Crop pests and diseases remain one of agriculture’s most costly challenges, responsible for more than $360 billion in losses each year globally.

In New Zealand, a threat to apple growers is bull’s eye rot, a fungal disease that infects fruit during the growing season but remains invisible until post-harvest, affecting stored and eventually shipped fruit.

Detecting it only in the target markets results in significant financial and reputational losses.

With New Zealand’s apple exports reaching a record $1 billion in 2025, early detection is crucial but has been impossible with conventional sensing technology.

As part of the STELLA Horizon Europe project, Lincoln Agritech is piloting a new approach in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s largest apple-growing region.

The team has deployed automated spore samplers, UAV, and satellite imagery to monitor environmental conditions, canopy features and pathogen activity. These data streams will feed into STELLA’s AI-powered risk models which could complement New Zealand models on this disease.

The goal is to help growers take action in the orchard before symptoms appear later in storage or at the point of sale, says Dr Armin Werner, Lincoln Agritech’s Principal Science Advisor and New Zealand’s STELLA project lead.

“We will use AI to interpret sensor data from orchards and weather, combined with expert knowledge. This approach will give growers early warnings before the disease becomes visible on apples reaching consumers.

“That kind of foresight would be very supportive for managing bull’s eye rot in the orchard.”

With improved detection and targeted intervention for critical pests, New Zealand’s apple exports could potentially increase by at least 20%, boosting productivity while safeguarding crop quality and export value.

Lincoln Agritech’s role in STELLA demonstrates how international collaborative science can deliver practical solutions, bridging the gap between research and real-world impact for growers worldwide.

Background:

STELLA, launched in 2024 under the EU’s ninth seven-year research and development framework, Horizon Europe, aims to transform crop and ecosystem protection by integrating digital technologies, AI, and real-time data into a unified decision-support platform – a pest surveillance system (PSS: https://stella-pss.eu/). Lincoln Agritech’s involvement strengthens New Zealand’s capabilities in precision agriculture, remote sensing, and AI-driven decision-making

 

Video credit: Delegation of the European Union To New Zealand

In November, Auckland hosted the first-ever European Union – New Zealand Business Summit, a milestone in the relationship between Europe and New Zealand under the EU–NZ Free Trade Agreement and Horizon Europe.