January 19, 2023 Chat Transcript
Recording(s) here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLajA3BBVyv1zc9xkiCSPqj3rEjW2vJ4Yb
Today’s Guests: Dave Brown and Patrick Plonski (Pometa); Chris Hall and Matt King (FruitScout); Ross Kranz and Tim Cromwell (LaGasse, Aurea, Munckhof); Charlie Wu (Orchard Robotics)
00:31:00 Anna Wallis: pacman.extension.org
00:31:36 Anna Wallis: https://nyshs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NYFQ-BOOK-Summer-2022_PRINT.pdf
00:42:09 Craig Kahlke: Please use the chatbox for questions folks.
00:42:48 GP: So, you’re confident you’re not double counting fruits like opposite row on “V” trellis with 3D image.
00:43:40 Patrick Plonski: Hi GP, Yes we are quite confident in this. We can reconstruct which side of the row any individual fruit is growing on. E.g. which arm of the V trellis.
00:44:23 JCL: Are the light conditions in the orchard import for taking video and achieving accurate fruit size measurements.
00:45:42 JC: Could you briefly touch on bin scanning? Like to you use a iPhone with video to scan bins or take an image. Does it get size and color data?
00:46:15 Greg Peck: How will fruit number be reported? Per linear length of row, per tree, per TCSA, per acre, etc.?
00:46:17 Put your name please!: Is there a way to apply a treatment to trees that would enhance buds and make identifying buds a doable
00:47:16 Anna Wallis: Anonymous question: Can you disclose the average percentage of occluded fruit?
00:47:49 MK: How many trees/feet do you need to count for ground truthing?
00:48:22 Put your name please!: Is there an auto-weight calculation based on drop estimates (tonnage)? Any accuracy data therefrom?
00:48:54 JCL Does your output include fruit per tree or fruit per linear foot?
00:48:57 Jon Clements: Greg Peck, Pometa tells me they are going to be focusing on a per tree count going forward, TBD?
00:52:54 Greg Peck: Reacted to “Greg Peck, Pometa te…” with 👍
00:57:00 RB: Can you say if the higher the density of the canopy, the more you overestimate the crop?
01:04:53 Patrick Plonski: Hi JC, Regarding bin scanning, Pometa will be implementing two bin scanning procedures, both using video from the phone. Customers will be able to scan a bin in the field using a phone in much the same manner they can scan a set of trees. We are also testing out overhead scanning so that the packing house can scan the top of the truck as it comes in with a fixed overhead phone.
01:06:09 JC: I’m assuming a iPad Pro would work as well?
01:10:37 BB: How accurate are the trunk diameter measurements with FruitScout, and how robust is it at dealing with interference from ground covers (weeds), root suckers, etc.
01:11:49 Chris Hall: Hi JC. Yes, modern iPad pro cameras would be sufficient, though you may find a phone (iPhone or Android) may be easier to manage just from a size perspective.
01:12:43 Chris Hall: Hi BB, we have found trunk and fruit measurements to be very accurate. Ground truthing done by us and academic and research partners has shown less than 2% variance
01:16:29 SS: For Matt King: HI, could you please repeat how your fruit sizing technology is linked to DAS, I did not get it, thanks
01:19:26 Matt King: Sure. For DAS customers in WA, you can just take sizing pictures with FruitScout, and then we automatically feed that data into DAS and you can see the harvest projections in DAS. For customers outside WA, we integrate with any weather stations, and implement the exact same harvest prediction model. You can see the results in the FruitScout PCLM Control Panel.
01:29:18 Put your name please!: How much cost the root pruner
01:29:26 BB: are they currently selling the VR fertilizer spreaders?
01:34:52 SB: As far as I know there is no automatic integration of FruitScout with DAS. Matt King can you please clarify that?
01:39:26 Matt King: Hey SB. Looks like you are on the emails from last year when we first built the integration with DAS.
01:43:10 BA: Any issues with time of day scan was made
01:45:01 SB2: Can you explain what form the grower receives the data (i.e. excel?)
01:46:03 SS: Hi Charlie, can we use your technology without a vehicle? Like manually? do you have a protocol in place for this options or not possible?
01:47:55 SB: Hey Matt, yes, but I’m still not sure what you mean with integration with DAS. As of today, DAS does not interface directly/automatically with FruitScout, nor vice versa
01:48:31 SS: thanks!
01:51:29 Matt King: SB, I’ll have to beg to differ, as the integration was built, demonstrated last year and exists. But, we can discuss this further offline.
01:51:45 Dave Brown: Thanks Anna!