Technology developed in the interior of São Paulo uses artificial intelligence and is present in all states and other countries
Drones have quickly become popular with young people and audiovisual professionals. Usually equipped with small high-definition cameras, the equipment is capable of providing images beyond human limits. However, the use of these remote-controlled aircraft goes much further. They carry out high-risk jobs, such as collecting toxic waste and assisting in rescues that are difficult to access. They are present in the military and even in agribusiness.
Established in 2011 in the city of São Carlos (SP), XMobots is a benchmark company in the field. A pioneer in the development of drones for sugarcane production, the company is also the oldest Brazilian manufacturer of remotely piloted aircraft for the civil sector. In addition to the drones, the company also develops software, sensors and embedded technologies for the aircraft.
When the company started selling, the technology was still being used on an experimental basis, i.e. agribusiness companies, usually large ones, would purchase one or two aircraft to validate the results and understand the real savings that drones would bring. This process lasted until mid-2017. The business has grown and, as of this year, more than 250 drones have been produced in the interior of São Paulo, which have reached producers in all Brazilian states and have also been acquired in Chile, Peru and Angola. In 2021, the North American market will begin to receive the São Paulo technology.
How do they work?
Unlike conventional drones, which are limited to taking videos and photographs, drones in agribusiness, more specifically for sugarcane production, have several other purposes, such as mapping large crops, identifying pests, spraying chemical agents and other adjustments that help production.
"When the drone flies over a sugarcane field, it uses a specific sensor that we developed based on the spectral signature of the sugarcane leaf. In simple terms, this means that it sees the cane in a different way than it sees the soil and weeds. When the customer processes these images, they have the option of running the orthomosaic (the union of all the images generated during the flight) through XFarming, the artificial intelligence software we developed. XFarming automatically generates data such as weed detection, planting faults, cane row restitution, among others. The customer then has the option of spraying these weeds using the spraying drone," explained the company's commercial manager, Thatiana Miloso.
In this way, the producer can use the flight software developed by the São Carlos company to carry out localized application of the agrochemical, only where there are weeds that would damage crop production. This process saves a lot of input and money, promoting greater productivity and, consequently, more profitability in the final process.
Agro Technology?
Despite the benefits that new technologies can bring to agribusiness, it's still possible to encounter resistance when it comes to signing up by small and medium-sized producers. "We still find a barrier to entry, especially when we talk about medium and smallholders, especially when they are based in regions outside the Southeast, such as the North and Midwest," adds Miloso.
For Lúcio Jorge, a researcher at Embrapa Instrumentação in São Carlos (SP), what hinders the large-scale adoption of more sophisticated technologies is the lack of credit policies that enable smaller producers to have access to these technologies.
"It's a question of cost. Embrapa consulted all the producers in Brazil and, as a result, one of the things we found is that the big producers, almost 100%, are already adhering to technologies, the internet, new computers on board the machines, drones, among others. This is because they can afford to build teams, train and invest. More than 60% of small and medium-sized producers still don't have this access. They have access indirectly, through cooperatives and associations. There needs to be more access through financing, training and knowing the benefits that these technologies bring," said the researcher.
Brazil owns 40% of the world's sugarcane production, with more than 600 million tons produced last year. To get an idea of the size of the market that sugarcane technologies can reach in São Paulo alone, just take into account the data released by the National Supply Company (Conab), which indicates that the state is responsible for almost 53% of national sugarcane production.
Lúcio warns that the path of innovation for agribusiness has no return door. For him, technological processes, from the implementation of the plow, tractors, autonomous vehicles, among others, only contribute to improvements in all aspects of agribusiness.
"The latest technology has provided better automation of the process, can improve productivity, manage production, reduce costs and, above all, reduce environmental impacts in the use of inputs. With the introduction of new technologies, such as drones, it is possible to map the differences in the field, allowing you to spray with a much smaller and more targeted drop on the plant, thus saving water and inputs, reducing the amount of chemicals applied to the plant by more than 10 times," he explained.
Economy?
When it comes to productivity, the data is significant when using drones. For example, when a geographical survey is needed. Conventional surveying usually advances 10 hectares a day. When drones are used, this figure rises to 40 hectares a day. If we compare this with one of the drones produced by the São Carlos company, it is possible to map 500 hectares in a one-hour flight.
"In terms of crop savings, another important point we can address is the use of drone-generated maps. Using these, it is possible to generate variable rate application maps. As an example, the application of selective herbicide in a 350-hectare cotton field (an area considered small for the crop) resulted in product savings of R$1,480 per hectare," said Thatiana Miloso.
The future?
It's hard to think what the technologies of the future will be able to offer agribusiness producers. Artificial intelligence itself is already a reality, embodied in autonomous tractors, intelligent irrigators that detect the level of soil moisture and are able to carry out totally autonomous actions. Even the drone produced by the company in the interior of São Paulo can identify a small plant in the middle of a plantation covering thousands of hectares and knows exactly where to apply the chemical agent.
For the Embrapa researcher, the future will lie in the combination of the virtual technological world with reality. When the data obtained through technology can be used to monitor in real time not just the producer, but everyone involved in the process, in any geographical location.
"We are now in the information age, where intelligent sensors allow real-time decision making, the big leap. It will be sales websites, for example. When the customer can buy a product and check how it's doing, know how it's been looked after, what treatment it's received," he concluded.
Rodrigo Peronti
Article published on 29/09/2020 - 15:27 in ACidadeOn São Carlos
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