Researchers are developing weed communities that can coexist with the crops without reducing crop yield or quality compared with weed-free conditions. This is a response to over-reliance on chemical pest control and intensive tillage in over-simplified cropping systems that have many drawbacks. Over the next four years, researchers and practitioners from four continents in the fields of ecology, weed management, robotics, and AI are collaborating to develop this alternative approach. The project will design new AI algorithms and robotics systems to study and selectively remove weeds to achieve ''Neutral Weed Communities''. Dr. Chiara Gabellieri of the Robotics and Mechatronics group leads the University of Twente component of the project.
More information can be found on the project webpage at https://www.neutraweed.com/