Monitor insects with aapp? With xFarm you can

Protecting crops from pests is one of the key steps in achieving satisfactory production in terms of quality and quantity. To implement an effective and efficient defense strategy, it is necessary to constantly monitor the presence of harmful species in the field. Monitoring, in fact, is the first important step in ensuring the success of defense interventions.

xFarm has developed an innovative solution to enable farmers to be constantly updated on the presence of harmful insects within their plots. Here's what it's all about.

What is integrated pest management?

"Integrated pest management" refers to an approach to crop protection that, using all available techniques starting with those with the least environmental impact, aims to protect production while keeping the density of harmful species below the threshold of economic damage.

The advantages of integrated pest management are numerous, but they can be summed up in one word: efficiency. Through planned and targeted interventions, in fact, pests are controlled efficiently, that is, minimizing cost, time and environmental impact.

The first step is monitoring

Monitoring is undoubtedly the first step in adopting an integrated pest management strategy, but it requires a not inconsiderable investment in terms of time and manpower. In fact, the farmer is forced to visit his or her plots frequently and, as far as insect populations are concerned, to check traps to verify the number of captures that have occurred. Considering that monitoring is effective only if repeated over time, the total cost of the operation over the growing cycle can be substantial.

The solution of xFarm to monitor insect populations

The solution developed by xFarm consists of two basic elements: a set of automatic traps to be placed in the field along with environmental sensors(hardware)and a component software that analyzes the collected data.

xFarm has developed several specific traps for different types of pests.

• xTrap Delta: The xTrap monitoring trap Delta automates the capture and counting of insects by attracting them through a specific pheromone and then retaining them through a glue sheet. A camera takes and sends a daily photograph of the captures toapp of xFarm.
• xTrap Color: xTrap Color is suitable for monitoring species that are attracted to particular coloration. It is a chromotropic type trap, which effectively attracts and holds insects by taking advantage of a colored sheet covered with adhesive. Again, a photograph will be taken and sent daily toapp of xFarm.
• xTrap Stink: Through the xTrap Stink monitoring trap, it is possible to automate the capture and counting of bugs, which, after being attracted with a specific pheromone, are retained inside the trap. A passing sensor will allow counting the number of captured bugs, which will be sent toapp of xFarm.

By placing the traps within the plots, you can visit your fields only when there is a real need, saving time and money. In addition, photos taken by the cameras will remain available withinapp, going to compose a catch history that you can use to visualize trends in insect populations over the growing season.

Automatic counting: thanks to artificial intelligence, xFarm recognizes and counts insects

By taking advantage of an image analysis system to recognize the species of insect caught and count the individuals, captures become a numerical value directly available withinapp, useful for formulating your defense strategy in a simpler and more informed way, including using specific graphs and forecasting models.

The insect recognition and counting function is also compatible with Alerts, the module that enables notifications and alerts when population density exceeds the intervention threshold.

The benefits of monitoring with xTrap

• Saving time and money
• Standardization of the monitoring procedure
• Collection of useful data for the forecast model
• Archive of catch trends from season to season

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