b'To watch full-length video interviews with everyone featured in this story, visit seedworld.com/seed-speaks-precision-agmay be limited, but the rise inbecomes more widespread inSpecifically, he focused onity of integrating this diverse smoky days in certain regionswildfire mitigation and agricul- addressing issues such as irondataset but expresses excite-is prompting more researchture, both Chell and Falk seedeficiency chlorosis, utilizingment about the progress into understanding the effectspromising developments ondrones to enhance the effi- Syngenta is making in visu-of wildfire smoke on cropthe horizon. ciency and accuracy of dataalizing and interpreting the ecosystems, Falk says. Im excited about thecollection.information. Spray drones are alsopotential of collecting moreThis technology hasDrones, once consid-being explored to controldata and utilizing various sen- proven invaluable in the test- ered cutting-edge, have now vegetation near powerlinessors to enhance our under- ing phase of the plant breed- become an integral tool for in rough terrain, reducing thestanding of environmentaling pipeline, allowing for fasterrapidly and accurately assess-risk of fires caused by treesconditions and to developand more precise measure- ing hybrid performance, a interacting with power lines. strategies to prevent wild- ments than traditional meth- testament to the evolution of fires, Chell says. ods, he says. technology in agriculture, he Drones in the Field Falk adds that hes particu- Jim Ethington, CEO ofadds.Falk emphasizes the impor- larly intrigued by the increas- Arable based in San Francisco,Ethington says weve only tant role of drones in the ageing use of spray drones inCalifornia, says a profoundreached the tip of the iceberg. of extreme weather, particu- agriculture and the growingshift is occurring when itOn his wish list is the potential larly in plant phenotyping.accessibility of drone technol- comes to using technologyof creating a digital replica or Drones can collect data onogy to a wide range of users. to mitigate the effects oftwin of trial sites, allowing crop health, biomass, diseaseDrones are becom- extreme weather. Ethington, afor comprehensive modeling outbreaks, nutrient deficien- ing easier to use and moreformer VP of product at Theof crop growth and predicting cies, water stress and more.affordable, making themClimate Corporation, empha- outcomes under varying con-This data provides a wealthvaluable tools for farmers andsizes the need for a deepditions. This, he believes, could of information for farmersresearchers alike, Falk says. understanding of environmen- significantly accelerate the and researchers, leading total changes to produce seedsseed development timeline.improved crop management,Drones and Plant Breeders tailored to specific regions. Ethington also touches reduced variation in researchIn Malta, Illinois, AustinAddressing the impactupon a fascinating prospect trials, and enhanced insightsDobbels, a Syngenta cornof extreme weather on plant the integration of digital into seed development. breeding project special- breeding, Ethington highlightstechnology directly with Moreover, drones areist, has helped to furtherthe challenges faced duringseed products. He envisions being used to identify suitablestrengthen the link betweenthe testing phase.a future where every seed locations for research trials byagriculture and technology.The frequency of extremecomes with a digital play-assessing soil types, elevation,His expertise lies not onlyweather events necessitatesbook that guides farmers drainage, and crop history,in developing corn hybrids butcontinuous adjustments tothrough the entire growth allowing for more efficient trialalso in harnessing the powertarget testing regions to aligncycle, considering environ-designs. of digital agriculturepar- with customer growth areas.mental variables and specific Future advancementsticularly drone technology,Finding uniform sites for test- genetic traits. might involve how we conductwhich he has a huge fond- ing becomes more challeng- This marriage of genetics research including adjustingness forto navigate theing, impacting the accuracy ofand digital insights holds the trial plot sizes to accommo- challenges posed by extremebreeding decisions, he says. promise of optimizing yields, date drone sensors betterweather conditions. The surge in data, encom- enhancing profitability, and and increase the number ofWith a passion for drones,passing weather patterns, soiladdressing the challenges replicates, providing a deeperDobbels has in the pastdata, and genetic information,posed by unpredictable understanding of crop perfor- delved into the realm ofpresents both opportuni- weather patterns, Ethington mance, Falk adds. high-throughput phenotyp- ties and challenges. Dobbelsadds. SWAs the use of dronesing for crops like soybeans.acknowledges the complex-ENDORSED BY JANUARY 2024SEEDWORLD.COM /47'