PPI (NÖVI)

Hungarian Agriculture Can Save Time and Money with Artificial Intelligence

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The time required for plant breeding could be shortened, far less fertilizer may be needed for soil treatment, and fewer human resources will be required in agriculture thanks to artificial intelligence. According to researchers at the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (HUN-REN ATK), Hungarian farmers need to be more open to AI solutions, as even smaller farms can save significant amounts of time and money with their help.

There is no longer a scientific field that artificial intelligence has not touched, and agriculture is no exception. In Western countries, vast farmlands already feature scenarios where only one out of ten combines has a human operator, while the other nine machines follow autonomously. Although Hungarian regulations do not yet allow for such automation, AI-based tools are increasingly being adopted in Hungarian agriculture.

Although drone operations are also strictly regulated, drones are now used to assess drought damage from above or to determine the nutrient requirements of specific farmland. “AI provides the greatest assistance in decision-making,” emphasized Roland Hollós, a researcher at the Institute of Agriculture operating under the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (HUN-REN ATK MGI). According to him, after analyzing processes and data, artificial intelligence can make decisions in minutes that previously took weeks. As a result, identifying plant diseases has become much faster and more accurate. Previously, this task was performed exclusively by humans, making the process significantly slower.

Nándor Fodor, director of the HUN-REN ATK MGI, also highlighted the time factor when it comes to plant breeding. Developing a new plant variety and bringing it to market typically takes around 10 years. With the help of AI, this process could be reduced to 6–7 years. “Although a reduction of 3–4 years may not seem significant, but when you consider that it also requires far fewer crossbreeding attempts and much less chemicals, AI can indeed lead to substantial cost savings throughout the breeding process,” the director added.

“AI can be applied to every stage of plant breeding, as these technologies are particularly suited for analyzing complex datasets that include genetic, environmental, and phenotypic information,” added Roland Hollós, a researcher at HUN-REN ATK and also the HUN-REN AI Ambassador. Machine learning algorithms can process vast amounts of genetic information to identify patterns and accurately predict plant traits. This capability enables the development of plant varieties optimized for specific climates, soil types, and agricultural practices at a significantly faster pace than traditional breeding methods.

Although more and more companies are offering AI-based services even to smaller-scale farmers, some Hungarian farmers are still not open enough to new technologies. “AI struggles to overcome decades-old habits. Many farmers apply fertilizers based on routine, using the amounts and types they believe are best, without relying on soil analysis data or a reliable professional advisory system. However, AI can significantly reduce the amount of chemicals used, which benefits everyone – the soil, the consumer, and, not least, the farmer,” said Roland Hollós.

The HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network launched the AI 4 Science program for its researchers last autumn, providing them with all necessary AI-based support – including services, consulting, and tools – to enhance the efficiency of their scientific work and improve research outcomes.

The program has been highly successful among HUN-REN ATK researchers, who have already received support for tasks such as prompt writing, analyzing scientific articles, and even developing software for modeling ground squirrel burrows. “AI is undoubtedly the future of agricultural research in Hungary as well,” emphasized the AI Ambassador. While researchers are becoming increasingly open to artificial intelligence, he stressed that efforts must be made to shift their mindset towards these technologies. “On one hand, AI helps researchers save a tremendous amount of time; on the other, it helps them find the pathways to translate their research into everyday applications, giving it real societal value,” added Roland Hollós.

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Will Europe be conquered by the two-spotted stink bug (Perillus bioculatus), a ferocious enemy of the Colorado potato beetle?

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In Autumn 2023 the North American predaceous stink bug species, the two-spotted stink bug had been recorded for the first time in Hungary.  The species is known as an effective biocontrol agent of the Colorado potato beetle, and attempts on the rearing and implication in pest biocontrol were made between the 1930s and the 1980s throughout Europe, e.g., in France, Italy, Hungary or the countries formerly belonging to Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and the USSR. These efforts were deemed to be unsuccessful and scientists attributed this first to climatic conditions and later to the asynchronous lifecycle of predator and prey in Europe. More recently results of faunistic surveys revealed the survival of small populations of the two-spotted stink bug in the Balkans Peninsula, Türkiye, and north of the Black Sea (southern region of Ukraine and Russia). The species began its expanse in the 2000s in the northwestern direction and reached the Carpathian Basin in 2023.

After the first record in Hungary a research project implying citizen science has been launched in the Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research under the leadership of Péter Kóbor, associate researcher of the Department of Zoology. The results of the project were published in the journal Scientific Reports and its key findings can be summarized as follows.

