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The Smart Droplets project is transforming sustainable farming by reducing pesticide and fertiliser use while maintaining crop health through precise, data-driven treatment. Leading this initiative is the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), which coordinates the project and has developed an advanced AI-powered precision agriculture system. This system detects weeds in wheat fields and identifies diseases in apple orchards, enabling targeted pesticide application only to affected areas. Tested in real-world environments, this technology aims to reduce chemical usage, minimise environmental impact, and promote healthier ecosystems—key goals of Smart Droplets.
AUA’s system utilises dual 1080p cameras mounted on tractors to capture real-time, GPS-tagged video of crops. It enables precise detection of weeds in wheat fields and diseases in apple orchards through YOLO-based computer vision algorithms. The system’s disease-detection capabilities have been refined using a dataset of high-resolution images, which were used to train a YOLO v8 instance segmentation network for accurate identification of diseased areas. The picture below shows an example of these images and showcases how the technology works.
Equipped with an NVIDIA Jetson Orin processor, the system processes data on-site to produce GeoJSON maps that guide targeted pesticide application only where needed. This selective spraying approach reduces chemical usage, minimises environmental impact, and supports the Smart Droplets project’s goals of sustainable and efficient farming practices.
AUA’s precision spraying system is currently at an advanced development level, having been successfully demonstrated in real-world environments. During pilot tests in Lithuania and Spain, the system achieved strong performance, with 0.8 mean Average Precision (mAP) accuracy in weed detection and 0.7 mAP accuracy for apple disease detection. The system’s GPS-to-sprayer integration has also been validated with test data, providing precise, actionable instructions for farmers. With these milestones, AUA’s system is ready for widespread deployment, working seamlessly in fields and orchards to detect and treat crops in real time.
AUA’s AI-powered system represents a promising advancement in precision agriculture, offering farmers the ability to reduce chemical use while still protecting their crops. The technology’s scalability and real-time performance align with the broader goals of the Smart Droplets project, which aims to revolutionise farming by using data-driven insights and innovative technologies to make agriculture more efficient and sustainable. As the system continues to evolve, it will contribute to the overall success of Smart Droplets, helping shape the future of sustainable, precision farming.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
