New Detection System Will Reduce Insect-Caused Food Loss and Contamination
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Researchers at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have received a more than $324,000 grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to develop efficient monitoring systems for insect infestations in grain storage and large-scale food processing facilities.
These advanced automated sensors, insect traps and robotic technologies will work together to identify which pest species are present, determine the location of contaminated areas and generate estimations of pest population sizes in stored corn, wheat, tobacco, hops and more. An autonomous ground robot will also be developed to acquire data to produce reliable 2-D floor maps of infestations, ensuring control strategies use minimal pesticides and are accurately applied before significant food and financial loss occurs.
Chetan Badgujar, project lead and agricultural engineer in the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, says the new systems will reduce post-harvest losses in the global food market and supply chain. “Current detection methods are often inaccurate, time-consuming and labor-intensive. Our new devices will provide automated reports of infestations thanks to an advanced robotic-based recognition system that is functional anywhere and with any local insect populations.”
To ensure developed technologies are affordable and effective, research teams will routinely engage with stakeholders including farm supply stores and grain mills to implement beta testing and to conduct year-round cost-benefit analyses.
The three-year project is part of USDA NIFA’s Crop Protection and Pest Management (CPPM) program, which has recently invested another $20 million to address high-priority issues related to pest management at the state, regional and national levels. Badgujar will be working alongside Alison Gerken and Deanna Scheff, researchers at the USDA-ARS Center for Grain and Animal Health Research in Manhattan, Kansas, for the project.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch, and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.