新春走基层丨水稻育种遇上AI 老专家与工程师联手“抢花期”

Core Viewpoint - The collaboration between traditional rice breeding experts and AI engineers aims to address the challenges of hybridizing different rice varieties by optimizing the timing of flowering and pollination. Group 1: Research and Development - Zhang Guangheng, a veteran in rice breeding, faces challenges in hybridizing indica and japonica rice due to their differing flowering times, which complicates the pollination process [1][3] - The traditional approach of using a large number of students for data collection has proven ineffective, prompting Zhang to seek assistance from an AI team specializing in smart agriculture [3][5] - The AI team, led by Zhang Jianhua, has been working on customized AI solutions since 2021, including remote monitoring and AR technology for pest identification [5] Group 2: Technical Challenges - Initial attempts to use drones for capturing images of rice flowering were unsuccessful due to issues with image clarity and environmental disturbances [10][12] - The team faced further setbacks when a robot designed for data collection became stuck in muddy fields, highlighting the complexities of working in wetland conditions [14][18] - Continuous adjustments and troubleshooting are necessary, with the team working on custom wheels and control algorithms to improve the robot's performance in rice paddies [18] Group 3: Collaborative Efforts - The collaboration between the experienced breeder and the young AI engineer symbolizes the integration of traditional and modern agricultural practices [18] - The research base is actively organizing numerous seminars to facilitate the exchange of new varieties and technologies among researchers [19] - The goal is to create a collaborative innovation platform that bridges research and industry, ensuring that laboratory results translate into practical agricultural applications [21][23]