It’s crunch time for cranberries in North America. They’re sometimes harvested from mid-September via mid-November. FOX Climate’s Katie Byrne is at Lee Brothers Cranberry Farm, an operation that is been rising cranberries for 150 years.
CHATSWORTH, N.J. – A staple of the Thanksgiving desk, identified for its tart but refreshing taste, is now the main focus of artificial intelligence, which might at some point revolutionize the crop and make it extra sustainable in opposition to climate extremes and different obstacles.
The U.S. Division of Agriculture is leveraging AI to improve cranberry harvesting efforts in a managed setting in New Jersey, concentrating on enhanced fruit productiveness, illness resistance and tolerance in opposition to climate extremes.
A system often known as the BerryBox analyzes the cranberries by producing detailed imagery to help researchers in creating extra resilient crops.
“We’re making an attempt to companion with some trade operators to help transfer this know-how into the market the place they might use that know-how to improve their operation,” Dr. Jeffrey Neyhart, a analysis geneticist with the USDA, advised FOX Climate.
Cranberries analyzed for traits
(USDA / FOX Climate)
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The know-how holds promise for bettering crop resilience, significantly for growers battling drought or ailments from mildew and fungi.
America is the main producer of cranberries worldwide, with states like Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington contributing to almost the complete harvest.
Wisconsin alone produces greater than half of the nation’s crop, sometimes grown in specialised bogs.
These marshy areas make it simpler for farmers to apply moist harvesting, the place the marshes are flooded, and the berries float to the highest, however drought situations can result in every part from delayed harvests to shriveled-up berries.
The know-how is presently within the trial part, however USDA researchers are all in favour of deploying it to extra areas of the nation and probably to different fruit industries akin to blueberries.
Cranberry manufacturing cycle
(Oregon State College / FOX Climate)
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As soon as the technology is deployed, the impacts aren’t anticipated to be instantaneous.
“It’s nonetheless going to take some trial and error in figuring out which crops do higher or worse, after which hopefully they’re ready for future excessive occasions,” stated Neyhart. “Even as soon as it’s deployed, it’s nonetheless going to be for the long run.”
For harvesters affected by the present drought or points with bacterial and fungal ailments, the event of the know-how is welcome information, however it’s estimated to be a number of years away from making a distinction in crop hardiness.
“The AI will help us establish which varieties are dynamic underneath dry situations in order that manufacturing ranges stay excessive,” Neyhart said.
The standard timeframe is upwards of 10 to twenty years earlier than analysis develops into widespread reduction that may make waves within the trade.
Sixth-generation cranberry farmer Stephen V. Lee, IV in Chatsworth, New Jersey, spoke about how the current drought is affecting his household farm. Nov. 13, 2024.