{
  "id": 17036266,
  "title": "IIT Kharagpur and Absolute launch Smart Scout AI project for soybean farming",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/iit-kharagpur-and-absolute-launch-smart-scout-ai-project-for-soybean",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-29T08:31:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times - Economy",
    "slug": "the-economic-times-economy",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/iit-kharagpur-and-absolute-launch-smart-scout-ai-project-for-soybean-farming/articleshow/135297217.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Soybean farmers in India may soon have access to a computer vision and AI-based smart crop-monitoring system to detect crop damage, assess lodging risks, and estimate yields. Developed by Absolute, an AI-native biosolutions company, and IIT Kharagpur, the project is part of the Quad-backed Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative. The $6 million investment includes support from India, the US, Japan, and Australia.\n\nSoybean is crucial to India's edible oil economy, with around 12.95 million hectares under cultivation in 2024-25. Lodging, or bending and falling of plants before harvest, poses a significant risk, leading to yield losses, poor grain quality, disease, and higher harvesting costs. The Smart Scout system aims to replace manual field inspections with camera-based monitoring, providing farmers with early warning signs of lodging, crop damage, and potential yield loss.\n\nThe system uses image analysis to determine plant height, crop density, early signs of lodging, and pest pressure. It will generate a lodging score, estimate the percentage of a field affected, and map the location of damage, offering a consistent assessment of crop conditions. In-season yield estimation will help farmers prioritize harvesting and plan labor, machinery, and sales.\n\nLed internationally by Dr. Ajay Sharda of Kansas State University, Prof. Peeyush Soni of IIT Kharagpur, and Dr. Shivam Sharma of Absolute, the project will run for three years, with pilot trials covering more than 30 acres across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. Absolute's AI-enabled computer-vision system will be developed for real-time monitoring, lodging assessment, yield estimation, and data visualization. The collaboration aims to deliver field-ready AI tailored to Indian conditions and adaptable to other crops.",
  "summary": "Absolute and IIT Kharagpur are developing an early warning system for soybean farmers to minimize crop losses. The Smart Scout project aims to detect lodging risks, assess damage, and estimate yields using artificial intelligence. This initiative is part of the Quad-backed AI-ENGAGE program focusing on agricultural innovations. Pilot trials will be conducted across major soybean-growing states in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}