Data-driven prediction of sugar beet weevil occurance
Changing climatic conditions have led to an increase in the sugar beet weevil (Asproparthenis punctiventris) in large parts of eastern Austria, causing enormous damage to sugar beet crops. In 2020, which was characterised by extremely warm and dry spring weather, more than 4,000 hectares of sugar beet in Austria were destroyed by the beetle. Accurate prediction of the beetle's location and abundance would allow early countermeasures to be taken, thereby contributing to resource-efficient agriculture. The overall goal of PredictBeetWeevil is therefore to create a data-based prediction model to determine the spread of the beet weevil. To this end, data from previous years will be reviewed, cleaned, digitised and incorporated into a basic model for predicting the occurrence of the pest. This will be augmented with data from various sources (climate data, soil durability properties, soil biodiversity and soil microbiome) that will be generated during the project using soil sample analysis. After testing different algorithms and evaluating the data, the project will identify the key factors for the spread of the pest and will further improve the prediction model.
Facts
- Project start: 01.05.2022
- Project duration (in months): 44
- Budget: 594 kEUR
- Funding: 276 kEUR
- Project partners: Agrana Research and Innovation Center GmbH
- Project website: https://www.d4agrotech.at/projekte-partnernetzwerk#c63573
