22 June 2026

In 2026, agriculture partners Rivoira and Agrion launched a measurement campaign across Piedmont apple orchards to train and refine the HortiQD algorithm’s ability to detect pests and diseases.

The campaign focuses on Gala and Ambrosia variety orchards already affected by common threats: apple scab, powdery mildew, fire blight, aphids and mites, to capture real infection patterns in the field. Using an RGB camera positioned at a fixed distance with multiple focal lengths, the team is building a classified image dataset that will serve as ground truth for the SWIR detection system currently in development.

The campaign began in May and will continue through pre-harvest.

Researcher setting up an RGB camera on a tripod to photograph apple trees during the HortiQD measurement campaign in a Piedmont orchard