2023 March Research Spotlight
dr. renato herrig furlanetto
The UF GCPSA is pleased to feature Dr. Renato Herrig Furlanetto, an Agricultural Engineer and Postdoctoral researcher working in Dr. Nathan Boyd’s Weed Science Lab at the UF IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.
I met with Renato to find out what piqued his interest in agriculture, his pathway to working with weed science, what he does to de-stress from the lofty expectations of researchers, and his future goals as a research scientist.
Renato Herrig Furlanetto (1)_2.mp4Background
Renato hails from Maringa, Parana state, Brazil. Influenced by his older brothers who studied Civil Engineering and Agricultural Engineering, he started his undergraduate in 2010 as an Agricultural Engineering major at the State University of Maringa. During this period, he started his junior research to learn about scientific research and experimentation, and how to work in a lab team. This formed the foundation for his undergraduate research in plant pathology with a focus on soybeans, beans, and corn. In his senior year he began learning more about technology. This led him to undertake various projects such as building a 3D printer and a CNC machine with which he designed parts to repair vehicles. Fast forward to 2016, and Renato started working on his master’s degree (and eventually PhD) in remote sensing in collaboration with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA). His thesis research focused on machine vision to identify potassium deficiency of corn using RGB and infrared cameras on drones and from the ground. He went on to begin his doctorate program with a focus on potassium deficiency in soybean. He explored the variation in potassium deficiency in soybean production across three different growing seasons. The main purpose for his PhD dissertation was to create a simple potassium deficiency regression model using a few wavelengths that could generate real time results for farmers for whom time is a critical resource. He successfully published two articles regarding his work. In the final year of his PhD, he studied the use of computer vision using neural networks with soybean plant images as inputs to make predictions on potassium deficiency in soybeans.
Post Doctorate
Recognizing the future potential of smart agriculture, Renato looked towards applying his research expertise in smart ag applications. He arrived at the UF IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in September 2022 to work with Dr. Nathan Boyd in the weed science lab. His current research project focuses on training different deep learning algorithms to identify weed species in strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, etc. He has taken at least 1,000 pictures from each weed species to train weed identification models and aims to incorporate the trained model in an automated spray control to apply the herbicide to exactly where the weed is located. With this tool, farmers will be able to use their smartphone cameras to easily identify and localize the weed species in their fields. This will help to increase herbicide application efficiency and minimize costs associated with herbicide purchase.
Dealing with Challenges
Since Portuguese is his first language, Renato had to get accustomed to speaking and writing in English in the lab. As such, he enrolled in evening English classes for adults in a local school, and his command of the language has improved significantly. Also, since his background was steeped in plant pathology and he is working with Artificial Intelligence, he has had to learn a substantial amount about programming by himself- either through reading articles/papers or watching tutorials on YouTube. He even sometimes wonders if going back to school for a second bachelor’s degree will be beneficial. However, he revels in the opportunity to learn new skills and is always looking to see how he can apply the self-taught lessons to his work.
De-stressing
As Renato is passionate about technology, he finds joy in learning how to build things and develop devices. Back in Brazil he loved to build and fly his drones with a group of friends during the weekends or on holidays. He is currently looking out for any groups located close to the GCREC center where he could continue this hobby. He is an avid soccer fan and enjoys playing from time to time. He also enjoys riding his bicycle.
Future Plans
While his work authorization lasts for four years, Renato has the opportunity to renew his authorization every year or until all his work is done in the lab. He has considered either returning to Brazil after he is done here to continue with another Post Doc position or an industry position. He is also considering staying in the US to work in academia or in industry. Regardless of where life takes Renato, his passion for research and learning new things will guide his decisions.
Testimonial from Dr. Nathan Boyd
Dr. Renato Herrig Furlanetto brings much needed engineering expertise to the Boyd Weed Science laboratory. His programming experience and skills working with various sensors, weed detection technologies, and programming have propelled our lab forward in many ways. Renato has only been here a short time but has already proven to be a significant asset. Just as important, Renato has shown a willingness to support other projects and graduate students in our lab. He is a joy to be around and the Weed Science laboratory is better and stronger because he is here. I am excited about the future and what we will accomplish moving forward
Interviewer: Uche Ilodibe