taken. Users are able to tag, share and add notes to the images, further strengthening team-wide collaboration and facilitating quick problem resolution. The result is reduced risk, cost savings, and maximized use of resources.

Plus, these records can be used to support other needs for verification in insurance, carbon programs, traceability, and the food supply chain.

Arable is now accepting pre-orders for the Mark 3 device, with availability in early 2023.

Arable has offices in California as well as in Brazil and India, and its products are used in more than 30 countries.