Artificial Intelligence for Innovation at TIMAC AGRO
At TIMAC AGRO, innovation is a conviction: the conviction that science and technology are levers for finding sustainable solutions to agricultural challenges. Drawing on the expertise of the Groupe Roullier’s World Innovation Center, we mobilize artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to enrich our R&D, improve agronomic performance, and support the transitions in the agricultural sector.
Artificial Intelligence to better understand plants: an R&D tool
Since 2015, the Groupe Roullier’s World Innovation Center has been equipped with high-tech phenotyping greenhouses. Over 2,000 plant images are analyzed each year under different spectra (HD, thermal, infrared). Using cutting-edge algorithms, these images are cleaned, segmented, and interpreted to detect nutritional deficiencies, physiological stress, and weak signals invisible to the naked eye.
This analytical capacity considerably enhances the relevance of our research, enabling us to develop customized, more accurate and more effective nutrition plans, in line with our approach: the right dose, in the right place, at the right time.
Optimizing agricultural yields
At TIMAC AGRO, artificial intelligence is a lever for anticipating and improving agronomic performance. Our researchers develop predictive models integrating key variables such as soil, climate, nutrient inputs, and historical field data.
These models can be used to simulate different technical itinerary scenarios and anticipate the results of a trial before it is implemented, to guide choices towards potentially more effective options.
By limiting unnecessary interventions and adjusting inputs, this approach could contribute to better control of yields, costs, and environmental impact. In field crops, where fertilization can represent up to 15% of the cost per hectare, more targeted management is a relevant optimization lever.
Large-scale collaborative projects for more sustainable agriculture
Committed to open innovation, TIMAC AGRO participates in scientific and territorial initiatives alongside public and private players. In particular, the Groupe Roullier’s World Innovation Center is involved in the “TI Alimentation Durable 2030” project, in collaboration with INRAe and agricultural cooperatives in Burgundy, France.
This project mobilizes the analysis of over 50 agri-environmental indicators to model the complex interactions between soil and plant (water, carbon, salinity, microbiology…) and anticipate key agronomic risks. The aim is to provide farmers with robust, contextualized decision-support tools, based on science and geared towards continuous improvement in environmental performance.
Real-time crop monitoring: a new agronomic responsiveness
Artificial intelligence, coupled with sensors and drones, offers unrivalled responsiveness. By combining real-time data capture with analysis algorithms, TIMAC AGRO is able to monitor the condition of crops at every stage of their development.
This approach enables early detection of disease, water stress or nutritional deficiencies, ensuring targeted intervention at the optimum time. Fewer losses, fewer unnecessary interventions, greater efficiency: the promise of precision agriculture fulfilled in the field.
Field data: TIMAC AGRO's unique strength
The effectiveness of AI systems depends closely on the quality and representativeness of the data they use. As such, TIMAC AGRO benefits from a network of more than 4,000 Field Representatives mobilized every day alongside farmers. This constant presence enables us to collect a rich volume of qualified data, from a wide variety of soil and climate conditions, crops and practices.
This proximity to the field feeds algorithms that are designed to be as close as possible to local agronomic realities. It is this scientific and operational grounding that reinforces the relevance and reliability of the innovations we develop.
With artificial intelligence, TIMAC AGRO and the Groupe Roullier’s World Innovation Center are pushing back the boundaries of modern agronomy. AI becomes a powerful and reliable field tool, at the service of more precise, sustainable and more efficient agriculture.
