- Author: Trina Kleist
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Published on: September 11, 2022
![Postdoctoral researcher Connel Ching’anda stands by a machine that uses steam to disinfect soil of pathogens that can harm leafy green crops. Steve Fennimore and his team, of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, tested the equipment last year in Salinas fields, and they demonstrated its use during Automated Technology Field Day, also in Salinas, in June. (Photo courtesy Jeffrey Mitchell/UC Davis)](https://ucanr.edu/blogs/UCDWeedScience/blogfiles/94567small.jpg)
Postdoctoral researcher Connel Ching’anda stands by a machine that uses steam to disinfect soil of pathogens that can harm leafy green crops. Steve Fennimore and his team, of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, tested the equipment last year in Salinas fields, and they demonstrated its use during Automated Technology Field Day, also in Salinas, in June. (Photo courtesy Jeffrey Mitchell/UC Davis)
AI-trained machines slash labor costs
Experimental robots are reducing the costs of hand-weeding by learning the difference between weeds and lettuce. In addition, steam can clear the soil of fungi and spores that cause lettuce and spinach to wilt, reducing the need for chemical herbicides in the bargain, according to the latest research by Steve Fennimore and his lab at the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.
Fennimore, a professor of Cooperative Extension, presented his findings at a recent meeting of the California Leafy...
/h2>Tags: artificial intelligence (2), automated weeder (1), hand-weeding (1), robotic (6), robots (1), steam (3), vegetable (18), weed mangement (1)
Focus Area Tags: Agriculture, Pest Management
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