Pilot program in California will monitor diamondback moths in brassica crops utilising predictive modeling technology for more efficient scouting and treatment.
FMC Corporation has partnered with Nutrien Ag Solutions on a pilot program to use the new FMC Arc farm intelligence platform. This platform delivers real-time pest mapping and predictive forecasts of diamondback moth populations in brassica crops to Nutrien Ag Solutions pest control advisors (PCAs) in the Salinas Valley of California. Crops being monitored include Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower.
The pilot program launched in late May 2020 and will run through mid-September 2020, the peak season for diamondback moths. Nutrien Ag Solutions PCAs and scouts will be actively monitoring insect traps throughout the Salinas Valley while FMC Arc farm intelligence will visualize that data as detailed maps on a proprietary mobile app.
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This functionality is to help PCAs and growers easily track the progression of pest pressure and, ultimately, predict it. The pest information is to help Nutrien Ag Solutions PCAs be more efficient and effective in scouting and delivering pest management recommendations to growers than in the past.
FMC plans to refine and validate an advanced pest prediction model for diamondback moths based on current and historical data.
Arc Farm Intelligence Platform
Arc farm intelligence is a mobile platform that uses predictive modeling based on real-time data. It is to ensure that the right crop protection products are applied precisely where and when they are needed.
The platform offers customised alerts through a mobile app to indicate when action is needed in a field, two-way communication between the user and the FMC technical services team, data and high-quality graphics, including graphs and heat maps. According to FMC Corporation, Arc farm intelligence has been engineered with open APIs and can easily be plugged into existing digital ecosystems.
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