Brazil: Research proposes a remote method to identify the optimal point of peanut maturation

Work began in 2018, with data collection in commercial fields in Brazil and the United States. During the study, which used artificial intelligence with vegetation indices, models were developed using artificial neural networks and remote sensing and Precision Agriculture techniques were used to identify the optimal point of maturation in order to propose the beginning of the pullout, which is the first stage of harvest. The models showed good accuracy and precision, estimating peanut maturation with accuracy above 90% and errors below 10%. Therefore, the models showed promise to solve the problem of determining peanut maturation in the field. Currently, the most used method for determining peanut maturation is the Hull Scrape method, which consists of pulling out 5 to 10 plants at random points in the field. Subsequently, 200 pods of these plants are detached and their exocarp (first layer of the peanut pod, brown in color) is scraped, which is done by blasting water under ...