The campaign resulted in the most extensive knowledge database regarding the distribution of the two-spotted stink bug in Europe. This data was combined with the records published on citizen science platforms and the available literature regarding European populations.  The results elucidated that the two-spotted stink bug is established and widespread in Hungary, furthermore, two mass occurrences (simultaneous presence of more than 20 individuals) were reported. The analysis of the combined distribution dataset and the results of the ecological niche modeling performed outline an accelerating expansion that will most possibly result in the occurrence of the species in the southern and middle parts of Western Europe. Furthermore, the results corroborate the phenomenon of dietary drift that facilitated the European naturalization of the two-spotted stink bug. This species which was previously known as a specialist predator now has a food source record consisting of seven leaf-beetle species and caterpillars of two moth species, from which a leaf-beetle and a noctuid moth was recorded in the course of this study. The most interesting among them is the ragweed leaf-beetle (Ophraella communa) which is now studied as a potential biocontrol agent of the common ragweed, an important invasive weed species in Europe.

The question remains open how will the establishment and expansion of the two-spotted stink bug affect the European insect communities?  The answer is subject to further studies. Besides the case of the ragweed leaf-beetle further matter of concern is that among the leaf-beetles and the noctuid moths too, multiple species of nature conservation interest are to be found. If the two-spotted stink bug colonizes semi-natural habitats, establishing abundant populations can have of negative effect.

„Though the expanse of this stink bug can be considered as positive in terms of the reduction of potato beetle population, the example of the harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis suggests that it is important to monitor the behavior of the alien predaceous insects in the newly colonized territories.” – said Péter Kóbor.

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Hungarian researchers’ novel method to advance mycobiological analysis

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Macrofungi have been at the forefront of research in recent decades, as they produce metabolic compounds that are typically unique to specific fungal species. The method developed by the Plant Protection Institute at the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (HUN-REN CAR NÖVI) separates antioxidant and antimicrobial substances in two stages, while reducing the quantity of interfering components. This development can be used in further experiments.

Macrofungi are capable of producing numerous primary (e.g., trehalose, beta-glucans, lectins) and specialised, known as secondary (e.g., alkaloids, phenolics, steroids) fungal-specific metabolites. During the analysis of fungal samples, various organic solvents are used to extract bioactive compounds, primarily secondary metabolites. However, these samples also contain significant amounts of molecules that are considered contaminants from a detection perspective. For example, the typically high levels of linoleic acid impair the detectability of other bioactive substances in various bioassays coupled with chromatography.

The method developed by HUN-REN CAR NÖVI overcomes this problem by reducing the amount of contaminants while separating antioxidant and antimicrobial substances in two stages based on their bioactivity. This approach enables the individual examination and isolation of these molecules. “The method is based on what is known as solid-phase extraction (SPE), which is primarily used to concentrate specific substances, such as mycotoxins and contaminants in water samples, but can also be used for the analysis of toxins in macrofungi,” says HUN-REN CAR NÖVI researcher Daniel Krüzselyi.

The process employed the simultaneous use of two fillers of different chemical character (C18and silica), and then dissolving the fungal extract from the filler using two different solvents. In the first step, water-soluble substances, including those with antioxidant properties, were extracted. In the second step, predominantly small-molecule antimicrobial substances were dissolved using methanol. This method removed 98% of linoleic acid from the sample, significantly improving the detectability of other bioactive compounds. “The development by HUN-REN CAR NÖVI can make a significant contribution to the analysis of bioactive compounds in macrofungi in the future,” the researcher added.

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Exposure to insecticide formulation alters bumblebee foraging behaviour, but not peripheral perception

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Due to the widespread use of insecticides, researchers have been increasingly concerned about their environmental and health effects. The Plant Protection Institute of the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research (HUN-REN CAR NÖVI) has demonstrated that insecticide-treated bumblebees start foraging later and are less likely to find the tested floral blend source than their control counterparts. This research, published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports, shows that even approved and widely used insecticides can affect beneficial insect species.

Although insecticides play an important role in the fight against weeds, pests, and pathogens, there has been increasing concern in recent years about the environmental and health effects of their use. When these agrochemicals enter the environment, they can have negative effects on human health, biodiversity and various ecosystem services.

Previous studies have shown that exposure to acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid insecticide also approved in the European Union, can have adverse sub-lethal effects on many organisms, including pollinating insects and natural predators of agricultural pests. However, we do not yet have sufficient information on the extent and severity of these effects. In their study, researchers from the Plant Protection Institute, HUN-REN CAR, investigated the effects of the acetamiprid-containing Mospilan formulation on the behaviour and antennal detection of scents in buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). They found that the applied pesticide treatment did not affect the detection of the synthetic flower blend by the bumblebees’ antennae, but significantly altered the foraging behaviour of the tested animals. More of the exposed bumblebees started foraging later and were less likely to find the floral blend source than their control counterparts.

The results suggest that exposure to the acetamiprid-containing Mospilan can interfere with the foraging activity and orientation of bumblebees. The researchers hypothesize that these sub-lethal effects may be exerted through neurophysiological and endocrine mechanisms. Future research should explore how these effects may affect the population dynamics of pollinators and their ecosystem services.

This research, published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports, shows that even approved and widely used insecticides can affect beneficial insect species. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct further studies in order to better understand the long-term effects of these agrochemicals and develop sustainable agricultural practices.

 

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