Aug 11, 2022

Potato partnership advancing harvest tech

HarvestEye, patented technology that fits to existing harvesting or grading equipment, provides timely insights on root crops as they are lifted.

This technology can be a cost-effective method to achieve targeted agronomic performance, whereby whole-field variation data is reported on an online portal.

Researchers and developers behind machine-learning driven crop insights tool HarvestEye are taking advantage of the Mediterranean climate’s earlier potato harvesting season – working with growers in Mallorca, Spain, to conduct field trials of current and future iterations of the technology.

HarvestEye is patented technology that fits to existing harvesting or grading equipment, providing timely insights on root crops as they are lifted. HarvestEye is a cost-efficient method to achieve targeted agronomic performance, whereby whole-field variation data is reported on an online portal.

In Mallorca, the HarvestEye team tested existing software and hardware, as well as a new unreleased iteration of the product, following four weeks of trials and collaboration throughout the season.

“We have established amazing partnerships with potato growers and exporters in Mallorca,” said Dr. Mercedes Torres Torres, machine-learning team leader at HarvestEye. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to refine our existing technology ahead of the UK harvesting season, while also being the perfect test bed to trial a new version of our cutting-edge technology of which findings will be instrumental to the product.”

The HarvestEye team worked with local growers to trial the technology, processing more than 200 tonnes of potatoes from six harvested fields.

“We have formed an incredibly mutually beneficial relationship with the team at HarvestEye. The company understands our needs as growers and in turn the system has enabled us to better understand our crop performance and make accurate data-informed decisions,” added Pedro Mateu, director at Mateu Exports.