DXAS to provide automated irrigation control services for pulse drip irrigation

DXAS Agricultural Technology, a joint venture between Kagome Co., Ltd. And NEC Corporation, is enhancing NEC's AI-enabled agricultural ICT platform, CropScope, with the addition of AI farming management advice and an automated irrigation control function for pulse drip irrigation.

Conventionally, pulse drip irrigation is commonly known as a cultivation method that maintains optimal soil water content and reduces water consumption. However, this cultivation method has not been widely used because it is difficult to determine the optimal amount of water, which can change constantly, implementation of the method by producers who manage large and multiple fields is complicated, and it requires a heavy workload.

In order to solve these difficulties, Kagome and NEC conducted demonstration tests in Portugal this year, using AI farming advice on irrigation and fertilization provided by CropScope, in order to realize the automation of pulse drip irrigation. The companies state they succeeded in increasing the yield by about 20 percent, with about 15 percent less irrigation when compared to a field that did not utilize CropScope.

Based on the results of the demonstration tests, DXAS will accelerate farming support by promoting the introduction and spread of the new services in the global tomato market, mainly in Europe, the Americas and Australia. The platform’s new functions are expected to be deployed starting in April 2023.

For more on drip irrigation, see our New AG International article: Under is better? Subsurface drip irrigation on the rise, here.

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